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Brian is the Co-Founder of Saigoneer and pasta enthusiast who likes to explore the hidden corners of Saigon's urban fabric.
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Vietnam
When foreign occupation is discussed in Vietnam, the bulk of the conversation focuses on the Chinese and the French, rightfully so. However, while short-lived, the Japanese occupation of the country not only stoked the fires of Vietnamese independence but also elevated Ho Chi Minh to the forefront of Vietnamese politics. It may have only lasted 5 years, but imperial occupation ultimately shaped Vietnam’s contemporary history.
Travel
Bobby Chinn may not be Vietnamese but he’s been identified as one of the “most promising candidates” to replace Ly Nha Ky as the country’s tourism ambassador.
Development
It’s nice to see someone other than Vo Trong Nghia Architects making progressive home designs in Vietnam. This Folding Wall House was built by Nha Dan architects in 2013 and was designed to allow natural light flow through the entire structure.
![[Video] 2 Foreigners Attempt to Cover “What Does the Pho Say”](https://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/73ZfYyRb.jpg)
Music & Arts
In an exceptional example of a cover of a parody, this dude, who goes by the name of Ăn Đu Đủ, enlisted a friend to help him cover “ What Does the Pho Say .”
Vietnam
Start your engines! Vietnam is set to get its first Lamborghini showroom this month.
Travel
Phu Quoc has undergone drastic changes over the last few years but compared to many of Vietnam’s tourist destinations, it’s remained relatively undeveloped. Singaporean newswire, AsiaOne , recently featured the island as one of the world’s “Lost Paradises."
![[Photos] Hanoi's Ancient Wells](https://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/mwC7S4tb.jpg)
Travel
Illegal wells may be one of the main reasons Saigon is sinking , but up North, their ancient cousins still provide life-sustaining, clean water to many communities.
![[Interactive Chart] How Vietnamese Consume Media](https://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/3JZ0zvSb.jpg)
Culture
We can assume a lot about Vietnamese media habits based on our daily observations. Cafés are packed smartphone and tablets users and when walking down a hem at night, nearly every family seems to be sitting around their TVs.
Asia
Kids are notoriously bad at determining the boundaries for their artwork, but this 4-year-old took things to the next level when he used his father’s passport as a canvas, leaving his father stranded in South Korea.
Saigon
One of Vietnam’s major universities, the HCMC University of Social Sciences, has announced that it will start to teach some majors in English, effective immediately.
Health
Earlier this week, the Ministry of Health reported that Vietnamese smokers spend over VND22 trillion ($1.04 billion) a year on tobacco products, reports Tuoi Tre .
![[Video] Things Vietnamese Moms Do](https://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/XoD77Ikb.jpg)
Culture
YouTuber, Richie Le , makes videos about the Vietnamese community in California. In one of his more recent videos, he takes on stereotypes of Vietnamese mothers . While it takes place in the US, the video shows that, for the most part, Vietnamese mothers act the same way no matter what country you live in (except, perhaps, for the raving bit).
![[Video] City Planners Release Epic Plans for Future Saigon](https://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/NjKSPAGb.jpg)
Development
And we thought the plan to reorganize downtown Saigon was ambitious. This new video from The Department of Planning and Architecture of HCMC shows what it envisions to be the future of Saigon.
Saigon
While not the oldest map of Saigon we’ve come across , this 1895 map, “Plan des environs de Saïgon” shows not only downtown, but the surrounding countryside. Even after 36 years of French occupation, the city barely extended past the banks of the Saigon River.
![[Video] Apple Taps Into Vietnam’s Beauty for New iPad Commercial](https://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/ACar91Kb.jpg)
Tech
Vietnam is a beautiful country that happens to be obsessed with Apple products . While we’re still waiting for the first legit Apple store to open, the tech giant has picked Vietnam as setting for its new iPad commercial.
Development
As The One Ho Chi Minh City moves along at a slow pace, behind it, the Eximbank Tower has begun its gradual climb towards the Saigon sky.
![[Photos] Cars Crushed by Trees in Yesterday’s Storm](https://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/KxjtOuLb.jpg)
Saigon
Yesterday’s downpour not only caused massive flooding in Saigon but also managed to destroy 4 cars in the heart of District 1.
Vietnam
Mobile phones may be linked to brain cancer and have been known to shock people from time-to-time, but there’s a far more dangerous threat to those who enjoy chit chatting in the middle of a thunderstorm – lightning.
![[Photos] Vietnamese Photographer Shoots Naomi Campbell for Harper’s Bazaar Cover](https://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/Y0bfxZVb.jpg)
Music & Arts
Global fashion icon, Naomi Campbell, is front and center on this month’s issue of Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam .
![[Photos] VietJet Brings Back In-Flight Bikini Shows](https://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/uOHhUUUb.jpg)
Travel
VietJet Air is the honey badger of airlines; it just doesn’t give a sh*t . After getting fined for in-flight bikini shows in 2012, the budget airline has brought back the performances to celebrate its new route from HCMC to Singapore, according to infonet .
![[Photos] Changes to Saigon’s Skyline (2003-2013): Part 1](https://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/0w3FN8Vb.jpg)
Development
Within just a decade, Saigon’s skyline has changed dramatically. This is illustrated through photos taken by Michael Waibel, editor of the TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City photo book, from the Caravelle Hotel back in 2003 and from Sheraton Hotel in 2004 which he revisited in 2012 and 2013.
Vietnam
Late yesterday afternoon, a Chinese fishing boat rammed and sank a Vietnamese ship in the waters around the controversial oilrig that has stoked tensions between the two countries over the past few weeks.
Sports
As tempted as I am to jump into the Saigon River on scorching afternoons, taking a dip in one of Saigon's many public pools is a much more logical (not to mention safer) option.
Tech
A market research study from Epinion, a Danish marketing agency, has found that 25 million of Vietnam’s 36 million internet users have Facebook accounts, reports VietNamNet .