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....
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 Christma...
Khôi Phạm in Music & Arts
5 Classic Christmas Songs in Vietnamese for Those Craving Nô-en Wistfulness
Christmas celebration in Vietnam is something else altogether.
Into Saigon's Charming Hidden Third Spaces in the Shade of Bridges
Third place (noun): A space outside of one's home and workplace, where people meet and interact socially.
How Hanoi's Infectious Rats and Impish Locals Bamboozled the French in 1902
When facing a bubonic plague epidemic, is it wiser to delve into sewers and cull infected rats yourself or offer payment to Vietnamese for deliveries of severed tails instead? For Hanoi’s French colon...
Diving (Literally) Into Hoàng Hoa Thám's Mountains of Secondhand Clothes
In a hẻm, clothing sprawled out on platforms lined with the plastic sacks the clothing came in, overspilling onto the tarmac road. This was just a glimpse of the thrifting scene in Vietnam.
Shri Lifestyle Dining Re-Emerges to Elevate Experiences
Sunset approaches and broad bands of soft light stretch across the floor, inflaming pastel walls and illuminating colorful cocktails.
French Illustrated Encyclopedia Paints the Slices of Vietnam Life in the 1900s
"To effectively govern colonial peoples, the foremost requirement is a thorough understanding of the very people one rules over," so believed Paul Doumer, the second Governor-General of French Indochi...
The Tale of 2 Vietnamese Christmas Songs: 'Hai Mùa Noel' and 'Bài Thánh Ca Buồn'
When it comes to local Christmas music, any Vietnamese will hear the melodies of either ‘Bài Thánh ca buồn’ or ‘Hai mùa Noel’ a couple of times every holiday season. Though Christmas is not a native h...
Sweating for a Good Cause at the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation Walk in Hanoi
I learnt of the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation in my first year living in Hanoi, through friends that had worked for the fantastic organization, or that were regular donors supporting it. This year...
Paul Christiansen in In Plain Sight
Shrimp Fishing in Thanh Đa Is Fun Even When You Don't Catch Anything
If it weren’t for shrimps, developing taste buds would have been an outrageous waste of evolutionary time and resources. Truly, without the potential for boiled, grilled, fried, baked or even raw shri...
Khôi Phạm in Film & TV
Review: 'Bến Phà Xác Sống' Is the 2nd-Worst Movie I've Ever Watched. I'm Sad It's Over.
The day when the Saigoneer team organized a little get-together to watch Bến Phà Xác Sống in the cinema, I was running seriously late.
On the Hunt for One-of-a-Kind Treasures in Saigon's Thriving Thrift Shops
In the summer of 2021, Hương Nguyễn decided to pivot away from her office job and launch an online thrift store called Vintage Hearts. She was motivated by how difficult it was to find clothing in Sai...
Hẻm Gems: At Bún Thang 50, Unexpected Hanoi Flavors in a Phú Nhuận Corner
When I was growing up in California, every couple of months, plastic containers of sliced fried egg, chicken, and chả lụa would line the kitchen counter. This medley of ingredients would usually mean ...
Saigon, Hanoi (Almost) Bottom out World Ranking of Public Bathroom Coverage
Vietnam’s bountiful abundance of street eats and hip cafes might satisfy even the pickiest visitors looking to ingest delicious things at any price range, but even its biggest metropolises would strug...
Khôi Phạm in Film & TV
Review: 'Cù Lao Xác Sống' Is the Worst Movie I've Ever Watched. I Love It to Death.
When we entered the auditorium to watch Cù Lao Xác Sống, no theater attendant was there to check our tickets. Perhaps the telling emptiness of the room made them realize they could be doing better thi...
Thanh Hóa Announces Mắm Tôm-Drinking Contest to Lure International Tourists
How much mắm tôm can you chug?
Christine Ha Writes New Food Stories From Her Parents' Culinary Heritage
“I was in a creative writing program for grad school at the time, and I thought, as an artist, going on MasterChef would give me something to write about.”
Michael Tatarski in Travel
An Eye-Opening Mushroom Farm in Da Lat for Budding Mycologists
It could be argued that mushrooms are among nature's strangest creations.
Paul Christiansen in Postcards
Saigon Postcard No. 27: Santa Claus Is Coming to Quarantine
Vietnam makes no special safety-protocol exceptions for Santa Claus.
[Photos] Bask in the Festive Spirit at Hanoi's Holiday Decoration Street
With Christmas just around the corner, businesses and public places in Hanoi are awash in red and winter-themed paraphernalia. Crowds of young Hanoians flock to Phố Hàng Mã, one of the city’s major kn...
Saigoneer Podcast: Vietnamese Christmas Movies and Author Debby Nguyen
Our second-to-last episode of 2020 is here!
Christ Pratt to Star in Hollywood Remake of 'Vệ Sĩ Sài Gòn'
Will Chris Pratt play the sullen or the silly half of the bodyguard duo in the Hollywood remake?
Hanoi, Saigon Report Cases of Rare Poisoning Linked to Vegan Pâté
In recent weeks, Vietnam has recorded more than a dozen cases of botulism, a rare and dangerous disease that disables its victims’ nerves, causing paralysis.
[Photos] 18 Rare Black-and-White Photos of Northern Vietnam in the 1970s
What draws us towards the spectacle that is old photos?
The City as Text: Chợ Trời and the Representation of an Invisible Hanoi
Despite being the largest marketplace in the city since the 1950s, and still the oldest temporary market in town, Troi Market (chợ Trời) doesn't appear in delightful pieces of literature or art like t...
Saigoneer Bookshelf: Finding Hong in Gangster Noir Thriller ‘Dragonfish’
For those of us who have read countless books by Vietnamese authors and members of the diaspora, the novel Dragonfish is not just one more installment of ethnic literature or postwar fiction.
[Photos] Giant Caves and Animatronic Santa: Saigon Goes All out on Festivities
By this time of year, many expats living in Saigon have made the annual decision: return home to catch up with loved ones, or stay put in Vietnam. Those who stay in Saigon for Christmas may try to cel...
Paul Christiansen in Postcards
Saigon Postcard No. 20: Ephemeral Holiday Feelings
Soft lights illuminate Saigon's dark alleys and streets the way holiday cheer brightens the lamentations for another year passing.
Thi Nguyen in Music & Arts
Through Vietnam's Stories of Coffee and Rice, a Trio Finds Where Art and History Meet
Without notice, a gust of July rain swept through the museum of animals and plants' foyer, knocking down several paintings, strewing paper coffee cups and shattering the monitor that had been pla...
[Illustrations] Four Festive Cards for a Very Saigoneer Christmas
While there is no chance of Saigon experiencing a white Christmas, we'd still like to take this opportunity to spread a bit of holiday cheer.
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
Saigoneer Bookshelf: A Touch of Magical Realism in 'The Cemetery of Chua Village'
Vietnam transitioned to a market economy like an old train lurching to life: momentous shakes and shudders, steam bursting out busted gaskets, disheveled cargo tumbling from luggage racks, sparks shoo...
Paul Christiansen in Food Culture
The Wild, Wondrous History of Lychee
Treacherous rebels were amassing support in the outskirts while licentious interlopers lounged in teahouses and corruption lurked in every alleyway and courtyard in the capital. The 8th-century Tang E...
[Photos] Under the Great Northern Sky: Life in Vietnam's Pastoral Provinces
In my travels, I don't think I've ever found a nation like Vietnam, whose landscapes differ so vastly from north to south. I imagine the great hills and sharp peaks of the north as the scaly, rugged h...
[Photos] How Saigoneers Enjoyed Christmas in the 60s and 70s
With Christmas just around the corner, Saigoneer takes a look at how past city dwellers enjoyed the holiday season.
Brian Letwin in Saigon
How Much Do You Make? New Report Finds Growing Salaries in HCMC
Ever wonder what you're worth? The recently released 2013 Robert Walters Global Salary Survey shows moderate growth in salaries for workers in the financial, supply chain, engineering, HR, IT, s...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Vietnamese Painting Fetches Record Price at Christie’s
Nguyen Phan Chanh’s painting, entitled “La Marchand de Riz,” set a new record for Vietnamese art at Christie’s International in Hong Kong this past Saturday. Originally valued at $75 due to a case of...
