My Great-Great-Grandfathers Were in Indochina in the 1880s to Build the Railway
We often see archival images of old Hanoi, but these photos are different — they are personal. The following shots, which come from a collection of five photo albums, are the only surviving record of ...
IB Recognition Will Complement Emphasis on Vietnamese Language and Culture at VNTH
After several years of preparation, Viet Nam Tinh Hoa by North London Collegiate School (VNTH) has achieved recognition as an IB World School, joining a global network of over 5,700 sch...
Khôi Phạm in Saigon Hẻm Gems
5 Cozy Saigon Coffee Shops With Outstanding Cat Residents to Befriend
I almost never remember the faces of the employees at cafes that I’ve been to, but I am strangely attuned to the existence of their cats. I remember the textures of their fur when I gave them pets, th...
Vietnam Welcomes 21m Tourists in 2025, Highest-Ever Figure in History
Last year marked an impressive year for tourism in Vietnam. A record number of 21.17 million international tourists visited the country in 2025, a 20.4% increase compared to 2024. This far exceeded th...
Memories and Heritage Considered Across Mediums at Dogma Prize Exhibition
How can personal and collective memories – alongside questions of community and heritage – be explored through artistic practices that span different mediums and respond to changing times?
Paul Christiansen in Vietnam
An Indie Archival Project Dreams of Time Travel. How? Lots and Lots of Vietnam Maps.
Its entrances flanked by ATMs and adverts for international airlines, the Sun Wah Tower on Nguyễn Huệ today appears to be another nondescript testament to the global economy and Vietnam’s enthusiast...
Cooking Without Cover: What VỊ Battle Reveals About Saigon’s Next Chefs
A kitchen usually protects its cooks. Walls soften mistakes. Noise hides hesitation. If something goes wrong, the rhythm of service absorbs it.
In Sa Pa, Learning How to Indigo Dye, One Plant, Vat, and Beeswax Pen at a Time
My first meal in Sa Pa was accidentally earned. After a few hours of uneven rest in a sleeper bus and a short ride from Sa Pa city center to the village, I finally arrived, along with two other indigo...
Khôi Phạm in Quãng 8
Hanoi Indie Duo Limebócx Brings Tried-and-Trù Traditions to Young Ears
A grazing buffalo, frolicking water puppets, mystifying tam cúc cards, an insolent maiden in áo tứ thân, a rustic meal around cái mâm. These are just a few standout visuals that will haunt your brain ...
Marc Dinh in Vietnam
A Brake Failure and 200 Victims: Remembering Vietnam's Deadliest Rail Accident
About 55 kilometers from Saigon, in the small commune of Tây Hoà rests the 17/03/1982 Railway Cemetery. It currently houses 85 unidentified graves of victims of the Train 183 Disaster, the deadli...
In His Research-Driven Artistic Practice, Quang deLam Maps History, Knowledge Together
What if art functions as a visual form for transmitting knowledge and entangled histories, and the artist is a messenger between them and the audience?
From Abroad to My Favorite Bún Riêu: A Brief History of Trứng Vịt Lộn
I pride myself on being a child of Hanoi, but only after nearly 20 years, did I realize that trứng vịt lộn is not exactly an authentic topping in Hanoi-style bún riêu.
Vietnamese Home Cooking Finds a New Voice at Viet Kitchen
“A fine home-cooked dinner can light up even the worst day,” Chef Trung says casually, his hands busy stirring a pot of bần fermented soybean paste destined for a dish of Củ Chi young beef. It’s not a...
Saigon Residents Swap Screens for Ceramics as a Means to Relax and Connect
Can ceramics be a form of self-care? Sitting in a cozy space, slowly covering blank clay with color can have a profoundly calming effect. Rotating a textured mug in your hand to spread paint across a ...
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.
Xuân Phương in Vietnam
A British Photographer's 30 Years of Forming a Kindred Connection With Vietnam
When he boarded a flight from Bangkok to Hanoi in 1992, Andy Soloman thought he would stay in Vietnam for just one month. Little did he know that what seemed like a brief trip would stretch into seven...
Pete Walls in Travel
At Kon Tum's Đăk Đrinh Lake, Life Slows to a Therapeutic Pace
Đăk Đrinh Lake lies in the northern reaches of Kon Tum, where the hills rise in slow, deliberate waves and the pace of life is set by the land. The Ca Dong ethnic communities remain here, maintaining ...
A Place to Live the Sea: Inside InterContinental Residences Nha Trang
Between the pulse of Trần Phú and the hush of the ocean lies a place where the sea begins to feel like home.
Amanoi: A Pause Between Two Worlds
Between mountains and sea in Ninh Thuận, a few quiet days at Amanoi became something more enduring than a luxury escape. It became a reflection on transition, attention and the rare calm that remains ...
The BVIS Alumni Story: How Identity Takes Students Further in a Diverse World
Since its first class proudly entered the world in 2014, British Vietnamese International School Ho Chi Minh City (BVIS HCMC) has provided a launchpad for more than 530 graduates to thrive in a divers...
Paul Christiansen in Saigoneer Getaways
Waterfalls, Langur, Oysters and Abandoned Colonial Villas: A Lăng Cô Getaway
What lies between Đà Nẵng and Huế?
More than a Meal; a Shared Cultural Space: Dining Across Borders at Quán Bụi Group Complex
As Saigon’s eastern area continues to take on a rhythm of its own, shaped by new residential communities, international schools, and a younger, more settled urban crowd, Quán Bụi Group Complex emerges...
Paul Christiansen in Literature
In Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai's New Novel, Saigon's Rhythms Hum in the Background
“I’m always homesick for Vietnam. To write is to return home. That's why I had to bring Vietnam alive onto the pages. I had to hear the people speak, I had to listen to the music, to the language; I h...
'Đời Gió Bụi,' Vietnamese Version of Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai's Novel 'Dust Child,' Released This Week
Originally written in English and already translated into more than 15 languages, Đời gió bụi (Dust Child) was released in Quế Mai's mother tongue on December 8.
In Search of Hội An’s Lesser-Known and Overlooked Charms
Hội An, one of Vietnam’s top domestic and international tourist destinations, is in danger of developing a negative reputation.
European International School Strengthens Global Pathways for Every Learner with Prestigious WASC Accreditation
The European International School Ho Chi Minh City (EIS) has officially been awarded accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), one of the world’s most respected internat...
Festive Season Sprinkles Magic Throughout Hotel Indigo Saigon The City
The festive season arrives in local style at Hotel Indigo Saigon The City.
Thirty 59 Brings Saigon Kitchen Sessions: A One-Night-Only Spectacle of Food and Music
Over the past decade, An Khánh Ward (formerly Thảo Điền) has developed its own F&B ecosystem, becoming one of Saigon’s most diverse culinary landscapes. A relative newcomer, Thirty 59, opened its door...
Inside Quảng Nam's School for Children From Ethnic Minorities, Designed by VTN Architects
Can a school protect against harsh climate conditions and foster productive academic and social activities in a sustainable and affordable way, while paying attention to the aesthetic values of the re...
Saigon Demolishes 3 Heritage Villas to Make Room for Covid-19 Memorial Park
As part of a plan to build a dedicated space to commemorate victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, Saigon authorities recently demolished several heritage buildings from the 1950s, sparking concerns about ...
The Man Bringing a Michelin Reputation to Phú Quốc’s Pink Pearl: Olivier Elzer
Just before reaching the sand, the sky awash in soft, late afternoon pastels, you’ll arrive at the Pink Pearl, which now bears a sign announcing it as the Pink Pearl by Olivier E. But who is Olivier E...
Slipper Lobster Bisque: When the Local Sea Speaks in the Language of Fine Dining
There are dishes that arrive at the table softly, like a whisper from the ocean. They do not seek attention yet draw it in through restraint and balance. At LAVA, InterContinental Phu Quoc’s signature...
Paul Christiansen in Literature
Meet Dạ Ngân, the Author of the Most Important Vietnamese Novel You've Never Read
When the wind strafes Dạ Ngân’s window, seedpods shake and rattle like spent bullet casings in the tamarind tree that Americans planted decades ago. They also built the large apartment complex where s...
From Delta Winds to Highland Soil: A Plant-Based Odyssey
A restaurant where vegetables speak of home.
Khôi Phạm in Culture
What Can Vietnamese License Plates Tell You About the Vehicles and Who Drives Them?
There was a game I used to play with my dad whenever we would stop at a traffic light. He would point to a random license plate in front of us and quiz me on where it came from.
Khôi Phạm in Society
5 Iconic Teachers in Vietnam's Recent History Who Embody the Learning Spirit
Teachers are probably amongst the most influential figures in our lives, apart from our parents. Their roles are even more elevated in societies like Vietnam’s, where the remnants of Confucian princip...
Dream Big: AIS Saigon Opens New Scholarship Pathways for Tomorrow’s Global Citizens
What will the world look like when today’s students enter it as adults?
The Many Meanings of Red: “ĐỎ” Offers Three Photographers' Perspectives on the World
A single color has no intrinsic meaning, but rather contains and reflects the many emotions, memories, and experiences an individual associates with it. Red, for example, means something different to ...
On the Sidewalks of 1979 Saigon: Books, Knick-Knacks and a Multitude of Bicycles
Before the motorbikes invaded all aspects of modern Vietnam, Saigon streets were all bicycles, vintage cars and xích lô.
Văn Tân in Snack Attack
Huế's Bánh Pháp Lam Turns Backyard Fruits Into a Celebration of Ngũ Hành
“Everything must be really fresh, made-to-order, colorful, and fragrant. Everything has its place, and is arranged exquisitely!” The food in the 2008 feature film Trăng nơi đáy giếng, adapted from a s...
Why Girls Who Play Sport Go Further — How AIS Nurtures the Next Generation of Confident, Ambitious Students
Some of the world’s most successful women have one thing in common: participation in youth sports.
Paul Christiansen in Rewind
In 'Cú Và Chim Se Sẻ,' a Director's Radical Empathy for Saigon's Less Fortunate
“They can do what they want. The city owns the zoo. They could sell all the animals here. They could turn it into a golf course. We’re just little people — you and me.”
In 'No Man River,' Dương Hướng Highlights the Raw Pain of Postwar Survival
Dương Hướng’s No Man River (Bến không chồng) was first published in 1991 and won the Vietnam Writers' Association Prize for Fiction. Translated into English by Quan Manh Ha and Charles Waugh, it ...
Into the Infernal Heat of One of Saigon's Last Remaining Forges
It's no exaggeration to say that working in a forge is akin to being in a fiery sauna.
Emotional Connection is the Key to Luxury Travel at Banyan Tree Lăng Cô
What does luxury travel mean? The center of countless hospitality conference panels, LinkedIn posts, and marketing pitch decks, this question will elicit different answers depending on who is asked. E...
Khôi Phạm in Environment
What I Talk About When I Talk About Vietnam's Penguin Trashcans
Compared to the average Vietnamese, I might be thinking about trashcans a smidgen too much — not just any trashcan, but the infamous penguin-shaped trashcans that are ubiquitous at every corner of our...
Linh Phạm in Parks & Rec
House Dance Hanoi Teaches You How to Free the Body
I stood on the top floor of a building on Khâm Thiên Street, feeling grateful for the cold air. I came out here to take a break from the other side of the floor, which was divided into three rooms — t...
Nguyễn Đức Tín Weaves Spirituality, Faith, Everyday Life Altogether in His Paintings
Can a painting reflect who we are, even if we can’t see ourselves thoroughly? And how does faith guide us forward in life?
Saigon’s Beloved Basilico Undergoes Re-Imagining to Emphasize Authentic Italian Cuisine
“We are Italians, we do pretty much what we want,” said Chef Francesco Leone when pressed for his vision of Basilico. “If you want to transmit authenticity and the feeling of Italian food by making Ba...
Paul Christiansen in Literature
5 Books by Vietnamese Authors Centered on Strong Female Protagonists
Literature, more than any other art form, allows people an intimate vantage point from which to witness the experiences, emotions, and thoughts of individuals drastically different from themselves. Bo...
Women in Post-Đổi Mới Vietnamese Cinema: From Archetypal to Multifaceted
In Vietnamese cinema, the female figure has long been employed to deliver macro-level messages rather than just mundane narratives.
Khôi Phạm in Music & Arts
The Multiverse Behind the 1990s Classic 'Người Tình Mùa Đông' by Như Quỳnh
There is a certain timelessness to the song ‘Người Tình Mùa Đông’ by Như Quỳnh, especially in the visuals of its very first performance. For generations of Vietnamese listeners, ‘Người Tình Mùa Đông’ ...
Minigolf Proves Putting is For Everyone, Particularly if Paired with Snacks and Beer
The Saigoneer team does not consist of golfers. Most of us would struggle to define a birdie, let alone achieve one. And yet, despite our lack of experience, golf proved to be the perfect afternoon ac...
Vietnamese Creators Teach Kids to Appreciate Rice in 'Con Ăn Hết Rồi' Book Project
If one day, the grains of rice that you frequently put in your mouth suddenly start to move, talk, and give you a rundown on how they were created on the field, would you believe it? This seemingly ab...
Paul Christiansen in Saigon
The Origin of the Strange Lights You See Before Landing in Saigon
What are those astonishingly bright lights seen from an airplane window when approaching Saigon at night? I’ve had visitors ask me this on the drive home from the airport, and the question appears on ...
Integrating Spanish Culinary Traditions into Local Lifestyles
Paella’s elevation of humble countryside ingredients into an extravaganza of flavors united by fluffy rice; soft and creamy Torta del Casar sheep’s milk cheese; intense Pimentón de la Vera paprika mad...
Khôi Phạm in Natural Selection
10 Species of Lesser-Known Fruits to Get to Know Vietnam's Biodiversity
In the Vietnamese language, the word “cỏ” — meaning “grass” in the literal sense — is often used to signify that something is locally grown, no frills, and charmingly rustic; grassroots, if you will. ...
How Vietnamese Architecture Adopted Modernism and Made It Our Own
Ask a person on the street what Vietnam’s distinctive style of architecture is, and the answer you get might be traditional architecture, like the historic curves of northern Vietnam’s village temples...
Ten Thousand Million Out of Ten: Our Family Trip to Club Med Phuket
When you decide to start a family, the choice touches every corner of life. Priorities shift, responsibilities grow, sacrifices are made, and days begin to orbit around the children. Vacations change ...
Enlightening Misery Under French Rule Explored in 'Light Out and Modern Vietnamese Stories'
Light Out and Modern Vietnamese Stories, 1930–1954 offers the contemporary reader an honest glimpse of a period in Vietnam history characterized by corruption, exploitation, dehumanization, pover...
What Shipwrecks Can Teach Us About Vietnam's Centuries-Old Maritime History
Deep beneath the ocean surface, colorful ceramic fragments have been scattered and stacked upon one another for centuries. Some remain whole, others broken, many still covered with corals and ocean du...
Pizza 4P's to Expand to the US With First Flagship Location in New York
If you’re roaming around New York but suddenly hanker for a bite of familiar salmon miso pizza taste, you might be in luck this year.
Lycée Marie Curie: The High School That Has Stood the Test of Time
Marie Curie High School, also called Lycée Marie Curie in French or Trường Trung Học Phổ Thông Marie Curie in Vietnamese, is a public high school located in Saigon’s District 3.
A Culinary Celebration of the Watermelon That Would Make Mai An Tiêm Proud
I never imagined there could be more than one way to eat a watermelon. Yet here it was, transformed beyond recognition, via a bold experiment and a deeply personal story, challenging everything I thou...
Amid Saigon, a Traditional Lantern Craft Village Stands the Test of Time
Cellophane lanterns, the nostalgic anchors of our past full-moon festivals, are still alive thanks to the nimble fingers of craftspeople at the Phú Bình lantern “village” in Saigon.
Elise Lương in Architecture
To Teach Children the Importance of Play, First Bring Playgrounds Back to Hanoi
In rapidly developing urban Hanoi, finding engaging outdoor play areas for young children is near impossible. But since 2014, the social enterprise Think Playgrounds has colored public spaces across V...
Wartime Sketches, Stamps, Typography Transcending Time in ‘Collection+’
Fragments of history, whether through imagery or text, often feel distant in time, yet so familiar when encountered visually. Combat sketches, postage stamps, and typography from propaganda posters in...
Khôi Phạm in Saigon
Old Saigon Building of the Week: The Glitz and Glam of Tự Do Nightclub
While today’s Đồng Khởi Street is peppered with tourist-centric shops and restaurants, just half a century ago, the downtown street was the nightlife hotspot for Saigon’s cool kids to congregate.
BVIS - A Leading International School with a Difference
What defines the British Vietnamese International School Ho Chi Minh City (BVIS)?
ONVIT’s Warm Light: A Korean Culinary Journey Through Vietnamese Terroir
Hanoi’s fine dining landscape has long been shaped by European and Japanese influences. But in August 2025, ONVIT, the first Korean fine dining restaurant in Vietnam, opened inside the Grand Pla...
As Wind Power Struggles to Thrive in Southeast Asia, Vietnam Leads With Early Momentum
Countries in mainland Southeast Asia have stark differences in renewable energy strategies, balancing them with ample but controversial hydropower and entrenched interests. While solar power has becom...
The Double-Edged Allure of Indochic in Postcolonial Vietnam
Bordering the Temple of Literature in Hanoi is Nguyễn Thái Học Boulevard, where a number of art shops sit side by side. Among them, tourists and visitors can find an endless supply of varying iteratio...
Vietnam’s Design Talents on Display at Gallery Medium’s Three Weeks of Design
When does a piece of functional design become art and vice versa? Gazing long enough at a hook on the wall, noticing its graceful curves, bright colors, and simple flourishes in shape, will have you u...
Hẻm Gems: The Legendary Miến Trộn That Feeds Saigon's Architecture Students
Upon finding out that I’m a student at the University of Architecture HCMC, people tend to bombard me with a barrage of questions: if my coursework is tiring, if my school fees are skyhigh, and what m...
Destruction, Rebirth Enmeshed in Ngô Đình Bảo Châu’s Exhibition 'Projecting a Thought'
Darkness fills the space and a flame fiercely burns on the large screen, while dim lights and floating fabric linger behind. Ngô Đình Bảo Châu transforms domestic and bodily forms into works that expl...
How a Dance Project Is Reframing Deaf Identity in Saigon via Movement Art
Lắng Nghe Điểm Chạm is a project aiming to expand exposure opportunities and application potentials of performing arts into the life of marginalized and minority communities of Vietnam.
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
