Sidewalk barbershops are a symbol of old Saigon. In the face of globalization and its demands for westernization, the sight of a simple chair placed beneath an awning where one can get an affordable trim just a few meters from a busy street is gradually vanishing.
The rooster’s iridescent red feathers caught the morning sunlight, momentarily making them appear to be on fire as his owner held it up for a photo.
“We’re going to Taipei on VietJet Air,” an acquaintance said to me. An international flight on Vietnam’s notoriously delayed airline didn’t sound like the best idea ever. But who would expect that I was set to fly to Tainan, a city on the island's southwest coast, just a few hours after the brief conversation with her. The reality was that I found it excruciatingly difficult to reject a cheap flight deal.
Corked Tales’ new Hotpot Cocktail represents a creative, delicious return to Vietnam’s traditional way of drinking.
The chilling results of a new study by Dutch scientists show that the Mekong Delta’s elevation is much lower than previously thought, putting it at higher risk of being swallowed by rising sea levels.
Because of the potential for a better education and future, many Vietnamese families have little difficulty deciding to send a child abroad for university.
In full "ninja" attire, I braved congested streets under the scorching sun looking for the address. Finally, having spotted a sign that reads 'OldSchool Barbell System’ tucked deep inside Binh Thanh District, I hopped the curb, cheated my way to the destination towards a wide parking spot and prepared to enter a world secluded from the chaotic surroundings.
While most people know Saigon’s water is far from clean, few grasp the severity of the contamination.
Witness the casual atmosphere of central Vietnam more than two decades ago.
A wave of foreign investment in Vietnam accompanied economic reforms in the early 1990s, with Japan among the largest contributors.
"Saigon in its golden age was a time to be remembered and passed down to younger generations. The vintage aesthetic trend in Vietnam has been around for a couple of years now and for me, it is a cause for celebration," owner Anh Tuyet said of the trend that has swept cafés and restaurants citywide. Thị's customers, meanwhile, are here for more than just the aesthetic.
Few people are aware that Saigon has an affordable, world-class emergency ambulance response service offering state-of-the-art treatment that begins the moment a call is placed from anywhere in the country.
![[Video] Louis Vuitton Seeks Vietnam's Help to Sell Bags in New Campaign](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2019/Sep/13/LV-0s.jpg "[Video] Louis Vuitton Seeks Vietnam's Help to Sell Bags in New Campaign")
![[Illustrations] Masashi Shimakawa Draws Snippets of Everyday Japanese Life In Colorful Complexion](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2019/Sep/5/japan/16s.jpg "[Illustrations] Masashi Shimakawa Draws Snippets of Everyday Japanese Life In Colorful Complexion")
![[Video] The Colorful Exuberance of Saigon's VietPride Parade 2019](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2019/Sep/18/pride0s.jpg "[Video] The Colorful Exuberance of Saigon's VietPride Parade 2019")
![[Photos] The Childhood of Con Dao's Baby Turtles Caught on Film](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2019/Sep/10/turtles/1.jpeg "[Photos] The Childhood of Con Dao's Baby Turtles Caught on Film"){kind=small}
![[Photos] The Joy and Hardships of Life in 1963 Binh Phuoc](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2019/Aug/19/binhphuoc/e3ff8b6e6c288576dc39_SGNRs.jpg "[Photos] The Joy and Hardships of Life in 1963 Binh Phuoc")
![[Photos] Memories of 1966 Saigon in 11 Film Photos](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2019/july/30/rich-krebs/rich0s.jpg "[Photos] Memories of 1966 Saigon in 11 Film Photos")
![[Photos] 23 Photos of Saigon Street Life in 1969-1970](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2019/july/24/hoag/hoag0s.jpg "[Photos] 23 Photos of Saigon Street Life in 1969-1970")
![[Photos] Saigon Street Life in 1965 by Bruce Baumler – Part 2](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2019/June/26/bruce-baumler/Bruce42s.jpg "[Photos] Saigon Street Life in 1965 by Bruce Baumler – Part 2")
![[Photos] Saigon Street Life in 1965 by Bruce Baumler – Part 1](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2019/June/18/bruce-baumler/Bruce0s.jpg "[Photos] Saigon Street Life in 1965 by Bruce Baumler – Part 1")
![Heart Beat Presents Claudio PRC // The Gods Planet [IT] @ The Observatory](http:///media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/xplr-images/event-iistings/2019/Sep/W3/obs1s.jpg "Heart Beat Presents Claudio PRC // The Gods Planet [IT] @ The Observatory")
Saigoneer's Weekend Event Picks
Looking for something to do this weekend? Check out our favorite events happening around Saigon.
![[Photos] A Home for Quiet Souls in Thai Nguyen Province](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2019/Sep/18/stackhouse/house_SGNRs.jpg)
[Photos] A Home for Quiet Souls in Thai Nguyen Province
Looking from the outside, this house seems to be a typical city house in a narrow space, yet once inside, the place reve...
Netizens Call for Boycott of 'Racist' Hoi An Cafe for Refusing to Serve Vietnamese
Many netizens are calling for a boycott of a coffee shop in Hoi An after anecdotes emerged online accusing the place of ...
Morning Stories Roundup: North-South Expressway and Saigon Housing Shortage
Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook .
Each morning, we select some of the most impor...
![[Video] Whimsical Tilt-Shift Video Catches Saigon's Humorous Little Moments](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2019/Sep/17/tilt_SGNRs.jpg)
[Video] Whimsical Tilt-Shift Video Catches Saigon's Humorous Little Moments
Tilt-shift videos probably aren't new to most readers, but this particular entry in the genre is noteworthy for its play...
Binh Dinh Wants a Giant Relief of Lac Long Quan, Au Co On a Mountain
The estimated cost for the project is VND86 billion (US$3.7 million).
Morning Stories Roundup: Saigon Apartment Prices Balloon in last 5 Years
Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook .
Each morning, we select some of the most impor...
Arts & Culture
A Brief Primer of Asia's Mid-Autumn Mythology in 3 Folk Tales
There’s something for everyone during Tet Trung Thu season, as the arrival of mid-autumn comes with a wide variety of customs and traditiona...
[Video] The Classic Tale of Mid-Autumn Retold Through Dazzling Visuals
![[Video] The Classic Tale of Mid-Autumn Retold Through Dazzling Visuals](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2019/Aug/24/ad2s.jpg)
The short animated animated short shimmers with millennial style and subversive salesmanship.
VietJet to Start Flying From Da Nang to Taipei in December
The low-cost carrier is currently operating eight routes connecting Saigon, Hanoi and Da Nang to four Taiwanese cities including Taipei, Tai...
Eat & Drink
Netizens Call for Boycott of 'Racist' Hoi An Cafe for Refusing to Serve Vietnamese
Many netizens are calling for a boycott of a coffee shop in Hoi An after anecdotes emerged online accusing the place of discriminatory servi...
Hẻm Gems: A Japanese-American Time-Warp on Binh Thanh’s Backstreets
Imagine a world where the 1950s never ended. Where Daddy-O’s race muscle cars all day and Peggy Sue’s dance the night away. Where it’s all o...
Hẻm Gems: The Unbearable Lightness of Eating Bò Lá Lốt Alone
There are certain activities that are best not undertaken alone: karaoke, barbeque, watching football and feasting on ốc . The consensus, howe...
Partner Content
Barrel-Aged Cocktails, Bartending Championships and an Informal Ban on Durian Cocktails: Drinking & Healing’s First Year
“No more spicy chocolate passionfruit cocktails…no more durian,” jokes a mixologist at Drinking & Healing when asked what they’ll do d...
New L'Usine Thao Dien Welcome Guests for All Day Breakfast and Boozy Brunch.
Not so long ago, District 2’s Thao Dien neighborhood was a sleepy stretch of isolated rice paddies.
Saigon’s Worrisome Air Quality and What You Can Do About It
The dark haze frequently draped across Saigon’s skyline exemplifies one of the most serious problems the city faces: air pollution.
∗9999’s World-Class Ambulance Services Save Saigon Lives
Few people are aware that Saigon has an affordable, world-class emergency ambulance response service offering state-of-the-art treatment tha...
Reasons for an Extended Exploration of District 7
Sweet smoke from chili-slathered strips of juicy beef spills onto the streets and rises into the leafy trees that cast shade on the wide sid...
The Importance and Evolution of Mooncakes During the Mid-Autumn Festival
Like most holidays, the origins of Tết Trung Thu, or Mid-Autumn Festival, remain clouded by myth and uncertainty.
MyStorage: A New Kind of Storage Service in Ho Chi Minh City
Those already familiar with the concept of self-storage may be imagining decrepit, maze-like converted warehouses with row after row of nond...
Exploring Six Decades of Luxury at the Caravelle
When discussing Saigon’s many historic buildings, the Caravelle certainly deserves a mention thanks to its iconic design and the many importan...
Indulging in the Natural Splendors of Phu Quoc
Phu Quoc’s rapid rise in popularity has come, in part, thanks to people’s desire to escape claustrophobic cities and their accumulation of t...
Stories
Saigon Seeks Foreign Expertise to Preserve Dinh Thuong Tho After Public Backlash
The building, located at 59-61 Ly Tu Trong Street, has long been listed for demolition to pave way for a renovation plan.
Morning Stories Roundup: Bag Snatch, Go-Viet Leadership and More Solar Power
Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook .
Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Sa...
Historic British Embassy Building in Bangkok Demolished for Shopping Mall
The nearly 100-year-old compound was sold and dismantled to make way for a shopping mall.
Heritage
Saigon's Built Heritage Is Under Threat. How Do We Protect What's Left?
In an exclusive excerpt from his latest book, Exploring Saigon-Chợ Lớn: Vanishing Heritage of Hồ Chí Minh City , historian Tim Doling discusse...
Street Cred: Phan Dinh Phung, My Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather
An unassuming street named Phan Dinh Phung runs through Saigon’s Phu Nhuan District. It is named after a Vietnamese revolutionary who l...
[Photos] The Streets of Cho Lon, as Seen Through Old Postcards
![[Photos] The Streets of Cho Lon, as Seen Through Old Postcards](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2019/july/16/postcards/Cholon0s.jpg)
From downtown Saigon, take Tran Hung Dao Boulevard, drive past rows of towering dipterocarp trees, and one will arrive in the colorful quart...
A Throwback to Saigon's Original Tramway Network
As ever-increasing levels of traffic congestion and air pollution turn many of Ho Chi Minh City’s road junctions into choking bottlenecks, m...
[Photos] On the Street in 1970, From Saigon to Vung Tau
![[Photos] On the Street in 1970, From Saigon to Vung Tau](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2019/Sep/16/saigon-vt/mark-3s.jpg)
Since Vietnam made helmets compulsory for every trip on motorbikes years ago, it’s hard to imagine a time when this trusty headgear wasn't a...
[Photos] Rare Scenes of a Rebuilding Seoul After the Korean War
![[Photos] Rare Scenes of a Rebuilding Seoul After the Korean War](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2019/Aug/21/Seoul0s.jpg)
While Seoul may now call to mind sleek skyscrapers whose neon lights resemble the bioluminescent tentacles of benthic sea creatures, that wa...
Event Coverage
Soundtripz x Space Echo presents Solarstone and John '00' Fleming
There isn’t much of a trance music scene in Saigon. In fact, depending on who you ask, the best trance music in Vietnam can most likely be f...
Society
Netflix Will Be Removed From Smart TVs in Vietnam Over License, Tax Issues
The Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information under the Ministry of Information and Communications recently issued orders to four...
New Draft Decree Requires Alcohol Ads to Include Health Warnings
The oft-debated new draft Law on Preventing Alcohol's Harmful Effects has seen new proposals from the Ministry of Health.
[Photos] A Home for Quiet Souls in Thai Nguyen Province
Looking from the outside, this house seems to be a typical city house in a narrow space, yet once inside, the place reveals three large area...
