in Saigon

A Visit to Lê Minh Xuân, a Rare Craft Village Making Incense Sticks Amid Saigon

From inside the workshop, artisans carry bundle after bundle of freshly made incense sticks into the courtyard amid the morning mist. A gentle scent of spices linger in the air.

in Saigon

As Thanh Đa Faces Redevelopment, Writer Dạ Ngân Reflects on What Will Be Lost

To me, my trip to Cư xá Thanh Đa in summer 1982 was a serendipitous encounter. It was Saigon’s largest-scale residential complex in the first half of the 1970s, with nearly 4,000 separate units housing about 50,000 inhabitants. Cư xá refers to a residential quarter reserved for gainfully employed citizens, with a vision to establish a model community with a high quality of life. Here, in their three-bedroom apartments, civil servants, professors, doctors, and military leaders ranked major or higher lived in pride of being a part of a cư xá like that.

Uyên Đỗ

in Saigon

How Saigon's Free Water Coolers Quench Thirst and Spread Kindness

In recent years, stories about climate change's impacts on the lives of Vietnamese people have been increasingly making the news.

in Saigon

Inside the Covid Memorial Park at 1 Lý Thái Tổ, Saigon's Brand-New Green Space

As part of Saigon’s latest initiative to increase green space coverage in the city, a number of abandoned land plots were converted into public parks, including a Covid Memorial Park that’s become a beloved destination for Saigoneers seeking a space to jog, reflect, or just simply touch grass.

Uyên Đỗ

in Saigon

All Aboard Bus 146, Home of Plushies, Rubber Chickens and a Side of Humanity

“Cute” doesn’t seem like a fitting descriptor for any mode of public transport, but a bus in Saigon is driving straight into the heart of Saigoneers for being the quintessence of “smotheringly adorable.”

in Saigon

Saigon Set to Make Bus Service Free for All to Cut Congestion, Air Pollution

Saigoneers without private vehicles might be happy to hear that the city is planning to make the municipal bus system free to ride in the near future.

in Vietnam

Bạc Liêu-94, Cà Mau-69: In Saigon, a Surprising Reminder of Home Lives on License Plates

Once in a while, I bump into a little sliver of my hometown on a random license plate on the street.

in Saigon

Pristine Blue Sky and Memorial Park: Ruminating on What the Covid-19 Pandemic Left Us

Recently, I visited Saigon’s newly inaugurated COVID-19 memorial park . Located at 1 Lý Thái Tổ, Vườn Lài Ward, the park o...

Back Stories

in Saigon

Saigon Has Imposed Over $50,000 in Fines so Far to Enforce Lockdown Rules

Huge amounts of fines have been levied since Directive 16 went into effect in Ho Chi Minh City.

in Saigon

After Series of Shocking Pet Poisonings, Owners Push for Stricter Animal Welfare Laws

About two hours after her morning walk in the Lang Bao Chi area of Thao Dien one recent Sunday, Nguyễn Hoàng Thanh Cao’s two-year-old beagle, Peanut, began vomiting and convulsing uncontrollably.

in Vietnam

Vietnam Crossed 1,000 Daily Covid-19 Cases for the First Time Yesterday

July 5 was a dark day in Vietnam’s epidemic, as the country’s single-day COVID-19 case tally surpassed 1,000 for the first time since the pandemic began last year.

in Saigon

D1 Proposes VND32.5bn Revamp Project of Me Linh Square Park

The VND32.5 billion (US$1.4 million) effort will focus on repairing the T​rần Hưng Đạo Statue, planting ornamental trees and performing road repairs.  

in Saigon

Saigon Pilots Home Quarantine for F1 Cases, Albeit With Strict Criteria

To ease mounting pressure on centralized quarantine facilities, Vietnam has agreed to let those who have had direct contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases (F1) in Ho Chi Minh City to isolate at home on...

in Hanoi

Amid Worsening Outbreaks Elsewhere, Hanoi Pauses Its Reopening Roadmap

Bia hơi, gyms and karaoke need to wait until further notice.

in Vietnam

Vaccine Passport Trial to Begin in Quang Ninh Next Month

Officials are working to figure out how to welcome vaccinated visitors.

in Hanoi

Hanoi CDC to Propose Reopening of Non-Essential Businesses

With the COVID-19 outbreak in the city evidently under control, Hanoi’s health authorities are proposing to reopen a few non-essential services.

in Saigon

Saigon Officially Extends Social Distancing Order for Another 14 Days

In a move that some might have predicted, Saigon authorities have confirmed an extension of the current social distancing orders.

in Saigon

Saigon Aims to Remove Plastic Bags From Supermarkets by Year-End

Have you switched to reusable bags yet?

in Vietnam

Vietnam Proposes Increasing Penalty for Sexual Harassment to VND8m

Will the heightened penalties deter Vietnamese from harassing vulnerable victims?

in Saigon

Fabulous Saigon Corgi Becomes Pandemic Star for Candid Disinfecting Photo

It’s hard not to be the center of attention everywhere you go when you’re a fluffy corgi.

in Saigon

Saigon Approves Removal of 178 Trees for Bach Dang Wharf Renovation Project

They were nice while they lasted.

in Vietnam

Vietnamese Drank More Alcohol in Pandemic-Hit 2020, Data Shows

In a year marked by social isolation, Vietnam’s alcohol consumption increased considerably, though it’s not difficult to figure out why. 

in Saigon

New PM Supports Plan to Let HCMC Retain More Budget Revenue

The city currently has the lowest budget retention rate of any locality.

in Roundups

Morning Stories: 1.7m COVID-19 Vaccine Doses From COVAX to Arrive on May 16

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook. Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them...

in Vietnam

How a TikTok Video Reunites a Missing Husband With His Family After 13 Years

The wife had been searching for her husband for 13 years after he had wandered off under the spell of a mental illness.

in Saigon

Saigon Is the Most Preferred Destination for Relocation in Vietnam, Report Shows

Vietnam's commercial center draws more people from elsewhere in the country than any other province or city.

in Roundups

Morning Stories: 2 More Japanese-Made Metro Trains Arrive in HCMC

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook. Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them...

in Roundups

Weekend Stories: Vietnam Reports Highest-Ever 24-Hour Surge in Local Coronavirus Infections

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook. Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them...