Hẻm Gems: Atop a Beef Bowl Eatery, the Hidden Cozy World of Shochu Bar Mitsuboshi
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- Published on 29 March 2026
- Written by Tom Phạm. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
Looking back at my days in Japan, I cherish most the moments I decided to get lost in yokochos — small and narrow alleys filled with shops, often bars — and push on a random door, not knowing what could await me behind it. It could be a wooden stall illuminated by blinding lights, its noisy customers showered with beer; or a 19th-century-style Manhattan bar, where the only movements come from trails of smoke off the customers’ cigarettes and streams of light going through bottles of whisky behind the counter.
Insights, Polished History Lessons Await in Hanoi's Massive, Brutalist Military Museum
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- Published on 27 March 2026
- Written by David McCaskey. Photos by David McCaskey. Top graphic by Dương Trương.
When I pitched a review of Hanoi’s massive new Vietnam Military History Museum to the Saigoneer editorial staff, I expected to find the museum somewhat boring. After all, although I am a historian, I am not really that interested in military stuff, and I’d been to the original location on Điện Biên Phủ Street several times — how could this new museum improve on the old one? What could this new museum say that the old one didn’t? What could I learn here that I haven’t already learned at Saigon’s War Remnants Museum and Hồ Chí Minh Campaign Museum, at Điện Biên Phủ’s war museum, at Hải Phòng’s naval museum, and at the countless other shrines to Vietnamese martial prowess across the country? Quite a lot, it turns out.
When Rush Hour Hits, The Straits Offers a Singaporean Alternative
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- Published on 26 March 2026
- Written by Saigoneer. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
Saigon’s streets snarl with hot, sticky knots of traffic every evening. As people finish their workdays and look ahead to quality time with families at home, precious hours pursuing hobbies and meeting with friends around the city, they must first contend with horrific congestion. This rush hour period, when movement is slow and frustrating, coincides with peak skyline beauty.
Vietnam's Woolly Bat Is Being Hunted to Extinction to Be Halloween Decorations
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- Published on 25 March 2026
- Written by Spoorthy Raman.
With hues of orange and black on its wings and a furry, fluffy face, the painted woolly bat is a stunner. But its beauty has become a deadly liability. People want to hang the bats — dead and stuffed — on their walls, display them as collectibles and even set them in jewelry.
From North to South, a French Photographer's Glimpses of 1992 Vietnam
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- Published on 24 March 2026
- Written by Saigoneer.
How much of Vietnam have you explored? For many of us with a busy life and working schedule, one or two trips a year might be as much as our time and money can afford, and even so, at times, visiting a location only involves staying at an all-inclusive resort to recuperate from work stress.
In Search of Ba Khía, the Mangrove Crab That Captures the Soul of Cà Mau
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- Published on 23 March 2026
- Written by Đình Phúc. Graphic by Mai Khanh.
The tide is low tonight. The mud flats, enveloped in the mangrove forest’s darkness, are dotted with the sporadic flares of headlamps. On bundles of exposed mangrove roots, shadows cast by black crabs crowd out one another. In my hometown, we call them “ba khía.”
Pristine Blue Sky and Memorial Park: Ruminating on What the Covid-19 Pandemic Left Us
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- Published on 21 March 2026
- Written by San Kwon. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
Recently, I visited Saigon’s newly inaugurated COVID-19 memorial park. Located at 1 Lý Thái Tổ, Vườn Lài Ward, the park opened in February as a part of the city’s efforts to expand its green spaces. The centerpiece of the park is its teardrop-shaped sculpture, a monument commemorating the solidarity and care that carried the city through the hardships of the pandemic.
Hẻm Gems: Tokyo Moon Cafe Introduces Homey Korean Flavors to Japan Town
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- Published on 21 March 2026
- Written by Khang Nguyễn. Photos by Cao Nhân.
Stepping into Tokyo Moon is like venturing into a world of wonders, neatly packed within a mere 35-square-meter space.
Tourists Generate Up to 3 Times More Plastic Waste Than Locals, UNDP Finds
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- Published on 19 March 2026
- Written by Saigoneer.
A recent report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) warns that plastic waste pollution poses increasing problems for both the environment and the economy of the tourism industry, especially as the sector continues to grow rapidly.
HCMC's Đồng Khởi Among World's Top 20 Most Expensive Retail Streets, Report Says
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- Published on 18 March 2026
- Written by Saigoneer.
Saigon’s very own Đồng Khởi has once again made the list of world’s commercial streets with the highest annual rents.
The Facetious Gender Politics of Gỗ Lim, Hanoi's Feminist Post-Punk Quintet
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- Published on 16 March 2026
- Written by Thi Nguyễn.
In an example of cruel irony, October 20 is when we celebrate annual Vietnam Women's Day, and also the anniversary of the passing of Mai Nga (commonly known as Nga Nhí), the lead singer of Gỗ Lim — a Hanoi-based female post-punk band that, albeit short-lived, struck a blow for women’s representation in rock and metal music in Vietnam in 2011 and 2012.
From Quảng Nam to Gwangju: Confronting the Bloody History of South Korea's 'Vietnam'
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- Published on 15 March 2026
- Written by San Kwon. Top graphic by Dương Trương.
In her novel Human Acts, the renowned South Korean author and Nobel Prize recipient Han Kang writes about the May 18 Democratization Movement, also known as the Gwangju Uprising. That month, student-led demonstrations broke out in the city of Gwangju following army general Chun Doo-hwan’s coup d'état, and his military government responded with a violent crackdown and an indiscriminate massacre of civilians.
'Chuyện Của Pao' Turned a Historic H'Mông Home in Hà Giang Into a Tourist Attraction
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- Published on 13 March 2026
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Top graphic by Hannah Hoàng.
The photos don’t do it justice. That’s what you’ll often hear from people who visit Hà Giang to cruise its famed highway loop.
Hẻm Gems: Inside a Modernist Abode, O Phương’s Bún Bò Harks Back to Huế Flavors
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- Published on 13 March 2026
- Written by Văn Tân. Photos by Jimmy Art Devier.
“O” is the affectionate way central Vietnamese call their sisters and aunties. For children of Central Vietnam like me, it has taken root in me like the most natural anchor of home. Sometimes when I’m out and about, glimpses of the accent of my hometown would pull me back home.
How Vietnam's Muslims Celebrate Ramadan, Eid Al-Fitr in Mekong Delta's Châu Đốc
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- Published on 10 March 2026
- Written by Abdelaziz Ibrahim. Photos by Abdelaziz Ibrahim.
Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world, yet Vietnamese Muslims represent as little as 0.1% of the country’s population. Most are ethnic Chăm, while a few are foreigners and a few converts. After traveling to Châu Đốc in An Giang Province, where the majority are located, I was mesmerized by the unique cultural mix this community represents.
How Did Vietnam Start Celebrating International Women's Day on March 8?
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- Published on 05 March 2026
- Written by Saigoneer.
In the hyper-commercialized world we now live in, it might be impossible to associate anything but overpriced flower bouquets and corporate sponsorships with International Women’s Day (IWD), but the widely celebrated occasion actually has a rich history of over 100 years of the women’s rights movement.
Hẻm Gems: Bánh Canh Hẹ Is Phú Yên's Homage to Chives and the Sea
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- Published on 05 March 2026
- Written by Khang Nguyễn. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
Ever since I was a kid, I have had a general dislike towards vegetables, but green onion has always been an exception. I regard green onion as a garnish that can lighten up the whole dish, and it seems like whenever it’s absent from my cơm tấm or xôi mặn, I will instantly lose my enthusiasm to eat. But during my teenage years, my affection for scallion was challenged for the first time, when I encountered a photo of Phú Yên’s bánh canh hẹ online.
Life on the Streets of 1978 Hanoi in Black and White
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- Published on 05 March 2026
- Written by Dr Stephen Black.
In August 1978, I visited Hanoi as part of an educational tour organized by a professor from La Trobe University in Melbourne. I was a high school history teacher at the time and an avid photographer. I walked the streets of Hanoi and took many photographs of everyday life in the city, and until now, these photographs have remained unpublished.
Welcome to the New Age of Mass-Produced, Enshittified Plastic Bánh Giò
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- Published on 04 March 2026
- Written by Khôi Phạm. Top graphic by Dương Trương.
Do you always remember the first time you tried a new food? With common staples like hủ tiếu, bún riêu or cơm tấm, that might be difficult, but I can recall exactly the first time I had bánh giò: it was from a bike vendor with a very distinctive northern-accented street call of “chưng, gai, bánh giò.”
Hanoi Breaks Ground on Sports Complex With World's 2nd-Largest Stadium
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- Published on 03 March 2026
- Written by Saigoneer.
Hanoi is currently building the country’s largest sports complex that’s hoped to become Vietnam’s go-to location to host international events and tournaments.
