Vietnam
November 24 is now a paid public holiday in Vietnam, taking the annual total to 12 days. The legal basis is a National Assembly resolution, not the Labour Code — which still lists 11.
Vietnam
Saigon's busiest tourist quarter is named after a man few visitors could identify: a basket weaver who became the general the Mongols could not beat. The street itself began as a nameless lane beside a colonial railway station.
Vietnam
He wrote about ordinary people in wartime and refused to take sides — so both sides banned his music. Twenty-five years after his death, tribute concerts run from Ho Chi Minh City's Book Street to Singapore, and his most famous singing partner, 81-year-old Khánh Ly, came home to visit his grave.
Vietnam
It sits on the most expensive land in Ho Chi Minh City, its cafes are technically illegal, and eviction notices went out back in 2016. Nearly a decade later, the shops are still open. What protects the building may simply be the tourists climbing its stairs every day.
Vietnam
Most visitors to Ho Chi Minh City know its book street. Fewer know Hanoi has one too — built on a former mass grave, once home to the 'Hell Market.' One turned ten as a city icon selling fewer and fewer books; the other nearly died before a revival. What should a book street sell next?
Lifestyle
Vietnam now offers rent-a-partner services for Tet, charging up to VND 6 million for a family visit.
Culture
[Inside Saigon's State Bank: A Rare Exhibition on 160 Years of Vietnamese Currency] The Ho Chi Minh City branch of the State Bank of Vietnam — a building normally closed to the public — is hosting a rare exhibition on the history of Vietnamese currency. If you're interested
Vietnam
Vietnam's 2026 graduation exam asked students how the country can produce its own Steve Jobs, and the whole country started arguing. Line up the twelve essay questions asked since 2015 and you can see exactly where this one came from.
Vietnam
Vietnamese shops and homes keep their Earth God and God of Wealth altars on the ground floor, facing the door. The reason is both spiritual and practical.
Culture
The airport code is SGN, the official name is Ho Chi Minh City, and locals just say Sài Gòn. In 2025, this "unofficial" name finally became an administrative place name again.
Vietnam History
The real history behind Dragon Five's Vietnamese identity — from Chợ Lớn's Chinese community to the boat people crisis that shaped Hong Kong in the 1980s.
Vietnam
Most Vietnamese do not observe the winter solstice. But step into Chợ Lớn, one of the world's largest Chinatowns, and the festive atmosphere is unmistakable — driven by tang yuan, reunion dinners, and centuries of tradition.