But What Even Is an Expat: Unpacking the Highly Contentious Term, in Vietnam and Abroad

Arts & Culture

But What Even Is an Expat: Unpacking the Highly Contentious Term, in Vietnam and Abroad

“Expat is a racist as hell term” — this is the take of Misan Harriman on the popular internet show SubwayTakes. The reasoning goes that the term expat, short for expatriate, is racist because it is applied to migrants unevenly. Along this line, Mawuna Remarque Koutonin writes in Silicon Africa: “Africans are immigrants. Arabs are immigrants. Asians are immigrants. However, Europeans are expats because they can’t be at the same level as other ethnicities. They are superior. Immigrants is a term set aside for ‘inferior races.’”

Travel

The Enigmatic Neon-Lit World in the Mist of Sapa

Is there a more atmospheric place in Vietnam than Sapa on a misty night?

Eat & Drink

Ngõ Nooks: On Hàng Bài, Golden Bún Cá Thái Bình in a Hole in the Wall

When a friend of mine returned home after living abroad last year, he longed for a bowl of bún cá . I suggested the classic Hanoi dish, with satisfyingly oily deep-fried fish, but he had other ideas — a fresh feast originally from Thai Binh, located almost 100 kilometers from the capital.

Branded Content

Topas Ecolodge: A Crowd-Free Golden Season in Sapa

The allure of a high-altitude escape is obvious: cloud-covered peaks, late sunlight dissolving into sunset, unmarked paths leading to beautiful views, and spontaneous encounters in sleepy mountain villages. During Sapa’s golden season, the rice terraces turn amber beneath the autumn light, creating one of Northern Vietnam’s most captivating landscapes. Yet the most iconic viewpoints are increasingly shared with thousands.

Arts & Culture

Review: Pieces of Me | Nao Yoshioka (feat. Mỹ Anh)

Mỹ Anh has come a long way since becoming the runner-up of The Heroes in 2021. Five years later, now with a full-length album and a spectrum of singles and extended plays under her belt, the Hanoi-based artist has proven to be one of the most dynamic singer-songwriter-producer of her generation.

Heritage

Exploring Chợ Quán Asylum, Saigon’s Oldest Prisoner-of-War Camp

In a secluded corner of Saigon’s Bệnh viện Nhiệt đới, or Hospital for Tropical Diseases, a prison continues its century-long existence hidden from public memory and discourse.

Society

Is the Yeti Vietnamese? This Ancient Ape Might Hold the Answer.

Can you name a Vietnamese animal that hasn’t been hunted to the precipice of extinction or become a commodified item whose flesh, fur, or feathers are only deemed significant in relation to their practical use by humans?