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.”

in Saigon

The Calming Quietude of an Early Morning Stroll Through D1

As a city that is perpetually either sweltering hot or halfway under water, Saigon weather rarely includes cool breezes or overcast mornings. And yet, over the past few weeks, the city has experienced a handful of chilly mornings and soft sunlight, a welcome change from the usual heat and humidity that often appears at sunrise and lasts throughout the day.

Back Stories

in Roundups

Weekend Stories: Hanoi's 'Train Street' Quietly Reopens, Remittances Drop and Vietnam Design Contest

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 Wins Travel Awards, State Assets Sale and Thu Duc Seeks First Class Status

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

Ho Chi Minh City Hall Receives Recognition as National Architectural Monument

The Ho Chi Minh City Hall has been one of the metropolis’ most recognizable landmarks since the period of French rule.

in Roundups

Morning Stories: Tourist Submarines Get Green Light, Storm Goni Changes Course and HCMC Remittances Could Reach US$5.5b

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

October Natural Disasters Leave 235 Dead or Missing, Cost Vietnam $730m: Report

As October comes to an end, Vietnam’s central region is reckoning with major devastation and fatalities.

in Roundups

Morning Links: 433 VinMart Stores Close, VN Covid Vaccine Advances and Super Typhoon Goni to be Downgraded

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

Saigon School Forced to Close After Whirlwind Tears Roof off Classrooms

A storm on Saturday tore the roof off Binh Phu High School in District 6 of Saigon, disrupting the class schedules of nearly 2,000 students and requiring extensive repairs. 

in Roundups

Morning Stories: Hanoi Metro No.5 Project Assessment, New LG R&D Center and International Flight Protocols

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

Weekend Stories: New Airline, Japan Opens to Vietnamese, VN Vaccine Progress

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

New Storm Goni Heads for Vietnam After Battering Philippines

More trouble is on the way for storm-weary central Vietnam.

in Vietnam

In Storm Molave's Wake, Rescue Efforts Continue for Landslide, Boat Sinking Victims

Damage from the powerful typhoon is still being assessed, while rescue efforts continue.

in Roundups

Morning Stories: Pompeo Makes Surprise Visit, New Terminal for TSN and Negative Covid Tests

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

During Typhoon Molave, 3 Landslides Bury 64 People in Villages Across Quang Nam

Throughout October’s calamitous weather conditions, it’s been proven that landslides are the greatest threat to communities in storm-battered regions.

in Roundups

Morning Stories: Overseas Remittances, Mekong Land Erosion Worsens and Floods Unearth UXO

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

Vietnam to Increase Fines for Not Wearing Masks 10-Fold in November

The penalty for not wearing facemasks in public places will soon increase by a factor of 10.

in Roundups

Morning Stories: Chinese Men Run Away From Quarantine, Fish Sauce Association Set Up and Renewable Energy Incentives

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

Ahead of the Year's Most Powerful Storm, Central Vietnam Evacuates, Sets Curfew

Provinces along the southern coast of central Vietnam are in a rush to make final preparations today ahead of a major typhoon that will make landfall tomorrow.

in Roundups

Morning Stories: Storm Evacuations, Saigon River Tunnel Fire Drill and SMS Campaign for Flood Victims

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

As Storm No. 8 Dissipates, Vietnam Braces for a Potentially Destructive No. 9

Central Vietnam ơi, beware.

in Roundups

Weekend Stories: New Storm Approaches, Hanoi's Trash Problem and Solar Power Plant Inaugurated

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...