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 Stories

What the Phở Happened Last Weekend? 10 Stories You May Have Missed

Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen Giap dies [Tuoi Tre] Efficiency Needs to Play a Bigger Role in Vietnam’s Fast-Growing Cities [GreenTechMedia] MetLife Expands Asian Growth Ambitions To Vietnam...

Brian Letwin

in Roundups

Morning Links: Vietnam’s Coffee Industry Rumored to be Collapsing

Vietnam’s New Crop Coffee Premium Seen 58% Below 2012-13 Beans [Bloomberg] Vietnam considers selling a bank to foreigners [Vietnam Net] Vietnam state firm chief cops golfing ban for whacki...

Brian Letwin

in Roundups

Morning Links: Vietnam Builds First Power Plant Fueled by Rice Husks

Vietnam builds first power plant fueled by rice husks [Vietnam Net] Vietnam reports 124 mln USD trade deficit in 9 months [Global Times] Big test for ageing economic system [Vietnam N...

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Japanese National Killed at Ben Thanh Bus Station

In what seems to be a worrying trend, another foreigner has died in Saigon, this time a Japanese lecturer on her way home from school. The 50-year-old victim was a teacher of Oriental Studies at ...

Brian Letwin

in Roundups

Morning Links: Vietnam Cop Arrested for Shooting Boss Dead

Tropical storm Wutip brings rain and winds to Vietnamese coast, leaves 75 fishermen missing [Washington Post]  Vietnam ranks 7th worldwide for economic growth potential [Thanh Nien] V...

Brian Letwin

in Vietnam

Central Vietnam Braces for Superstorm Wutip

Superstorm Wutip, currently around 200km off Vietnam’s central coast, is expected to make landfall at 4pm this afternoon. With maximum winds of 149kph, local authorities in Ha Tinh are in the process...

Brian Letwin

in Vietnam

What the Phở Happened Last Weekend? 10 Stories You May Have Missed

- Hanoi hosts first street performance festival [Nhan Dan] - 40 years on: When Fidel Castro came to town [VNS] - “White gold” plants encroach on forest’s territory [Vie...

Brian Letwin

in Roundups

Morning Links: Vietnam has More Than 300,000 Obese Children

- Nok Air has Vietnam in sights [Bangkok Post]  - Vietnam man arrested for car accident that drowned 5, including 2 kids [Thanh Nien] - HIV/AIDS transmission rate in Vi...

Brian Letwin

in Roundups

Morning Links: Gender Inequality in Vietnam at Alarming Rate: Official

- Economic growth at 5.14 percent in first nine months [SGGP]  - Vietnam's VietJet seen close to major Airbus order [Reuters] - Vietnam city to apply new English language te...

Brian Letwin

in Roundups

Morning Links: Traffic Cop Allegedly Shoots Colleagues in Vietnam

- Vietnam’s bad debt attractive to some investors, but regulations still unclear [Washington Post] - Typhoon Usagi kills 24 in Vietnam [IOL News] - Little good news as Vietn...

Brian Letwin

in Vietnam

Vietnamese Exec Beats Caddy Unconscious. Keeps Golf Club Membership.

Even with its slow pace, golf can bring out your competitive side. A missed putt or journey to a sand trap can boil the blood of even the most patient player. But that’s no excuse to beat your caddy w...

Brian Letwin

in Vietnam

Authorities to Crack Down on Illegitimate Diplomatic Cars

You know all those fancy diplomatic cars speeding around District 1? Well, as it turns out, chances are the occupants are not diplomatic officials, but rather locals who bought the car and never trans...

Brian Letwin

in Vietnam

VNA Flight Attendant Arrested for Smuggling 50 iPhone 5s

Vietnamese airline employees have been known to cause a stir from time to time. Earlier this year, actress Ly Nha Ky got a VietJet flight crew into hot water when she was invited into the cockpit...

Brian Letwin

in Roundups

Morning Links: Cops Accused of Torturing Suspects in Dog Thieves Murder Case

- 7 arrested for robbing Ukrainian in central Vietnam [Thanh Nien] - Vietnamese favor super-expensive mobile phones [Vietnam Net] - Vietnam intends to grant husbands paterni...

Brian Letwin

in Vietnam

Hue's Refurbished Airport Reopens

As Saigon waits for its new, massive airport, some of Vietnam’s smaller cities are focusing on renovations rather than starting from scratch. Hue’s Phu Bai airport, which was reopened yesterday a...

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Foreigner Dies After Jumping Off Roof of Ford Dealership

Last week an unidentified foreigner snuck into the Ford showroom on Cao Thang Street in District 1 and jumped to his death in what authorities are calling a suicide.

Brian Letwin

in Vietnam

What the Phở Happened Last Weekend? 10 Stories You May Have Missed

- Vietnam students give history a modern twist [Thanh Nien] - The most famous family run economic groups in Vietnam [VietnamNet] - Foreigner commits suicide by jumping off a...

Brian Letwin

in Roundups

Morning Links: Vietnam Achieves 2013 Foreign Investment Goal

- 5 missing after car swept away in Vietnam flash flood [Tuoi Tre] - Vietnam achieves 2013 foreign investment goal [Thanh Nien] - Vietnam’s 1st ao dai museum to open in HCMC...

Brian Letwin

in Roundups

Morning Links: Vinashin to Lay Off 14,000 Workers

- Mass evacuations ordered as storm nears [VoV] - Prehistoric traces found in Thai Nguyen [VNS] - Big names set to draw crowds at motor show [VNS] - 11 Vietnamese...

Brian Letwin

in Asia

Map: More Than Half of the World's Population Lives Within This Circle

It’s well-known that Asia is the world’s population center (thanks, China and India!) with 51% of the global population. But this fact is slightly mind-blowing when illustrated visually. Reddit user, ...