The Origin of the Strange Lights You See Before Landing in Saigon
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- Published on 14 October 2025
- Written by Paul Christiansen.
What are those astonishingly bright lights seen from an airplane window when approaching Saigon at night? I’ve had visitors ask me this on the drive home from the airport, and the question appears on Reddit every few months. I remember being befuddled myself the first time I witnessed the patchwork radiance.
In Hội An, Artist Nguyễn Quốc Dân Breathes New Life Into Scrap Materials
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- Published on 12 October 2025
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
The several dozen family altars that formed a hodgepodge pile had each been abandoned in graveyards. For many, this would make them extremely inauspicious. But to artist Nguyễn Quốc Dân, they are perfect for making art.
Integrating Spanish Culinary Traditions into Local Lifestyles
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- Published on 12 October 2025
- Written by Saigoneer. Photos by Economic and Commercial Office from the Embassy of Spain.
Paella’s elevation of humble countryside ingredients into an extravaganza of flavors united by fluffy rice; soft and creamy Torta del Casar sheep’s milk cheese; intense Pimentón de la Vera paprika made with smoked peppers, and nutty, earthy iberico ham sliced whisper thin: Spanish culinary treasures are becoming increasingly common in Vietnam. As more Spanish restaurants open and Spanish products occupy more space on grocery store shelves, people here are also discovering how Spaniards like to eat.
My Mom’s Care Packages Remind Me That Home Can Fit Inside a Box of Food
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- Published on 10 October 2025
- Written by Hạ Vy. Illustrations by Dương Trương.
“What do you guys crave? I’ll send some.”
As Climate Change Threatens, Flood Waters Usher In Sustainable Opportunities for Communities in the Mekong Delta
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- Published on 09 October 2025
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
The Mekong Delta is developing faster than Google Maps can keep up with. A stretch of road that was too narrow to accommodate cars and required a transition to motorbikes just six months ago was under construction during our August visit. Gargantuan machines for laying pulverized gravel inched aside to let our 7-seater pass so we could reach the home of Nguyễn Thị Thu Thủy to check in on her small fish drying home business.
10 Species of Lesser-Known Fruits to Get to Know Vietnam's Biodiversity
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- Published on 08 October 2025
- Written by Khôi Phạm. Top graphic by Trường Dĩ.
In the Vietnamese language, the word “cỏ” — meaning “grass” in the literal sense — is often used to signify that something is locally grown, no frills, and charmingly rustic; grassroots, if you will. Chó cỏ is the general term for the adorable mutts, usually mixes between Vietnam’s native dog species, born without the prestige of named breeds, while gym cỏ and net cỏ denote the casual gyms and internet cafes in one’s neighborhood. In the same vein of logic, may I put forth a new name for a special genre of Vietnamese fruits: trái cỏ?
How Vietnamese Architecture Adopted Modernism and Made It Our Own
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- Published on 08 October 2025
- Written by Phạm Vinh. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
Ask a person on the street what Vietnam’s distinctive style of architecture is, and the answer you get might be traditional architecture, like the historic curves of northern Vietnam’s village temples or the ornate regality of Nguyễn-Dynasty palaces. This time-honored style is widely accepted as the hallmark of Vietnam’s cultural wealth. What’s more fascinating but lesser-known is how this cultural vestige — which distinguished our architecture from that of China and Japan — has also managed to evolve in the new age, finding ways to exist right in the middle of our modern lifetime.
Enlightening Misery Under French Rule Explored in 'Light Out and Modern Vietnamese Stories'
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- Published on 06 October 2025
- Written by Evan Glatz. Top image by Dương Trương.
Light Out and Modern Vietnamese Stories, 1930–1954 offers the contemporary reader an honest glimpse of a period in Vietnam history characterized by corruption, exploitation, dehumanization, poverty, and starvation. The Vietnamese texts, both a novella and accompanying short stories, not only delineate the immediate influence of French colonization on the sociopolitical functions of Vietnam, an enterprise solely designed for its economic potential, but also expose the extending impact on the quotidian lives of proletarians, particularly the peasantry.
What Shipwrecks Can Teach Us About Vietnam's Centuries-Old Maritime History
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- Published on 05 October 2025
- Written by An Trần. Photos by An Trần.
Deep beneath the ocean surface, colorful ceramic fragments have been scattered and stacked upon one another for centuries. Some remain whole, others broken, many still covered with corals and ocean dust. Once precious commodities, these pieces have become time capsules, carried into the Vietnamese waters by ships that never reached their destinations. What stories might these centuries-old ceramic artifacts hold about Vietnam’s connection with surrounding kingdoms?
Hẻm Gems: Bánh Đa Cua Hải Phòng, a Rare Northern Treat in D10
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- Published on 03 October 2025
- Written by Garrett MacLean. Photos by Cao Nhân.
On the way to Phú Thọ Indoor Sports Stadium in District 11, make a turn off 666/74 Ba Tháng Hai, go all the way to the far corner, and you’ll discover Triển Chiêu Quán’s bright yellow sign. Park underneath the canopy, walk up the ramp, and you’ll notice something stands out, but you might not know why — bunches of caramel-colored noodles in the kitchen area waiting to be enjoyed.
Pizza 4P's to Expand to the US With First Flagship Location in New York
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- Published on 03 October 2025
- Written by Saigoneer.
If you’re roaming around New York but suddenly hanker for a bite of familiar salmon miso pizza taste, you might be in luck this year.
Lycée Marie Curie: The High School That Has Stood the Test of Time
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- Published on 01 October 2025
- Written by Saigoneer.
Marie Curie High School, also called Lycée Marie Curie in French or Trường Trung Học Phổ Thông Marie Curie in Vietnamese, is a public high school located in Saigon’s District 3.
A Culinary Celebration of the Watermelon That Would Make Mai An Tiêm Proud
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- Published on 30 September 2025
- Written by Jessi Pham. Photos via Sóno
I never imagined there could be more than one way to eat a watermelon. Yet here it was, transformed beyond recognition, via a bold experiment and a deeply personal story, challenging everything I thought I knew about such a simple fruit. Only later did I realize it was part of Sonó’s new tasting menu, “Tales & Tastes.”
Local Designers Create Entire Family of Mascots for Vietnam's 63 Provinces, Cities
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- Published on 29 September 2025
- Written by Saigoneer.
If given the opportunity, what would each of Vietnam's provinces select as a mascot?
Amid Saigon, a Traditional Lantern Craft Village Stands the Test of Time
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- Published on 26 September 2025
- Written by Thảo Nguyên.
Cellophane lanterns, the nostalgic anchors of our past full-moon festivals, are still alive thanks to the nimble fingers of craftspeople at the Phú Bình lantern “village” in Saigon.
Bimbim, Snack and Oishi: A Brief History of Vietnam's Regional Terms for Packaged Snacks
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- Published on 26 September 2025
- Written by Khôi Phạm. Illustration by Dương Trương.
The differences between regional dialects across Vietnam is a fascinating field of research that can spawn days of discussion, but no other pairs of words has the power to mystify the internet like the dichotomy between bimbim and snack, both used in the Vietnamese language to describe bags of crackers made of rice, corn, or wheat flours. In today’s Snack Attack feature, Saigoneer is digging into the surprisingly recent history of why northern Vietnamese use the term “bimbim” while it has always been “snack” in Saigon and southern provinces.
On Grappling With Our Complicated Bond With Single-Use Raincoats
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- Published on 25 September 2025
- Written by Uyên Đỗ. Photos by Cao Nhân.
Like many Vietnamese, I have owned more crumpled raincoats than I can count. They're the disposable kind, cinched with a few rubber bands, folded into a misshapen rectangle, then stuffed unceremoniously into a scooter’s under-seat compartment or a desk drawer.
To Teach Children the Importance of Play, First Bring Playgrounds Back to Hanoi
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- Published on 24 September 2025
- Written by Elise Lương. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
In rapidly developing urban Hanoi, finding engaging outdoor play areas for young children is near impossible. But since 2014, the social enterprise Think Playgrounds has colored public spaces across Vietnam with wildly unique and legitimately sustainable designs, engaging with local communities to give children back their right to play.
'Lẽ Sống' Documentary Celebrates Strength, Resilience of Mekong Delta Women
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- Published on 23 September 2025
- Written by Saigoneer.
Sometimes, just surviving is remarkable.
How 'Hãy Đợi Đấy!' Introduced a Generation Vietnamese to Glimpses of Russian Culture
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- Published on 22 September 2025
- Written by Vĩnh An. Top graphic by Ngọc Tạ.
It was an ordinary Saturday summer afternoon in the late 2000s, and I was sitting in my mom’s office while waiting for her to finish her work, watching YouTube on one of the computers in the room. It wasn't just any video for kids, but a scene where a wolf downs a whole pack of cigarettes at once and blows the smoke into a locked telephone booth to try to suffocate a hare inside. That seemingly absurd scenario came from none other than Hãy Đợi Đấy!, one of my favorite cartoon shows.
