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 Saigon

Saigon Will Fine Citizens for Not Wearing Masks in Public From Tomorrow

Wearing face masks in public in Saigon is not just a safety guideline anymore, as city officials have decided to once again start fining Saigoneers for flouting the rule.

in Roundups

Morning Stories Roundup: Vietnam Reports 10 Covid-19 Cases Linked to Da Nang

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

Hanoi Tests 50,000 of 70,000 People Who Visited Da Nang in July

Over the weekend, Hanoi carried out testing for thousands of city dwellers who had been to Da Nang in July.

in Vietnam

Da Nang Is Turning a Sports Arena Into a 700-Bed Field Hospital

Expected to open this week, the hospital will have 700 beds, a figure that can be increased to 1,000.

in Saigon

New Eastern Bus Station to Partially Open This Month

The first phase of the massive Mien Dong Bus Station will open on August 15.

in Vietnam

Weekend Stories Roundup: Plant Center, Storm Sinlaku, and Covid-19 Deaths

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 Saigon

Saigon Shuts Down Bars, Nightclubs, Crowded Public Events From Today

After two COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the city, Saigon is starting to close down businesses to curtail the spread of the virus.

in Roundups

Morning Stories Roundup: 45 Patients, Family Members at Da Nang Hospitals Infected With Covid-19

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

Hội An Restarts Social Distancing; Đà Nẵng Stops F&B Services, Including Takeaways

After Đà Nẵng, Hội An is the second city in Việt Nam to bring back social distancing measures after July’s coronavirus outbreak.

in Saigon

8 Saigon Hotels Approved as Paid Quarantine Facilities for Foreign Experts

They include two five-star hotels, four four-star properties, and one-three star hotel.

in Roundups

Morning Stories Roundup: Coffee Price Hike, Bank Robbery, and 4 Covid-19 Cases

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

Police Bust Livestream Operation Selling VND10bn Worth of Fake Fashion Items Monthly

On July 7, after months of surveillance, authorities shut down a large-scale smuggling and counterfeit goods operation in Lào Cai Province.

in Roundups

Morning Stories Roundup: Bus Station, Flight to Equatorial Guinea, and New Cases

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

8 Earthquakes Hit Sơn La Province, No Injuries Reported

The earthquakes resulted in no injuries or deaths but did damage at least 126 buildings.

in Roundups

Morning Stories Roundup: Vietnam Records 11 Covid-19 Cases on July 27

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 Arrests 7 for Trafficking Chinese Nationals Into Vietnam

The arrests come amid a crackdown on trafficking following a fresh outbreak of COVID-19 cases in central Vietnam.

in Vietnam

Da Nang Restarts Social Distancing After Cases of Covid-19 Community Transmission Emerge

Over the weekend, Vietnam recorded five new COVID-19 infections, four of which are community transmissions, putting an end to the country’s 99-day streak without local infections.

in Roundups

Weekend Stories Roundup: Street Rename, Bus Crash, and Covid-19 Updates

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 Roundup: Covid-19 Vaccine, Central Heatwave, and Expressway Deterioration

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

In 2020, Northern Vietnam Sees Longest Heatwave in Years; Earlier, Colder Winter

Feeling like this summer has been excruciatingly long? It’s not just you.