A small but growing community is stepping out of the shadows of Vietnam’s past into the twirling lights of a disco ball. Meet Skarlet Tran—their fearless leader. by Simon Stanley Photos by Vinh Dao Translations by Cam-Tu Tran Published by Roads & Kingdoms, May 2018 Long-listed for One World Media’s 2019 Print Award Inside…
Tag: hcmc
48 Hours in Saigon for Under 20 Bucks
Is it possible to spend a weekend in Vietnam’s largest city for 20 dollars? Yes. Yes, it absolutely is. Words & photos by Simon Stanley. First published by VnExpress International, May 2017 Despite a surge in tourism, a recent survey by Forbes suggests that Vietnam is still one of the world’s most affordable countries to…
You say tomato, I say to-may-toe: Bridging the third-language barrier in Vietnam
If you’re still struggling to be understood, perhaps the problem lies with you. I’ve never seen so much fuss caused over a slice of pie. Last week I was sitting in my usual spot in my usual café in Saigon’s District 1 when two Spanish-speaking tourists walked in. The girls, in their early 20s, spent…
Little Tokyo: A nocturnal crawl through Saigon’s Japanese ghetto (photo essay)
words and photos by Simon Stanley Having first arrived in the early 1990s, the Japanese community in Ho Chi Minh City today is one of the largest and longest-standing expat groups, giving way to an entire neighbourhood of sushi joints, whisky bars, closed-door massage parlours and sex-starved salarymen. For the full story, as published by…
“It is My Duty to Forget…”
Meeting Saigon’s last public writer Words and photos by Simon Stanley. Published by Rice Media, April 2017. As the 100-year-old French mansions and public buildings of Saigon meet their doom one by one, often at the hands of the developer’s wrecking ball, the 21st-century skyline of Ho Chi Minh City is rapidly emerging as…
Buckle Up or Shut Up
Vietnam’s road safety conundrum: Whose job is it to keep the country’s new drivers safe? “We don’t use those in Vietnam,” said the driver of a popular ride-hailing service with frustration as I searched for the rear seat belts in the depths of his shiny new car. When I found them still wrapped in plastic film,…
Mind Your Step in Saigon
Has one tourist’s misfortune opened the doors to improved safety on Saigon’s streets? by Simon Stanley. Eyebrows were raised this week after a foreign tourist was awarded $1,000 in compensation by a Saigon-based firm after she tripped over a metal U-shaped fixing — part of a nighttime light installation — embedded in a District 1…
Hops, Yeast and a Million Motorbikes
Simon Stanley discovers how Ho Chi Minh City became the rising star of Southeast Asia’s craft beer scene. As a country famous for its dirt cheap bottles of lager commonly drunk over ice as a remedy to the heat and humidity, you wouldn’t expect to find a world-class chocolate stout being brewed in Vietnam, not…
Secret Saigon
A Guide to Ho Chi Minh City’s Hidden Treasures. Words and photos by Simon Stanley. Published by Sapore di Cina, January 2017. For tourists visiting Saigon for the first time, many of whom come clutching one of just a handful of printed tour guides currently on sale, even those picking their own way around the…
Saigon’s Best Breakfasts
A three-part series looking at some of the best early-morning eats in Ho Chi Minh City. Words and photos by Simon Stanley. Whether it’s our favourite brand of cereal eaten over the day’s news headlines, a buttery slice of toast hurriedly munched on the way to the station, or a full-blown multi-course feast, breakfast is…
A Very Vietnamese Christmas
Simon Stanley unwraps the tropical festive spirit, of a very Vietnamese Christmas. Photos by Vinh Dao. Despite being home to a relatively small Catholic community, with the majority of the remainder of the population being either Buddhist or atheist, Vietnam is once again poised to embrace the spirit of Christmas in a big way. With a thirst for…
Tracing the Beat – A History of Vietnamese Hip Hop
“We’re in the wrong place,” I mutter to myself as I wait nervously for Wowy Nguyen to arrive. Surrounded by fresh flowers, potpourri and black and white portraits of Princess Diana and Angelina Jolie, with an acoustic cover of a Taylor Swift song playing in the background, the overtly quaint She Cafe in downtown Saigon…
Simon Stanley, Writer 