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

Inside the Backbreaking Work of Quảng Ninh's Coal Miners

“I am a person with two skin tones.”

in Vietnam

Hanoi to Establish Animal Control Squads to Catch Roaming Dogs, Cats

In a city-wide campaign to curb the spread of rabies, Hanoi authorities announced that the city will form squads dedicated to snaring stray dogs.

in Vietnam

5 Biggest Cities Told to Restrict Motorbikes From 2030

Will motorbikes in downtown Saigon be a thing of the past in eight years?

in Vietnam

Beauty Behemoth Sephora Enters Vietnamese Market With Digital Store

Sephora, the wide-reaching consumer goods retailer, has launched an e-commerce portal for Vietnamese customers, but has revealed no plans for physical stores in Vietnam.

in Stories

Letter From Ukraine: Kharkiv Is My Home, I Never Imagined That We Could Be Attacked

Editor's note: This article is a personal essay written by Viktoria Grivina, a Ukrainian and friend of a member of our team. While Saigoneer has always focused our editorial content on Vietnam, as Vie...

in Vietnam

President Joe Biden Announces New US-Based VinFast Factory on Twitter

Vietnam's domestic manufacturing industry has entered a new era. 

in Saigon

Highest Temperatures of the Year to Hit Saigon, Southern Provinces in April

Saigon's latest hottest club is literally the entire city.

in Saigon

New Proposal to Move Tôn Đức Thắng Underground to Make Room for Walking Plaza

It's ambitious, to say the least.

in Saigon

After Initial Success, Saigon's Public Bike Scheme to Expand to 4 More Districts, Hanoi

Pedal power!

in Saigon

Saigon to Launch Investigation Into Rampant Sexual Harassment on Buses

In response to many online accounts from young Saigoneers recounting their traumatic experiences on local buses, the city has announced that it would launch an investigation into the matter.

in Saigon

Construction Department Requests $2.2m to Repair, Renovate Hồ Con Rùa

The plan calls for water-proofing the lake, fixing cracked walkways and adding a sprinkler system, as well as ornamental flowers and artistic lighting.

in Hanoi

Hanoi Announces City's Fourth Pedestrian Zone in Sơn Tây Town

An 820-meter-long, multi-street pedestrian zone surrounding the Sơn Tây Old Fortress in suburban Hanoi is set to open in time for Reunification Day on April 30.

in Vietnam

Vietnam Reopens to International Tourists With No Quarantine Requirement

Bring on the elephant pants.

in Vietnam

New Survey Ranks Vietnam 1st of 39 in Gender Equality at Home, Work

If you say so.

in Saigon

Saigon's Bạch Đằng Park to Get Trees, Restrooms, Parking Space After Complaints

After a few months under renovation, District 1’s Bạch Đằng Wharf was unveiled as a brand-new park just before Tết last month.

in Vietnam

2 Flights to Bring Vietnamese Evacuees Back From Ukraine This Week

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has created an enormous refugee crisis, with many Vietnamese fleeing to neighboring countries. 

in Vietnam

Sun Group Launches Premium Airline With Private Jets for Rich People

Let's hope they still have some money to spend on future cable cars.

in Vietnam

Đà Lạt Tourism Site Blasted Online for Hot Pot-Style Color Scheme

It joins the ever-growing list of tourist attractions widely panned by the internet.

in Hanoi

Hanoi Zoo to Take Over Care of 8 Tigers Rescued in Nghệ An

After months in temporary custody at an ecotourism complex, eight rescued tigers in Nghệ An will resettle in the Hanoi Zoo.

in Saigon

After Thủ Đức, Củ Chi Might Become Saigon's Next 'City Within a City'

Two years ago, three districts in Saigon were merged to become Thủ Đức City, Saigon’s first municipal city. Experts and city officials are deliberating a decision to give Củ Chi District a similar upg...