Nestled above inpages in Thao Dien, a new print studio is offering artists and other creatives a new way to express their ideas and visions.
When Chef Matt Venzke was growing up near downtown Los Angeles, his mom would often take him to a neighborhood café on her way to work. “She was a nurse director, and when she threw me into this little café the first thing that popped into my head was chilaquiles,” Venzke tells Saigoneer in the kitchen of East West Brewing.
At the northernmost end of Saigon’s bustling District 1, the end of Hai Ba Trung Street leading to Phu Nhuan District is known best for heavy rush hour traffic. But a curious textbook case of an Asian phenomenon is underway around the corner on neighboring Tran Quang Khai Street: a noodle shop with red shirt-wearing staff just moved in...five meters away from a noodle shop with yellow shirt-wearing staff.
As the sun drifts down towards the horizon streaking clouds with a dazzling dappling of pink, purple, orange and red, the pristine beach is a frenzy of activity.
Saigon slips away in the rearview mirror and streetside stores become increasingly humble as we approach a vast industrial park in Long An Province. Tucked between light industrial factories that manufacture everything from eyeglasses to essential oils, the impressive Winking Seal Beer Co. brewery is in full swing. The facility is a creative playground where the team concocts new recipes, collaborates with local partners and cans a wide variety of styles.
Vietnamese-American activist Diep Vuong, who used to be a refugee in the US, recently won the prestigious award for her work to stop human trafficking.
The year is 2013. Linh lies awake in the attic bedroom of her cozy childhood home in Saigon. Tomorrow is her first day at primary school, and sleep doesn’t come easily with the all butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She’s worried, but mom assured her that she would be okay, because she is special.
Vietnamese residents have enjoyed greater access to health care in recent years, but eye health and preventable blindness is still an issue.
If you help save hundreds of thousands of lives via medical breakthroughs and establish one of the country’s first and most advanced research institutes, but also assist in the colonial regime’s brutal oppression of natives via a draconian alcohol monopoly, do you get a street named in your honor? If you’re Albert Calmette, you do.
Before modern roads and bridges connected the Mekong Delta with Saigon, its tangled network of rivers, canals and swamps isolated it from the rest of Vietnam and a vibrant cuisine reliant on the area’s bountiful seafood, fruit and vegetables arose.
The southern edge of Binh Thanh is one of Saigon’s most fascinating areas. More cosmopolitan than the district would have you believe, its maze-like streets hold a heady mix of different influences. Wet market stalls and quiet cafés, tucked-away Japanese eateries and quaint low-rise apartment blocks.
Offering fresh, traditional Vietnamese fare since September 2015, Ngoc Chau Garden ( 116 Ho Tung Mau, D1) is centrally located in District 1 just off Nguyen Hue.
![[Photos] Vietnam's 1969 Street Fashion Story as Told Through Honda Cubs](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2018/12/dec12/nha-trang/NhaTrang1s.jpg "[Photos] Vietnam's 1969 Street Fashion Story as Told Through Honda Cubs")
![[Photos] A Visual Tour of Late 1960s Saigon by Brian Wickham](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2018/12/Dec4/brian-wickham/BrianWickham-Part1-3s.jpg "[Photos] A Visual Tour of Late 1960s Saigon by Brian Wickham")
![[Photos] 30 Black-and-White Photos of 1947 Vietnam's Landscapes by Michel Huet](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2018/11/Nov28/michel-huet/Vietnam1947Michel_SGRs.jpg "[Photos] 30 Black-and-White Photos of 1947 Vietnam's Landscapes by Michel Huet")
![[Photos] An Exploration Into Vietnam's History Through Black-and-White Portraiture](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2018/11/Nov21/Vietnam1947BW_SGRs.jpg "[Photos] An Exploration Into Vietnam's History Through Black-and-White Portraiture")
![[Photos] In 1995 Vietnam, a Paradise for Honda Cubs and Xích Lô](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2018/11/Nov14/andy-tarica/Vietnam1995-0s.jpg "[Photos] In 1995 Vietnam, a Paradise for Honda Cubs and Xích Lô")
![[Photos] 18 Rare Photos of Northern and Central Vietnam in the Late 19th Century](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2018/11/Nov1/tonkin-annam/Tonkin7s.jpg "[Photos] 18 Rare Photos of Northern and Central Vietnam in the Late 19th Century")
Football Fans Pull Bão All-Nighter as Vietnam Wins AFF Cup Again After 10 Years
After an entire night of revelry, it still feels like a dream that Vietnam has once again claimed the top position in the AFF Suzuki Cup.
Morning Stories Roundup: First Japan TV Channel, Illegal Logging and Honored Academic
Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook .
Each morning, we select some of the most impor...
Thousands of Myanmar Women Are Trafficked for Forced Marriage in China: Report
The report was conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Kachin Women’s Association Thail...
![[Illustrations] An Ode to Sữa Ông Thọ and the Games of Our Saigon Childhood](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2018/12/Dec13/sua-ong-tho/SuaOngTho_SGRs.jpg)
[Illustrations] An Ode to Sữa Ông Thọ and the Games of Our Saigon Childhood
To assess how important condensed milk is in Vietnamese culture, think of cà phê sữa đá , Vietnam’s national drink that wo...
Saigon to Remove Tan Son Nhat Golf Course to Make Room for Airport Expansion
The Tan Son Nhat Airport golf course will close to make room for a planned hangar and terminal expansion while a Distric...
Morning Stories Roundup: HCMC, Hanoi, Ha Long Enter Top 100 City Destinations in 2018
Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook .
Each morning, we select some of the most impor...
Examining Vietnam's Modernity Through the Lens of South Asian Independent Documentaries
The idea for Moving Reels: A Social Dialog formed in 2016 as the result of a dialogue between Dr. Shweta Kishore, a scho...
Upcoming Events
Today
12:00
Sunday Brunch @ Market 39
12:00
Christmas Kid Activities @ Le Meridien
18:00
Wild Cherry Night @ Sky XX - Garden & Lounge
Tomorrow
08:00
Beer Advent calendar 2018 @ Furbrew Beer Bar
14:30
Paris – Saigon Festive Afternoon Tea @ Hôtel des Arts Saigon
17:30
Happy Hour "Sunset Taste" @ Sky XX - Garden & Lounge
21:00
Free Thoughts Art Variety Show @ Whiskey Mystics and Men
Soon
18/12
Christmas Craft Workshop @ Zo Project
18/12
MOOC - Work Smarter, Not Harder: Time Management @ U.S. Embassy in Hanoi
18/12
Rooftop Yoga @ The Hive
18/12
Extinguisher Live At Hanoi Taproom @ Pasteur Street Brewing Company
18/12
Yoko Openstage Tuesday Night @ Yoko Cafe
19/12
Ladies First @ 2 Lam Son
19/12
The Wednesday Night Pub Quiz @ The Snug
19/12
The Rotten Grapes improv @ DeN
Full Events Calendar
Arts & Culture
[Illustrations] An Ode to Sữa Ông Thọ and the Games of Our Saigon Childhood
To assess how important condensed milk is in Vietnamese culture, think of cà phê sữa đá , Vietnam’s national drink that wouldn’t exist without...
[Video] In 'Công,' Suboi Delivers Full-Throated Anthem for Young Vietnamese Women
![[Video] In 'Công,' Suboi Delivers Full-Throated Anthem for Young Vietnamese Women](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2018/12/Dec7/Suboi_Cong_SGRs.jpg)
After the great success of 'N-Sao?' in August, Vietnamese rap queen Suboi has returned and riled up her audience once again with her brand n...
Saigoneer Getaways: Off the Beaten Path in Hong Kong's Old-School Side
There was once a time when Saigon and Hong Kong were rivals in the exotic east, both jostling for the cultural title of “Pearl of the Orient...
Eat & Drink
What We Talk About When We Talk About Bánh Mì
Bánh mì is without a doubt a Vietnamese staple. Versatile, convenient and affordable, the sandwich has gotten so popular in recent years in V...
Hẻm Gems: At Thương Library, a Shrine to Leonard Cohen and How the Light Gets In
At the risk of appearing like a pretentious prig, I will begin this Hẻm Gem review with the introduction of a foreign word: the weirdly spec...
Hẻm Gems: Mexican Simplicity and Zen-Like Tacos in a D4 Strip Mall
Tacos, and the many meat-and-tortilla variations we often categorize as ‘Mexican cuisine,’ are having a bit of a renaissance in Saigon.
Partner Content
Drinking & Healing Creates One-of-a-kind Experiences for Guests
These days it seems that a new bar opens in District 1 on a weekly basis. This is exciting for customers, as there are plenty of options and...
Devaux Beverages Stands Above the Crowd of Saigon’s Cafes
In recent years, Saigon’s food and beverage scene has grown in leaps and bounds. It’s never been easier for city residents to take a global ...
On Top for 7 Years: The Past and Future of Chill Skybar – Dining
The construction cranes had just departed and the first lights flashed on atop the Bitexco Tower when Chill Skybar – Dining originally opene...
Remi: How a Group of Audiophile Friends Built a Premier Place to Promote Live Music
The saxophonist's fingers run up and down the keys like the shiver sashaying a spine when one a cold breeze brushes across bare skin.
Sheraton Grand Danang Resort Lets Visitors Explore Central Vietnam at Their Leisure
It’s no secret that Da Nang is one of Vietnam’s best destinations .
Vietnam’s Emergence as a Global Leader in Dental Tourism
Nearly 100,000 international tourists visited Vietnam last year for dental procedures, bringing in over US$150 million.
Meet The Eye Health Team Behind Some of the Best Technology and Techniques in Saigon
Vietnamese residents have enjoyed greater access to health care in recent years, but eye health and preventable blindness is still an issue....
At Gastown 1960's, International Cooking Artfully Highlights Local Ingredients
This is the wow moment: a perfectly coiled octopus tentacle buttressed by a charcoal crisp with strawberry onion sauce atop a perfectly frie...
Chanh Bistro Aims for New Heights on New Rooftop
As light jazz harmonizes with the morning sunlight, a soft breeze sweeps across the rooftop, tussling the leaves of planted trees.
Stories
Saigon to Remove Tan Son Nhat Golf Course to Make Room for Airport Expansion
The Tan Son Nhat Airport golf course will close to make room for a planned hangar and terminal expansion while a District 2 course has becom...
Football Fans Pull Bão All-Nighter as Vietnam Wins AFF Cup Again After 10 Years
After an entire night of revelry, it still feels like a dream that Vietnam has once again claimed the top position in the AFF Suzuki Cup.
Thousands of Myanmar Women Are Trafficked for Forced Marriage in China: Report
The report was conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT).
Old Saigon
Old Saigon Building of the Week: The Glitz and Glam of Tu Do Nightclub
While today’s Dong Khoi Street is peppered with tourist-centric shops and restaurants, just half a century ago, the downtown street was the ...
Street Cred: The Sins and Saving Grace of Dr. Albert Calmette
If you help save hundreds of thousands of lives via medical breakthroughs and establish one of the country’s first and most advanced researc...
A Brief History of Saigon's Now-Defunct Thu Thiem Ferry Service
While the Thu Thiem Bridge and Thu Thiem Tunnel allow easy access to the District 2 peninsula from nearby districts, for decades past Saigon...
Event Coverage
Chill 7th Anniversary @ Chill Skybar
Chill Skybar celebrates 7 years in the nightlife scene in Saigon.
Ladies Night @ Lush
Haven't had enough from your weekend? Come to Lush for Ladies Night every Tuesday.
Society
[Photos] VTN Architects Transform Nghe An Rooftop Cafe With Impressive Swirling Bamboo Dome
![[Photos] VTN Architects Transform Nghe An Rooftop Cafe With Impressive Swirling Bamboo Dome](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2018/12/dec11/Nonenco/Nocenco_cafe_Lowres_14s.jpg)
Nonenco Cafe, located on Quang Trung Street in Vinh city, Nghe An Province, was designed by Vo Trong Nghia Architects studio.
A New Homegrown Ride-Hailing App Will Launch in Vietnam Next Week
Be, a Vietnamese ride-hailing app, is set to enter the crowded market next week.
Why a New Grass-Roots Anti-Abortion Campaign Is Generating Hate Online
The campaign, titled "Mẹ Ơi Đừng Giết Con" (Mama! Don't Kill Me), was established early this December by two men, Le Hoang Thach and Le Ha.
