Lifestyle
Rent a Partner for Lunar New Year? Vietnam's Latest Holiday Hustle
Vietnam now offers rent-a-partner services for Tet, charging up to VND 6 million for a family visit.
Culture
Culture
Inside Saigon's State Bank: A Rare Exhibition on 160 Years of Vietnamese Currency
[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
From 'Living to Give' to 'A Vietnamese Steve Jobs': A Decade of Vietnam's Exam Essay Questions
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
Why Do Vietnamese People Put Their Gods on the Floor?
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
Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City? Both Are Correct, but They're Not Quite the Same
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
Dragon Five's Vietnamese Origins: A Movie Character Rooted in Real 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
Vietnamese Don't Celebrate the Winter Solstice — Except in Chợ Lớn
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.
Vietnam
What Is Đi Bão? The Vietnamese Street Celebration That Stuns Foreigners
When Vietnam wins a major football match, entire cities erupt into spontaneous street celebrations within minutes. No one organizes it. No one sends invitations. This is đi bão — a tradition that leaves foreigners speechless.
Food
Vietnam's First Pho Museum Opens: A Bowl With a Hundred Years of History
Japan has its ramen museum. Vietnam finally has one for pho.
Vietnam
That Song VietJet Plays When You Land — "Hello Vietnam"
Every VietJet flight landing in Vietnam plays the same song. It started as an unreleased French demo and became an anthem for six million overseas Vietnamese.
Vietnam
VietCharm: A 90-Minute Dining Show Inside Saigon's Independence Palace
Ho Chi Minh City's Independence Palace has a new act — VietCharm, a 90-minute dining show pairing 9 traditional performances with 8 Vietnamese fusion courses. Its first three days sold out completely.
Vietnam
Vovinam: The Vietnamese Martial Art Practiced in 70 Countries
Born in 1938 in colonial Hanoi, Vovinam has grown from an underground resistance art to a global sport practiced in over 70 countries — complete with a signature flying scissor kick, an inverted belt ranking, and a UN partnership.