Ward off Your Monday Blues by Joining Me on Beginners' Skateboard Night
Usually in life, niche topics are commonly associated with unpleasant stigmas and misunderstandings — skateboarding in Vietnam is no exception. Once, I admittedly was influenced by such one-sided assu...
Sweating out My Sadness on the Canal's Exercise Machines
We're all unlucky in love sometimes. When I am, I go jogging. The body loses water when you jog, so you have none left for tears.
From Tò He to Tamagotchi: Local Designer Brings Our Childhood Toys to Stamps
For Vietnamese kids today, when it comes to games, there’s a possibility that their childhood is entirely confined to the digital world. From phone applications like Temple Run and Pokemon GO to block...
The People Building a Virtual Vietnam in the Pixelated World of Minecraft
Minecraft is now a modern classic world-building game allowing players to construct elaborate buildings using isometric cubes. Thanks to this endless stream of materials, one can theoretically build a...
Inside the Bình Thạnh Depot Where Retro Military Knick-Knacks Live
“This furniture has been around for many decades, but you can use them normally without the fear of breaking them. Because they are industrial equipment made for the military or office buildings, they...
In Đà Nẵng, a Close-Knit Surfing Community Rides the Waves
Đà Nẵng does not feel like a surf town. The gaudy beachside nightclubs are a far cry from the bohemian vibes of Hawaii or San Diego, and the coastline is more synonymous with basket boats than surfboa...
A Glimpse Into the Epic Underground Shows of Vietnam Pro Wrestling
Back in 2018, Saigon witnessed the birth of Vietnam Pro Wrestling (VPW), the first and only Pro Wrestlers in the whole of Vietnam, and a lot has changed since then.
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...
Tiny Tracks, Big Passion: Inside the Miniature World of Vietnam's Model Train Enthusiasts
“When you turn it on, the train is not only moving, but it can make sounds too. The sounds are so authentic that when I listen to it, I feel like I am sitting on a real train right now,” Minh Tú, a Sa...
A Brief History of Cung Văn Hóa Lao Động and Saigon's First Swimming Pool
Once a fashionable rendezvous for the elite of colonial society, the Labour Culture Palace (Cung Văn hoá Lao động) at 55B Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai is today one of Hồ Chí Minh City’s most popular spor...
Paul Christiansen in Saigon
The Simple Pleasures of Kite-Flying in Thủ Thiêm
One of the most elegant means to observe the textured heft and untethered strength of otherwise-invisible wind — there is plenty one could say about the poetry of flying kites.
I Went Cloud-Hunting and Found Peace Atop Đà Lạt's Tea Hill
Northern California is blessed with serene nature. Growing up there, pathless trails and cloudy mountain peaks were my safe havens, and when returning home on break from college, it was a tradition to...
I Saw the World's Most Handsome Bird Right in Vietnam's Hidden Backyard
Everywhere I go in Vietnam, I keep my eyes peeled for the incredible birds that call this country home. Sometimes I don’t even realize that I’m doing it. I scan the horizon above low hills for migrato...
Losing Myself (and My Work Stress) in the Wacky World of Jazz Dance
Since I started my foray into jazz dance, the most common question I’ve gotten has been “What, you can dance to jazz?”
Paul Christiansen in Culture
In Đà Nẵng, a Vintage Money Aficionado Forgoes Professorship for Life in the Night Market
What gives one’s life meaning? For some, it’s faith, family or art. For Trần Văn Nam, it’s money, but not in the way you probably imagine.
Meet Chú Hai Bạc, Saigon's Veteran Vespa and Lambretta 'Doctor'
Even in his 70s, Phan Văn Bạc — better known among friends and fans as chú Hai Bạc — is still getting his hands dirty every day working with engines, screws and bolts to take care of vintage Vespas an...
Huế Announces Plan to Transform Hồ Thủy Tiên Waterpark Into Public Space
Authorities are planning to turn the long-abandoned Hồ Thủy Tiên Waterpark into a public space with the construction of a walking path, lighting, drainage system and water supply.
The Peculiar Gender Dynamics of Hanoi's Male-Dominated Cờ Tướng Scene
On a sunset wander through Hanoi, you may be surprised by the peculiar sight of men haphazardly perched in nooks and crannies playing the ancient game of xiangqi.
How Exotic Pole Dance Challenges Both Personal Limits and Gender Stereotypes
Flashing flares of neon lights hug the body of a dancer who’s spinning around a pole in the raucous thrum of music and sensuous gasps. In the mind of the average Vietnamese, pole dancing is often asso...
Linh Phạm in Parks & Rec
Left Foot Brake, Right Foot Gas: Hanoi's Go-Kart Track Is Fast and Glorious
Moments before the engine started, I became aware of the fact that just a few centimeters of metal and plastic separated my butt and the asphalt.
Saigon Climber Becomes First Vietnamese Woman to Reach Mount Everest
To date, only four Vietnamese are reported to have successfully reached the tallest point on Earth.
Wind, Sun and the Ocean: The Aerial Thrills of Paragliding Over Đà Nẵng
Paragliding means heaving in a lungful of air, bracing against a gale’s resistance, letting one’s mind ponder the vastness of the ocean below, floating in the middle of the sky, and — for me this time...
Brian Letwin in Parks & Rec
Slugging It Out at Saigon’s Baseball Cage
For much of my adult life, in the months from February to October, my mood was dictated by the results of New York Mets games.
Linh Pham 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...
'54 Shades of Dần,' a Tribute to Tết in Tiger-Themed Playing Cards
Tết is coming, a time of joy, new beginnings and, for some, the ideal time for card games.
The Weird, Whimsical, Wondrous World of Art Toys in Vietnam
At the end of 1999, Hong Kong artist and designer Michael Lau presented the “Gardener” toy collection, an amalgamation of his interests in G.I. Joe action figures and street culture. The launch is wid...
Our Memories of Vietnam, Transformed Into Lego Creations by Collector Hoàng Đặng
Đặng Huy Hoàng is a Hanoi-based industrial designer. He loves building custom scenes with Lego, and has created many Vietnam-themed model sets on his social media accounts.
The Artist Making a Miniature Saigon Out of Lego Blocks
If a bowl of hủ tiếu were the size of a Lego brick, how many hủ tiếu would you have?
Vietnam Officially Forms National Baseball, Softball Federation
Batter up!
As Epidemic Subsides in Vietnam, Return of VBA Not an ‘If,’ but a 'When’
Rebooting professional basketball during a global pandemic is no slam dunk.
Bac Giang, Hoa Binh Are Getting 3 New Golf Courses
They will be located in Bac Giang and Hoa Binh provinces.
[Photos] Scaling the Cliffs of Northern Vietnam
Despite its incredible potential, rock climbing in Vietnam still flies relatively under the radar.
In Tình Đầu Exhibition Space, a Home for Hanoi's Bohemian Young Artists
Nestled deep within labyrinthine alleyways in Hanoi’s Ba Đình District, Tình Đầu (first love), a studio-gallery run by a collective of Vietnamese artists, is growing a reputation as a home for the cap...
