in Saigon

A Merry Memory of a Mid-2000s Middle-Class Christmas in Saigon

As my palm felt the glossy wrapping paper for my Secret Santa gift, I was transported to my early childhood Christmases — filled with warmth, wonder, and the bubbling discomfort of class insecurities.

in Saigon

Watching Snowfall in 'Home Alone' Is My Saigon Christmas Tradition

Christmas is so globally celebrated that even in Saigon, as the coldest time of the year approaches, you can hear Christmas hymms echoing from homes in the alley, and spot houses adorned with Christmas trees, Santas, snowmen, regardless of their cultural relevance to Vietnamese culture. For me, one of the activities that truly embodies this global spirit of Christmas is watching Home Alone (1990). 

Paul Christiansen

in Vietnam

‘Công tử Bạc Liêu’ Asks: ‘What Would You Do if You Won the Lottery?’

They say you don’t buy a lottery ticket because you think you’ll win; you buy one so that you can fantasize about winning.

in Vietnam

For Hội An Residents, Learning to Live With Floods Is a Fact of Life

The water reached my shoulders, and when I stepped into the street I suddenly felt the current trying to pull me into its invisible grasp. A familiar feeling that set off an alarm inside my head: “Be careful! It looks like nothing, but don’t get caught in it.”

in Saigon

The Calming Quietude of an Early Morning Stroll Through D1

As a city that is perpetually either sweltering hot or halfway under water, Saigon weather rarely includes cool breezes or overcast mornings. And yet, over the past few weeks, the city has experienced a handful of chilly mornings and soft sunlight, a welcome change from the usual heat and humidity that often appears at sunrise and lasts throughout the day.

Khôi Phạm

in Vietnam

Cold War History With a Side of Nem Rán in Prague's Little Hanoi

Across English-speaking countries such as the US and Australia, the Vietnamese diaspora established close-knit “Little Saigon” towns whenever they settled down, founding large markets, starting financial services, and introducing southern fares like gỏi cuốn and bánh mì to the local population. Elsewhere in Europe, however, the Vietnamese community is often known as “Little Hanoi,” due to the regional makeup of the first wave of immigrants. Some, like Prague’s Little Hanoi, have flourished to the point of being a “city within a city,” boasting its own self-sufficient administrative services, schools, and housing.

in Saigon

Saigon's Next Top 5 Congested Streets Are Announced. Here Are the Winners.

Local streets are buckling under the pressure of Saigon's ever-increasing population density, here are the city's most frequently jammed roads, according to the municipal Department of Transportation. 

Back Stories

in Roundups

Morning Stories: Karaoke Noise Feud, Russia Lifts VN Travel Ban and More Airports

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

Morning Stories: Record Low Hotel Occupancy, Asia’s Tallest Buddha Statue and E-commerce Growth

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 Hanoi

As Air Pollution Worsens in Hanoi, Heavy Smog Disrupts Flights at Noi Bai

Dark days for residents of the capital as local air pollution gets thick ahead of Tết.

in Vietnam

Standard Chartered Predicts 7.8% GDP Growth for Vietnam in 2021

It's going to be a good year, according to a recent report.

in Roundups

Weekend Stories: Toyota Recall, Metro Repairs and Cryptocurrency Legal Framework

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

Morning Stories: Nuclear Power Delayed, Dioxin Cleanup and Another Hanoi Pedestrian Street

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

Ahead of Tết, Vietnam Cuts Repatriation Flights, Requires Full 14-Day Quarantine

Ahead of the Tết holiday next month, Vietnam has decided to tighten regulations regarding foreign arrivals and their quarantine period.

in Roundups

Morning Stories: Grab Wants Dedicated Lane at TSN, Polluting Factories Shut and New Singaporean Ambassador

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

Vietravel Airlines, Vietnam's 6th Carrier, Officially Starts Flying This Month

The nation's sixth air carrier, Vietravel Airlines, is officially taking off.

in Vietnam

Phu Tho Theme Park Suspended After Roller Coaster Accident Kills 1, Injures 2

One student died and two others were hospitalized after a roller coaster accident at an amusement park.

in Roundups

Morning Stories: Dong Nai-Da Lat Expressway, Car Sales Drop and Vinamilk Exports to China

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...

Brian Letwin

in Roundups

Weekend Stories: More Cold Weather, VN's Second Covid Vaccine and New Bamboo Airways Routes

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

Southern Vietnam Records One of Coldest Temperatures in 4 Decades

"Ok campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cold out there."

in Roundups

Morning Stories: HCMC-Can Tho Railway, AB Inbev Merger and VN Vaccine Trials Continue

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

Morning Stories: Limits on HCMC High Rises, D12's Mischievous Monkeys and Mekong Mega Irrigation System

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

Vietnam's Communications Ministry Opens Anti-Fake News Center

Will the organization become the Vietnamese Snopes?

in Roundups

Morning Stories: Electric Busses for HCMC, Too Cold for School and Massive Railway Losses

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

Vietnam's Textile Industry Exported 1.37bn Face Masks in 2020

During a year when Vietnam’s textile industry was hurt by plummeting demand, local producers found a silver lining in face masks.

in Vietnam

Socialite Sibling of Vietnam's Case 17 Launches Luxury Hand Sanitizer Brand

Nga Nguyen, a 27-year-old London-based socialite who gained fame when she and her sister were at the epicenter of a COVID-19 outbreak in Vietnam last February, has launched a line of self-care it...

in Roundups

Morning Stories: Undersea Internet Cables Broken, Cancer Fatality Rates and $32m National Innovation Center

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...