in Hanoi

I Keep My Connection to My Family's Hanoi Tết Traditions in a Tiny Quất Tree

I am not a plant person. So when even I notice the abundance of vườn kiểng — a place selling a myriad of plants — it must mean that Saigoneers truly love buying plants. Some of my friends, who are also Hanoians, asked me one day to visit these vườn kiểng and look for Tết plants: “Let’s celebrate Tết the way northerners do, you know?” And somehow, being amongst the plants brought me right back to Quảng Bá Flower Market in Tây Hồ.

Paul Christiansen

in Saigon

How to Curate the Best Playlist to Listen to While Riding the Saigon Metro

When you get a new toy, it's only reasonable to take it out to play with as often as possible.

Paul Christiansen

in Vietnam

Đi Bão Is Vietnamese Culture at Its Most Jubilant, Raucous, and Fervent

Dustbins, tree branches, advertising stands and tarps, leftover Christmas decorations, whatever pot, pan, ladle or utensil left unattended in the family kitchen, and at least one street vendor’s bánh khọt mold: whatever wasn’t bolted down got caught up in the wave of đi bão that filled Saigon’s streets last night. 

in Saigon

Life in Saigon's Old Tenements, the Remaining Vertical Villages of Past Decades

Is “out with the old, in with the new” the new motto when it comes to Saigon's real estate scene?

in Saigon

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.

in Saigon

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 Christmas trees, Santas, snowmen, regardless of their cultural relevance to Vietnamese culture. For me, one of the activities that truly embodies this global spirit of Christmas is watching Home Alone (1990). 

Paul Christiansen

in Vietnam

‘Công tử Bạc Liêu’ Asks: ‘What Would You Do if You Won the Lottery?’

They say you don’t buy a lottery ticket because you think you’ll win; you buy one so that you can fantasize about winning.

in Vietnam

For Hội An Residents, Learning to Live With Floods Is a Fact of Life

The water reached my shoulders, and when I stepped into the street I suddenly felt the current trying to pull me into its invisible grasp. A familiar feeling that set off an alarm inside my head: “Be careful! It looks like nothing, but don’t get caught in it.”

Back Stories

in Vietnam

As Cases Rise, Da Nang to Establish Walk-in Covid-19 Vaccination Site

As Da Nang experiences its highest new COVID-19 case numbers in two months, city leaders are ramping up vaccination efforts.

in Vietnam

After Each Flood, Hoi An Picks Itself up, Just Like It Has Always Done

Every year, Vietnam braces for dozens of tropical storms coming from the East Sea. Localities along the coast in central Vietnam have to bear devastating destruction caused by Mother Earth whenever se...

in Saigon

Bars, Cinemas, Ride-Hailing Return to Saigon in Low-Risk Districts

Many previously suspended activities are allowed again in Saigon depending on their district’s COVID-19 risk assessment.

in Vietnam

Thief Breaks Into Anti-Theft Device Store in Binh Duong

In a sweet stroke of irony, a security equipment shop in Binh Duong Province couldn’t stop a criminal from infiltrating their own stronghold. 

in Saigon

Saigon Proposes 2 New Waterbus Routes Linking Districts 1, 7

Saigoneer's favorite form of transportation has just proposed adding two new routes linking District 7 and District 1.

in Vietnam

Brown, Princeton Universities Offer First-Ever Vietnamese-Language Classes

The two Ivy League colleges are collaborating on beginner and intermediate Vietnamese language courses after high demand from members of their student bodies.

in Hanoi

Hanoi's First Metro Line Will Officially Open Tomorrow

Hanoi's Cat Linh-Ha Dong Line will be the first metro system in Vietnam to commence operation.

in Saigon

Delta Variant Accounts for 100% of Cases in Saigon's Current Outbreak, Data Shows

The Delta variant of the novel coronavirus was the main reason that the current outbreak in Saigon was so fast-spreading and severe, a recent report shows.

in Vietnam

Oxford University's Linacre College to Be Renamed After Donation From VietJet CEO

In response to a £155 million (VND4.8 trillion) donation via the SOVICO Group, which Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo is president of, Oxford University's Linacre College plans to change its name to Thao C...

in Vietnam

Bamboo Air to Launch Direct London Flights from Hanoi, Saigon

The routes will only be available once Vietnam resumes inbound international flights.

in Saigon

Saigon Begins Vaccinating Students to Prepare for School Reopening

The city aims to administer Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to approximately 780,000 children aged 12 to 17.

in Saigon

Saigon Restaurants, Cafes Resume In-Person Dining at 50% Capacity

What's the first restaurant on your list?

in Saigon

Over 75% of Saigoneers Have Received 2 Shots of Covid-19 Vaccines

After a sluggish start, Saigon has sped up inoculation efforts, becoming Vietnam’s locality with the most vaccine coverage.

in Vietnam

Major Typhoon Kompasu to Hit North-Central Vietnam Tomorrow

In preparation for the storm's expected landfall Thursday morning, the government is evacuating 250,000 people in the North-Central Region.

in Saigon

As Cases Drop, Saigon Announces Roadmap to Phase out Covid-19 Field Hospitals

Hospital beds were once a scarcity that became filled as soon as they were set up, but the number of cases in southern COVID-19 hot spots has plummeted to the point that many field hospitals are no lo...

in Vietnam

Da Lat Installs First-Ever Traffic Lights to Stem Road Congestion

A new era has begun for the increasingly busy mountain city.

in Saigon

Vaccine QR Codes Are the Hottest New Fashion Accessory in Saigon

Sometimes fashion trends are not born of creativity, but practicality.

in Saigon

Saigon to Resume Flights, Buses, Taxis, App-Based Car Rides in Limited Capacity

Buses, cars and private ride options will resume in limited capacity in Saigon this week.

in Vietnam

In Q3 of 2021, Vietnam's Economy Shrinks for the First Time Since 2000

The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, combined with severe lockdown restrictions, has led to Vietnam's worst economic quarter in decades.

in Vietnam

Vietnam Pushes for Mutual Recognition of 'Vaccine Passports' With Some Nations

Vaccine passports may soon become part of a “new normal” as more Vietnamese are getting their two shots.