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Kevin Lee

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Stories by Kevin Lee

456 stories

In Plain Sight

An Ode to Saigon’s Chò Nâu Trees

It’s too cold for chò nâu to grow where I’m from, but we still gave it an English name: dipterocarp.

Paul ChristiansenMay 8, 2026

Loạt Soạt

Meet Dạ Ngân, the Author of the Most Important Vietnamese Novel You've Never Read

When the wind strafes Dạ Ngân’s window, seedpods shake and rattle like spent bullet casings in the tamarind tree that Americans planted decades ago. They also built the large apartment complex where she now lives. It’s an ironic place to call home, considering Dạ Ngân was a resistance fighter in the south during the American War.

Paul ChristiansenNov 24, 2025

Saigon

Saigon's Next Top 5 Congested Streets Are Announced. Here Are the Winners.

Local streets are buckling under the pressure of Saigon's ever-increasing population density, here are the city's most frequently jammed roads, according to the municipal Department of Transportation.

SaigoneerOct 31, 2024

Food Culture

Into the Beguiling Backyard Rice Wine Distilleries of Long An

The highway eases into sand and gravel the way history descends into myth and legend when traveling towards Long An. A mere 27 kilometers outside of Saigon, the province feels a world away: the difference between a cocktail made with 18-year-old scotch, jackfruit-infused rum, seven types of bitters and brandy-soaked organic cherries and a plastic water bottle of homemade rượu nếp . The latter was the reason we were going there: for information, interviews and anecdotes to complete Saigoneer ’s two-part investigation of the history of rice wine .

Paul ChristiansenJul 19, 2024

Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: While the Day Away Under the Green Canopy of Cỏ Cafe

Under a thick canopy of verdant vines and minuscule pink flowers, it’s easy to indulge in the cooling comfort of a glass of iced tamarind juice and while the day away.

Khôi PhạmMar 19, 2024

Vietnam

Vietnam Consumer Protection Watchdog Asks Grab to Explain New 'Hot Weather' Fee

A “hot weather” fee is Grab’s latest surcharge on a shopping list of other additional fees the ride-hailing giant tacks on to each ride.

SaigoneerJul 15, 2022

Saigon

Bars, Cinemas, Ride-Hailing Return to Saigon in Low-Risk Districts

Many previously suspended activities are allowed again in Saigon depending on their district’s COVID-19 risk assessment.

SaigoneerNov 17, 2021

Vietnam

Vietnam Pushes for Mutual Recognition of 'Vaccine Passports' With Some Nations

Vaccine passports may soon become part of a “new normal” as more Vietnamese are getting their two shots.

SaigoneerSep 28, 2021

Environment

Air Pollution is Robbing Hanoians of Roughly 80,000 Years of Life

Due to PM2.5 exposure, Hanoi has suffered 2,855 premature deaths, accumulating to 79,933 years of life lost.

SaigoneerAug 18, 2021

Development

Hanoi to Spend VND500bn in New Plan to Renovate Old Apartment Buildings

Between 2021 and 2025, Hanoi plans to spend VND500 billion (US$28.1 million) on inspecting and assessing the quality of old apartment buildings in the city.

SaigoneerJul 30, 2021

Roundups

Morning Stories: Automated Covid Tests, Grandmaster Chess Tournament and Illegal Border Crossings

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook . Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them into short, accessible links so you can easily keep up with current affairs.

SaigoneerFeb 18, 2021

Roundups

Weekend Stories: New Covid Variant Detected, Hanoi Schools Close and Exports up 50%

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook . Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them into short, accessible links so you can easily keep up with current affairs.

SaigoneerFeb 1, 2021

Roundups

Morning Stories: Gov. to Pay Women to Have 2 Kids, Stock Market Plunges and New IP Laws

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook . Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them into short, accessible links so you can easily keep up with current affairs.

SaigoneerJan 29, 2021

Roundups

Morning Stories: Undersea Internet Cables Broken, Cancer Fatality Rates and $32m National Innovation Center

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook . Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them into short, accessible links so you can easily keep up with current affairs.

SaigoneerJan 12, 2021

Roundups

Morning Stories: Tourist Submarines Get Green Light, Storm Goni Changes Course and HCMC Remittances Could Reach US$5.5b

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook . Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them into short, accessible links so you can easily keep up with current affairs.

SaigoneerNov 5, 2020

Roundups

Morning Stories: Vinasun Layoffs, Hanoi-Taiwan Flights Reopen and New R&D Hub

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook . Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them into short, accessible links so you can easily keep up with current affairs.

SaigoneerOct 23, 2020

Hanoi

Hanoi Aims to Reach $12,000 in Average Income in Next Decade

Hanoi is aiming to double the city’s per capita income in the next 10 years by leaning on the encouraging economic growth rates of recent years.

SaigoneerOct 15, 2020

Roundups

Weekend Stories Roundup: Can Gio-Vung Tau Ferry, Domestic Airlines' Recovery and Nuclear Disarmament

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook . Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them into short, accessible links so you can easily keep up with current affairs.

SaigoneerOct 5, 2020

Roundups

Weekend Stories Roundup: Hue Reopens, Lazada Lawsuit, Improved Bus Services

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook . Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them into short, accessible links so you can easily keep up with current affairs.

SaigoneerSep 14, 2020

Roundups

Morning Stories Roundup: Vegan Pâté Probe, Medical Robots, and Tan Son Nhat Upgrades

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook . Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them into short, accessible links so you can easily keep up with current affairs.

SaigoneerSep 3, 2020

Roundups

Morning Stories Roundup: Lam Son Park, Noi Bai Upgrade, and Road Accidents

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook . Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them into short, accessible links so you can easily keep up with current affairs.

SaigoneerAug 27, 2020

Roundups

Weekend Stories Roundup: Vung Tau Fish Death, Saigon Metro, and Hanoi Hospitals

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook . Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them into short, accessible links so you can easily keep up with current affairs.

SaigoneerAug 24, 2020

Roundups

Morning Stories Roundup: Expressway Expansion, Fruit Trees, and Flight Routes

Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook . Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from Saigon, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them into short, accessible links so you can easily keep up with current affairs.

SaigoneerAug 19, 2020

Vietnam

Hanoi to Enforce Social Distance at Cafes, Restaurants From August 19

Beginning Wednesday, August 19 at 12am, all patrons at cafes and restaurants in Hanoi must be one meter apart from one another and staff must wear masks.

SaigoneerAug 18, 2020