Loading creator
5 stories
![[Photos] Under the Great Northern Sky: Life in Vietnam's Pastoral Provinces](https://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/c8nVahHb.jpg)
Travel
In my travels, I don't think I've ever found a nation like Vietnam, whose landscapes differ so vastly from north to south. I imagine the great hills and sharp peaks of the north as the scaly, rugged head of a dragon and its body winding down majestic panoramas of the country's coastline, ending in a collection of watery tails in the Mekong Delta.
Development
Known for its rustic mountain villages, incredible landscapes and ethnic diversity, Sapa is falling victim to the development epidemic that plagues several of Vietnam’s other major tourist attractions.
Music & Arts
Earlier this year, Quinn Ryan Mattingly made his way through Binh Phuoc Province. Eventually reaching Phuoc Long, he stumbled upon some interesting history, a downed US plane, slowly decomposing in the center of town. There wasn't much information available about the plane, but after a little digging around, it’s likely that it was a casualty of the Battle of Phuoc Long.
Culture
For me, as most of us non-nationals living here in Saigon, the word funeral only evokes ideas of dreadful sounds emanating from a tent set up halfway in the street and haltering the flow of traffic. They can be bad enough to drive by, god forbid having one posted outside your own window. Three days of disturbances can seem like an eternal punishment at times. There is, of course more to the story than just making noise, as it can tend to seem sometimes.
Travel
There are many things that set Saigon apart from other sprawling cities – the laid back lifestyle, the food, the people. But no matter how unique, the hustle and bustle of rush hour traffic and heat permeating from the concrete jungle are inescapable reminders that you are truly an urban dweller. Luckily, if one travels a few hours in any direction, they are likely to encounter one of Vietnam’s magical natural settings. One of these places is the Mekong Delta, only a stone’s throw from Saigon.
