Paul Christiansen in Saigon
Loneliness Too Waits for the Bus
We are all in this, but not together.
Learning to Coexist in Peace Is the First Step to Protect Vietnam's Last Remaining Elephants
A trail of enormous footprints, criss-crossing slabs of cracked concrete, lead to a battered ranger station in Vietnam’s Pù Mát National Park. Park staff say the wild Asian elephant that left the trac...
Memories and Heritage Considered Across Mediums at Dogma Prize Exhibition
How can personal and collective memories – alongside questions of community and heritage – be explored through artistic practices that span different mediums and respond to changing times?
A Timeless Wedding at Renaissance Danang Hoi An Resort & Spa
Celebrate your special day in privacy and refined style at Renaissance Danang Hoi An Resort & Spa. Cherished by both international and local couples, the resort offers a warm, family-like atmosphere t...
Uyên Đỗ in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Woko Brings the Comfort of American Chinese Food to Saigon
When a dish travels far from its homeland to take root somewhere else, one common yardstick for judging it is “authenticity.” Is the seasoning true to form? How closely do the ingredients match the or...
Vietnam Bans Unskippable Ads, Requires Skip Button to Appear After 5 Seconds
If things go our way, YouTube’s notorious unskippable ads might be a thing of the past come this February.
Marc Dinh in Vietnam
A Brake Failure and 200 Victims: Remembering Vietnam's Deadliest Rail Accident
About 55 kilometers from Saigon, in the small commune of Tây Hoà rests the 17/03/1982 Railway Cemetery. It currently houses 85 unidentified graves of victims of the Train 183 Disaster, the deadli...
Diving (Literally) Into Hoàng Hoa Thám's Mountains of Secondhand Clothes
In a hẻm, clothing sprawled out on platforms lined with the plastic sacks the clothing came in, overspilling onto the tarmac road. This was just a glimpse of the thrifting scene in Vietnam.
Xuân Phương in Vietnam
A British Photographer's 30 Years of Forming a Kindred Connection With Vietnam
When he boarded a flight from Bangkok to Hanoi in 1992, Andy Soloman thought he would stay in Vietnam for just one month. Little did he know that what seemed like a brief trip would stretch into seven...
Khôi Phạm in Culture
In the Era of AI Slop, I've Learned to Embrace Saigon's Ugly Urban Clutters
To live in Saigon is to coexist with clutter. Chaos is perhaps to be expected, when one’s habitat is a gargantuan crowded compressed narrow concretized megalopolis of over 10 million people, but few c...
A Place to Live the Sea: Inside InterContinental Residences Nha Trang
Between the pulse of Trần Phú and the hush of the ocean lies a place where the sea begins to feel like home.
Hidden Thaiger Named Best Thai Restaurant at Gourmet Vietnam Awards 2025
Hidden Thaiger has been honoured as Best Thai Restaurant at the Gourmet Vietnam Awards 2025, a prestigious accolade recognising excellence in authenticity, flavour, and culinary craftsmanship within V...
Tim Doling in Saigon
How Nhà Thờ Tân Định, Saigon's Iconic Pink Church, Came to Be
You just have to mention the “pink church” and everyone knows which one you mean. But few are aware that the building in question — Tân Định Church — is one of Saigon’s oldest and most important Roman...
Slices of Life in Saigon, Huế, Hanoi in 1989 on Film
What is it about coming across old photos that tugs on our heartstrings so much, even when they depict a time when some of us weren’t alive yet?
Festive Season Fun, Entertainment and Dining Arrives Nearby Saigon at The Grand Ho Tram
Festive Season Sprinkles Magic Throughout Hotel Indigo Saigon The City
The festive season arrives in local style at Hotel Indigo Saigon The City.
Saigon Sake Fest 2025: A December Festival for Saigon’s Young Crowd Who Know How to Play — and How to Appreciate
December in Saigon never lacks excitement — parties, countdowns, and end-of-year gatherings fill every corner of the city. But this year, the festive spirit is about to be elevated to a new dimension....
Iconic Steak House The Grill Honored As Signature Dining Selection 2025
The Grill, renowned for its elevated culinary style and premium grilled specialties, has been honored by Robb Report Vietnam in the “Signature Dining Selection” list, a ranking introduced for the firs...
Saigon Demolishes 3 Heritage Villas to Make Room for Covid-19 Memorial Park
As part of a plan to build a dedicated space to commemorate victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, Saigon authorities recently demolished several heritage buildings from the 1950s, sparking concerns about ...
Td Casa And The Rise Of Bespoke Interior Design In Luxury Living Spaces
The bespoke interior trend is becoming a defining direction for Vietnam’s high-end design industry, especially as discerning homeowners demand deeper personalization for their living spaces. As the ...
From One Restaurant to a Cultural Symbol: Danh Trần and the Evolution of Quán Bụi Group
On the soft opening of Quán Bụi Group Complex on Võ Trường Toản Street, Thủ Đức City, founder Danh Trần sits down with Saigoneer to reflect on his journey from a single Vietnamese eatery to a multi-co...
Khôi Phạm in Culture
What Can Vietnamese License Plates Tell You About the Vehicles and Who Drives Them?
There was a game I used to play with my dad whenever we would stop at a traffic light. He would point to a random license plate in front of us and quiz me on where it came from.
Christmas In Cocoland @ Danang Marriott Resort & Spa
As twinkling lights illuminate every corner, dazzling decorations come to life, and cheerful Christmas melodies fill the air, the festive season has officially arrived in Da Nang. Drawing inspiration ...
Khôi Phạm in Music & Arts
The Multiverse Behind the 1990s Classic 'Người Tình Mùa Đông' by Như Quỳnh
There is a certain timelessness to the song ‘Người Tình Mùa Đông’ by Như Quỳnh, especially in the visuals of its very first performance. For generations of Vietnamese listeners, ‘Người Tình Mùa Đông’ ...
A Delicate Dish in Hanoi That's Not Your Usual Crab Salad
Crab has long held a beloved place in Vietnamese cuisine, and it is often simmered into comforting soups, tucked into rustic rolls, or served fresh and simple on coastal tables. Yet it is rarely treat...
Madame Son Restaurant at Danang Marriot Resort & Bar name among top 100 Restaurants 2025
Madame Son Restaurant, the signature Vietnamese dining destination at Danang Marriott Resort & Spa, is proud to be the only restaurant in Vietnam to be recognized in the Top 100 Restaurants 2025 by th...
Integrating Spanish Culinary Traditions into Local Lifestyles
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 mad...
My Mom’s Care Packages Remind Me That Home Can Fit Inside a Box of Food
“What do you guys crave? I’ll send some.”
Khôi Phạm in Natural Selection
10 Species of Lesser-Known Fruits to Get to Know Vietnam's Biodiversity
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. ...
Enlightening Misery Under French Rule Explored in 'Light Out and Modern Vietnamese Stories'
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, pover...
When International Lifestyle Hotel Brands Blend With the Local Spirit
Designed specifically for modern, tech-savvy travelers, Radisson RED Danang is redefining the traditional hotel experience by offering a place to truly connect and discover unique adventures. How does...
Khôi Phạm in Snack Attack
Bimbim, Snack and Oishi: A Brief History of Vietnam's Regional Terms for Packaged Snacks
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 th...
Paul Christiansen in Dishcovery
After Coconut and Salt, Is Peanut Butter Coffee Saigon's Next Drink Trend?
After egg coffee, coconut coffee, and salt coffee, is the next coffee trend going to be peanut butter coffee?
Vietnam’s Design Talents on Display at Gallery Medium’s Three Weeks of Design
When does a piece of functional design become art and vice versa? Gazing long enough at a hook on the wall, noticing its graceful curves, bright colors, and simple flourishes in shape, will have you u...
Hẻm Gems: The Legendary Miến Trộn That Feeds Saigon's Architecture Students
Upon finding out that I’m a student at the University of Architecture HCMC, people tend to bombard me with a barrage of questions: if my coursework is tiring, if my school fees are skyhigh, and what m...
New 12,000-Year-Old Skeleton Breaks Record of Oldest Human Remains Found in Vietnam
After analysis, scientists believe that a 12,000-year-old set of human remains found in Ninh Bình belonged to a prehistoric man who died from infection after being struck by a quartz-tipped projectile...
Neighborhood Vibes and Modern Comforts Combine at Hotel Indigo Saigon The City
Staying in a local neighborhood means surrounding yourself with the sights, styles, routines, traditions, and history of a locale. Hotel Indigo Saigon The City, a new boutique lifestyle hotel, tells t...
How a Dance Project Is Reframing Deaf Identity in Saigon via Movement Art
Lắng Nghe Điểm Chạm is a project aiming to expand exposure opportunities and application potentials of performing arts into the life of marginalized and minority communities of Vietnam.
I Saw the World's Most Handsome Bird Right in Vietnam's Hidden Backyard
Everywhere I go in Vietnam, I keep my eyes peeled for the incredible birds that call this country home. Sometimes I don’t even realize that I’m doing it. I scan the horizon above low hills for migrato...
As Saigon Moves Forward, Xích Lô Lag Behind as Nostalgic Remnants of a Past Era
Among Bùi Viện's assortment of xe ôm drivers and street food vendors, Bible-toting religious enthusiasts and other colorful personalities, 66-year-old Nghĩa stands out for his kind eyes and walrus-lik...
Trần Dần, the Literary Maverick Teaching Us How We Should and Can Be an Artist
In the mind of many Vietnamese readers, the name of writer Trần Dần has been inextricably linked with artistic experimentation and innovation. His poetic voice feels nothing like those of writers I le...
Khôi Phạm in Natural Selection
The Rise and Fall of Phượng Vĩ, the Summer Icon of Our Teenage Dreams
I was a teenage cliché. No matter how much I try to rack my brain to find any other personal connection to the incandescently red tree that is phượng vĩ, I keep going back to my middle school crush an...
Residence Eleven: A Cantonese Culinary Journey Above Saigon
Floating high above the city on the 39th floor of Hilton Saigon, Residence Eleven is a narrative in space, taste, and memory. As the first Chinese fine-dining venue in a five-star hotel to offer direc...
Brian Letwin in Heritage
Tàu Cánh Ngầm: The Curious Case of Saigon’s Lost Soviet Hydrofoils
Not long ago, hulking “creatures” glided atop the waters between Saigon and Vũng Tàu. Like the dinosaurs that came before them, they slowly disappeared, until all that was left were their skeletons.
Tim Doling in Saigon
The Surprisingly Recent History Behind Bình Thạnh's Lonely 'Gia-Đinh' Gate
It’s claimed by several tourism websites that a gateway from one of the ancient Gia Định citadels has survived and may be viewed on the Lê Văn Duyệt-Phan Đăng Lưu intersection in Bình Thạnh District, ...
The Hunt for Vietnam's Dinosaurs Has Found Nothing Yet, but There Is Hope
Why aren’t there any Vietnamese dinosaurs?
"An Evening In The Hẻm" – When Events Become Stories, and Spaces Hold Memories of Saigon
Tucked away amidst the vibrant rhythm of Sài Gòn Ward, Hotel Indigo Saigon The City reimagines the purpose of an event space. It's Saigon – Gia Dinh Room is not simply as a venue, but a canvas for sto...
The Legends of Thăng Long Tứ Trấn, the 4 Guardian Temples Protecting Hanoi
In the edict to move Vietnam’s capital to Hanoi, Emperor Lý Thái Tổ described this land as the middle of heaven and earth, the center of the four directions. Such a place would bring peace and prosper...
Paul Christiansen in Environment
How a Self-Taught Documentarian Spreads His Boundless Enthusiasm for Vietnam's Nature
Why “Sticky Discovery”? This was the first question I asked during my interview with the man behind the YouTube series of nature documentaries. His name is Dính, given by his paternal grandmother beca...
In 'Vietnam Retropunk,' a Young Illustrator Dreams of a Cyberpunk Hanoi
To Đặng Thái Tuấn, the talent behind illustration project “Vietnam Retropunk,” whimsical depictions of robots and animatronics sprouting out from everyday objects and activities embody the space in be...
Summer Nostalgia by the Sea: La Veranda Resort – MGallery Unveils a Golden Escape
Summer travelers are invited to step into barefoot elegance on Phú Quốc’s storied shores.
Hẻm Gems: Chè Lâm Vinh Mậu Anchors the Last Remaining Hoa Vestiges of D1
Whenever I come back to Vietnam, it is a personal ritual of mine to visit locales of the past. As clichéd as it sounds, as I have been abroad in Singapore for six years, returning to Vietnam is almost...
Searching for the World's Largest Woodpecker Species in Yok Đôn National Park
You first know she’s approaching by the sound of her wings; her broad shadow flashing across the forest floor. Even from far below, her body looks enormous. At half a meter long, she is roughly five t...
Summer Nostalgia by the Sea: La Veranda Resort – MGallery Unveils a Golden Escape
Summer travelers are invited to step into barefoot elegance on Phú Quốc’s storied shores.
Xu Xoa, the Sweet, Gingery Dessert Soothing the Heat of Central Vietnam Summers
If Saigoneers often turn to sương sâm (leaf jelly) or sương sáo (grass jelly) as refreshments on hot days, the choice of residents of provinces along the central coast is xu xoa. Chunks of translucent...
I Grew up With Print Newspapers and Magazines. Now, They're Disappearing.
Print media was a crucial part of my childhood and a friend that opened a window into a vivid world of knowledge that was fascinatingly strange in the eyes of young me. But right at this moment when I...
Paul Christiansen in In Plain Sight
Pages of Passion Bookstore Epitomizes What It Means to Run a Passion Project
On the sixth floor of an old apartment building on Nguyễn Văn Tráng Street in District 1 stands Pages of Passion, a true haven for book lovers. New and used literature from around the world; non-...
Vauban Architecture: The Foundation of Central and Northern Vietnam's Citadels
In our previous article on Vietnam’s southern citadels, we covered a mix of ancient structures and those constructed just before the dawn of French colonization of Indochina. In particular, we fo...
Between Motion and Stillness, Huỳnh Công Nhớ Explores Memory and Belief in ‘Mắt Nhớ'
Drawing on themes of childhood memories, human beliefs and spirituality, filmmaker and painter Huỳnh Công Nhớ moves between the worlds of cinema and painting, inviting viewers on a journey in search f...
Opinion: Anthony Bourdain Made Me Proud to Be Vietnamese-American
I landed Friday night in Saigon just in time for the news of Anthony Bourdain’s passing lighting up my phone in a jumble of tweets, texts and news alerts. As details emerged about the chef-turned-trav...
Paul Christiansen in Saigon
The Simple Pleasures of Having Your Hair Washed at the Hairdresser’s
I get my face shaved by sidewalk barbers; stop at every roving laminator I pass to have ticket stubs, photos, and doodles encased in plastic as souvenirs; and will always select a stool surrounded by ...
Unearthed: Tracing the Past Citadels of Southern Vietnam
Although the forces of modernization encourage constant progress and leaving behind the pre-modern past, the trails of yesterday never fail to leave our presence.
Nay Mai Tạp Hóa Is a Love Letter From Its Founders to Vietnam and the Creative Spirit
When you step inside the jewel-box-sized Nay Mai Tạp Hóa, you have no choice but to confront the immediacy of the products on display around you: clothing, artwork, zines, jewellery, stickers, you nam...
A Brief History of Hanoi Rock City, a Bastion of the Indie Spirit
Hanoi Rock City (HRC) is more than a household name for the youth of Hanoi, especially anyone who’s fond of the “Rock n Roll” culture. Nearly 15 years after its founding, HRC has become a special cult...
Khôi Phạm in Saigon
Letter to the People I Met as We Hid From the Rain Under a Bridge Together
“Do not be angry with the rain; it simply does not know how to fall upwards.”— Vladimir Nabokov.
Tim Doling in Vietnam
Revisit 1990s Saigon in 'L’Amant,' the Film Adaptation of Marguerite Duras' Famous Novel
When filming the movie adaptation of Marguerite Duras’ 1984 autobiographical novel The Lover, French director Jean-Jacques Annaud made extensive use of Saigon locations. Here’s a run-down of the local...
In an Ever-Changing Saigon, Street Artisans Hold Fast to Dying Crafts
We delve into the lives of Saigon’s artisans — an animal coconut leaf folder, a woodcarver embracing modern influences, an accomplished street corner calligrapher, and an itinerant craftsman to see wh...
Ngõ Nooks: From Praying for Good Grades to Opening an Eatery Together, the Story of Màu
In the soft morning light, three teenagers once stood before the Temple of Literature, whispering hopes for exam success into clasped hands. A decade later, that same trio — Triết Nguyễn, Tùng Nguyễn ...
Escapism Awaits This Summer at The Grand Ho Tram
Vacations offer glimpses into idealized versions of your life.
Paul Christiansen in Natural Selection
Cầy Mực, the Fluffy Bearcat Whose Pee Really Smells Like Popcorn
I won’t bury the lede. If you are wandering Vietnam’s jungles and suddenly get a whiff of an odor that transports you to the entrance of a CineStar movie theatre, don’t ready yourself for another clic...
Meet the Saigon Man Whose Home Is an Archive of Traditional Musical Instruments
“These instruments serve our everyday life, or even our spiritual life. For example, they mark the transitions of life. When a baby is born or a person passes away, people play these instruments to we...
As Saltwater Intrudes More of Mekong Delta, Durian Farmers Struggle to Stay Afloat
Nguyễn Văn Quại, 63, walked slowly on the muddy dirt path in his yard, his hands clasped behind his back. He stopped beside a tree split in half, its branches dipping into the stagnant water of a narr...
Tim Doling in Saigon
The Story of Quách Đàm, the Man Who Shaped Modern Chợ Lớn — Part 2
By the 1920s, the old Bình Tây Market and much of the surrounding land had belonged to Quách Đàm, so he proposed to the colonial authorities the demolition of the existing building and the constructio...
The Story of Premier Dental, A Pioneering Vietnamese Dental Clinic Chain
At the turn of the 21st century, dentistry in Vietnam was generally limited to dental departments in hospitals and small, single-chair private offices operating after hours. In 1999, Dr. Võ Văn Tự Hiế...
Hẻm Gems: A Humble Bún Riêu That Reminds a Child of the Mekong of Home
As a little boy, there were nights when I would burst into tears upon waking up suddenly and not seeing mom around, because I missed her and needed her. One night, I even crawled under the bed and thr...
Tim Doling in Saigon
The Story of Quách Đàm, the Man Who Shaped Modern Chợ Lớn — Part 1
Hải Thượng Lãn Ông Boulevard (the former quai Gaudot) in central Chợ Lớn preserves several elegant old colonial shophouse buildings, but perhaps the most interesting of all is the one at No. 45, once ...
Uyên Đỗ in Food Culture
