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 Roundup: Fish Farmers, VAT Reduction, and Baby on Train

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 to Spend $6.4m on My Dinh Upgrades to Prepare for SEA Games

The VND150 billion (US$6.4 million) upgrade will include replacing the grass and repairing the broken track.

in Saigon

It's Official: Saigon Public Schools to Reopen Starting From Next Week

Masks have played a prominent role in Vietnam's fight against the spread of COVID-19, and will continue to do so moving into the new normal.

in Roundups

Morning Stories Roundup: Pork Imports, Positive Retests, and Lychees

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

Restaurants, Cafes, Tourist Sites Among Places That Can Reopen, PM Says

Vietnam has transitioned into a new period in the COVID-19 epidemic with reduced threats of infection and a slowly reopening economy.

in Saigon

First Floor of Opera House Metro Station Completed Ahead of Schedule

At long last, visible progress on the underground section of Saigon's first metro line has appeared.

in Roundups

Weekend Stories Roundup: Hail in HCMC, Flight Refunds, and Apple Rumors

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

Hoan Kiem Lake Embankment Undergoes 4-Month Renovation

On Monday, workers began placing 2.5-meter-high concrete blocks around a section of the lake to create a 40-meter embankment.

in Asia

11 Nests of Rare Sea Turtles Found in Thailand Amid Lockdown

When the cat's away, the mice will play; or in this case, during pandemic lockdown, animals will reclaim the spaces once bustling with human activity.

in Vietnam

The Week in Focus: Social Distancing Regulations Eased Off

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook.

in Vietnam

Vietnam to Organize 13 Humanitarian Flights to Bring Citizens Stuck Abroad Home

In an effort to assist Vietnamese citizens stuck in foreign countries currently ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, aviation authorities have organized more than a dozen outbound flights that will take ...

in Roundups

Morning Stories Roundup: Internet Speed, Face Masks in School, and Phu Quoc

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

The Social Distancing Order Is Relaxed. What Happens Next for Saigon?

As of midnight earlier today, all localities in Vietnam, including areas previously deemed high-risk like Saigon and Hanoi, can relax some social distancing restrictions imposed to curb the spread of ...

in Roundups

Morning Stories Roundup: 'Zero Dong' Markets, Free Face Masks, and Earth Day

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: 10m Vietnamese Workers Affected by Coronavirus Pandemic, ILO Says

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: Long Thanh Airport, Digital Economy, and Repatriation

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 Asks Pharmacies to Report Customers Buying Treatment for Cold, Cough and Fever

Hanoi's 7,000 pharmacies have been instructed to report customers who purchase medicine to treat symptoms associated with Covid-19.

in Saigon

Air Pollution in Saigon, Hanoi Reduces Noticeably During Social Distancing Period

In addition to allowing people to finish all of their puzzles and amass Animal Crossing playing time, Vietnam's social distancing campaign has led to air quality improvements in major cities.

in Vietnam

IMF Predicts 2.7% GDP Growth in 2020 for Vietnam as Other Economies Contract

The COVID-19 pandemic will dampen Vietnam’s economic growth for 2020, though the country will be in a better position than most of its better-off peers.

in Roundups

Weekend Stories Roundup: No New Covid-19 Cases in 4 Days; One Tested Positive Again

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...