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 Roundups

Morning Stories: Grab Drivers Strike, Rare Iridescent Snake Discovered and VN to Record Highest GDP Growth in Asia

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook. Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them...

in Vietnam

VietJet, Bamboo Airways Request Financial Aid After $520m Bailout for VNA Approved

The privately owned airlines are hoping to receive similar treatment as Vietnam's national carrier.

in Hanoi

Hanoi Begins Full-Scale Test Runs of Cat Linh-Ha Dong Metro Line This Weekend

At last, some progress.

in Roundups

Morning Stories: VN to Start Human Vaccine Trials, Clash at HCMC Mall and Mekong an Investment Magnet

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook. Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them...

in Asia

Japan Plans to Ban Sale of Gasoline Cars by Next Decade

By the mid-2030s, all new cars sold in Japan will need to be hybrid gasoline-electric or fully electric.

in Roundups

Weekend Stories: Mask Rules Tighten in HCMC, VN Primary Students Rank Top in SEA and New Rail Lines

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook. Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them...

in Roundups

Morning Stories: Vietnam Airlines Apology, Bhutan-Vietnam Bridge Link and K-pop Tops VN Spotify Charts

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook. Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them...

in Vietnam

Fireworks Are Allowed Again in Vietnam, Though They Must Be 'Non-Explosive'

Beginning on January 11, 2021, people will be permitted to use certain types of fireworks.

in Roundups

Morning Stories: Hanoi Targets 5 Metro Routes by 2030, Vietnammm to Halt Operations and Facemask Sales Soar

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook. Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them...

in Vietnam

VNA Staff Face Abuse; Vietnam Might Prosecute Case 1,342 for Flouting Quarantine Rules

A Vietnam Airlines flight attendant was a key link in the country’s recent cases of community-transmitted COVID-19.

in Saigon

[Images] Here's What Hồ Con Rùa Might Look Like as a Pedestrian Area

Extended sheltered walkways, public seats, flowerbeds, and more — here are some new features of the plan to revamp Turtle Lake into a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood.

in Roundups

Morning Stories: Vietnam Halts All Inbound Commercial Flights, Saigon Anti-Flooding Project at Risk and 1km Long Swimming Pool

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook. Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them...

in Saigon

Vietnam Confirms 1st Community Covid-19 Case After 88 Days in Saigon

After going 88 days without any detected community transmission of COVID-19, last night the Ministry of Health announced a new case in Saigon.

in Roundups

Morning Stories: VN's Cost of Living Falls, Tourists Swept Away by Flood and USD$1.7b in Natural Disaster Losses

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook. Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them...

in Hanoi

Hanoi Removes 340kg Unexploded Bomb in Ba Dinh, Evacuees Return Home

The 340-kilogram explosive device was discovered by workers digging a foundation at a construction site.

in Roundups

Weekend Stories: Vietnam Climbs FIFA Rankings, Inflation Cools and Large War-era Bomb Uncovered in Hanoi

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook. Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them...

in Saigon

How Much Would a Trip on Saigon's Future Metro Line 1 Cost?

With a train ticketing system that’s a decade old, riders on Saigon’s Metro Line 1 might face inconvenience even before even setting foot on the subway.

in Roundups

Morning Stories: Taiwan-VN Flights Resume, VN to Curb Misuse of Antibiotics and New UNESCO Geopark

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook. Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them...

in Saigon

Turtle Lake to Become Pedestrian Area, Nguyen Thuong Hien to Turn Into 'Snack Street,' D3 Says

Known among Saigoneers as havens for bánh tráng trộn, two areas in District 3 are being transformed into the district’s first pedestrian-only areas.

in Roundups

Morning Stories: Rise in Retirement Age, 5G Launch and Vingroup Scholarships

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook. Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them...