Mã tà! Nhà dây thép! Đi bum! Do these phrases look familiar? No? Don’t worry you’re not alone. This old Saigon slang is derived from mispronounced French words, the names of locations and plenty of metaphors.
This jargon predates 1975 (and some are even far older than that), but instead of asking your grandparents about their meanings (that might be a bad idea), these amusing illustrations should help clue you in.
Check back on Friday for the second set of old Saigon slang illustrations! We only picked our favoriates to illustrate, but if you're craving more, check out the full list here.
