#saigon xua

Vietnam

Rare Film Photos by Andrew Holbrooke Showcase an Industrious Vietnam in 1991

Money cannot buy happiness, but it makes happiness easier to attain.

Saigon

How Nhà Thờ Tân Định, Saigon's Iconic Pink Church, Came to Be

You just have to mention the “pink church” and everyone knows which one you mean. But few are aware that the building in question — Tân Định Church — is one of Saigon’s oldest and most important Roman Catholic institutions.

Film & TV

Review: Quán Kỳ Nam Is an Instant Classic of Contemporary Vietnamese Cinema

Quán Kỳ Nam is a cozy, languorous film that might elude some viewers who don’t have the patience to sit around sipping on tea while waiting for hoa quỳnh to blossom. Still, just like waiting for those petals to unfurl, if you manage to sit still until the end, the result is a tender beauty whose scent will linger on even after the flower is gone.

Saigon

1997 Vietnam Through the Lens of Saigon's Former Canadian Consul General

Digging into one’s collection of old mementos can be a thrilling experience. From antique watches to tattered letters, these trinkets serve as a remembrance of a period of time in our past. For Kyle Nunas, Saigon’s former Consul General of Canada (2017–2020), his connection with the bustling metropolis began with this collection of old photos captured during a trip to Vietnam over 20 years ago.

Saigon

Street Cred: Phan Đình Phùng, My Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather

An unassuming street named Phan Đình Phùng runs through Saigon’s Phú Nhuận District. It is named after a Vietnamese revolutionary who led rebel armies against French colonial forces in the 1880s and 1890s. He is also my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather.

Saigon

Old Saigon Building of the Week: The Glitz and Glam of Tự Do Nightclub

While today’s Đồng Khởi Street is peppered with tourist-centric shops and restaurants, just half a century ago, the downtown street was the nightlife hotspot for Saigon’s cool kids to congregate.

Vietnam

Street Cred: Dauntless Antiwar Icon Nguyễn Thái Bình and His Tragic Death

If one were to see the streets of Vietnam as a tangled network of people whose names they took, every city would resemble a messy collection of historical fragments.