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Every newly published Saigoneer article, ordered from newest to oldest across all sections and series.
13174 articles
Film & TV
At the age of 12, Le Lam Vien saw a movie at the cinema for the first time, and it swept him away to another world – one he’s been chasing ever since.
Development
A new expressway connecting Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau is being considered to relieve traffic pressure on existing roads.
Saigon
What did you spend money on in January?
Culture
The Vietnamese community in Poland started to form in the 1950s, and to this day, most of its residents are very active in Poland.
Roundups
Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook . Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from the capital, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them into short, accessible links so you can easily keep up with current affairs.
Vietnam
The harsh dry season is predicted to impact all three regions of the country.
Roundups
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.
![[Illustrations] Everyday Life in 1923 Northern Vietnam Through 10 Rare Sketches](https://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2020/02/10/tonkin/sketches0h.jpg)
Vietnam
It was a simpler time in Vietnam 100 years ago — just people going about their life without a single phone in sight.
Podcast
We're back from the Tet holiday!
Eat & Drink
“Granola Guy” wasn’t a name that Peter Gluckstein expected to answer to when he moved to Vietnam two years ago. After selling his marketing agency in the United Kingdom, Peter planned to rest and relax with his wife and two young children in Hoi An, a city they’d fallen in love with during previous vacations. But while he loves pho , after a month of eating it for breakfast he had an insatiable craving for granola, one of his favorite morning foods. Invented by John Harvey Kellog in the late 19th century to serve at a radical health-focused retreat, granola is a staple in many western countries, where it is typically eaten with milk or cereal for breakfast or munched on by the handful as a snack. When he went searching for the tasty blend of baked oats, fruits and nuts, however, Peter could only find a few expensive imported brands. He thus decided to make his own. He tried some online recipes, tweaking them to his liking and baking it in his kitchen’s small toaster oven. He was so pleased with how it turned out that he posted about it on a Facebook page for expats. The response was quick and overwhelmingly positive, and he began selling it to people hankering for their home country flavors, as well as a few curious locals. Reaching the Local Market Thuy Nhung Nguyen first tried Peter’s All Day Crunchy Granola when a guest at the golf club where she worked offered her a sample. She immediately fell in love with it and reached out to Peter inquiring if she could sell it on his behalf. Relying on her experience in the tourism industry and familiarity with Facebook sales, she quickly began selling more of it than Peter was. She later joined his team at Pete’s Luxury Wholefoods full-time and has proven to be a crucial partner. In addition to her adeptness at online promotion patterns in Vietnam and translating marketing materials, Nhung has helped introduce granola to Vietnamese customers who aren’t very familiar with it by offering samples at events and posting explanatory videos. Peter notes that Vietnamese people will initially try to eat each element individually, rather than consuming it all at once, so as to best savor the complex taste. As with many foreign foods, Vietnamese have in turn adapted it to some of their local preferences, and Peter was surprised to learn it works well paired with hot tofu and even sprinkled on watermelon with peanut butter. Moving Out of the Home Kitchen As demand for Pete’s All Day Crunchy Granola rose, they needed to scale up their operation. They established a deal with a local banh mi bakery to use their ovens in the afternoon, but quickly outgrew that and rented a residential home where they could install their own ovens. Two full-time bakers were hired to keep up with the orders; and to make everything official, the team filled out all the necessary business licensing and registration information and undertook health and safety tests. Peter’s first order of raw oats from Australia was a mere four-and-a-half kilograms, and now they order by the half-ton. Their orders for Vietnamese cashews, mangos and coconuts, as well as imported pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, cranberries and almonds, have all increased as well, which brings down consumer costs considerably. The recent arrival of new packaging will help them get their products into a range of grocery stores, in addition to steadily adding cafes and coffee shops in Saigon, Hoi An, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Quang Binh, Thanh Hoa and Hanoi, as well as direct ordering. More than Just Granola Trail mix is essentially granola without oats, while muesli is granola with oats that have not been baked. Considering the overlap of ingredients, it made sense for Peter to roll out versions of each. Trail mix is perfect when eaten on its own, while muesli is best consumed with milk or yogurt. They can even be mixed together to adjust the ratio one prefers of fruits and nuts to grains. Peter’s also experimented with new variations of the core All Day Crunchy Granola with a special Tet mix that incorporates watermelon seeds, pomelo, passion fruit, crystallized ginger and tangerine, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and allspice, and a similarly festive Christmas version. And most recently, he’s made use of his coconut supplies to produce Crispy Coconut Clusters which consist of coconut strips, sunflower, pumpkin and chia seeds and a little ginger and raw sugar cane. One of the aspects of his business that Peter is most proud of is the involvement of his family. For example, he wanted to make granola bars but hasn’t yet been able to source the necessary machines, so in the meantime, he bakes them in muffin trays. Upon seeing them, his eight-year-old daughter, Lottie, dubbed the snackable morsels Granola Jacks. His family also designed the company’s coracle boat logo. “It’s completely random, so bizarre,” Peter says as he struggles to comprehend the unexpected direction his life has taken. He attributes the success of Pete’s Luxury Wholefoods to the simple fact that his products taste really good. “If I actually get someone to try it and can explain it to them, they’ll buy it five times out of five,” he says. People appreciate that the products use natural ingredients and don’t include extra sugars or high-fructose corn syrup. The versatile and unique snacks, therefore, meet people’s desires for healthy, vegan options. In the future, Peter may have to move back and forth between Europe and Vietnam for the sake of his children’s school, but he has a good team in place and is certain that regardless of where he is in the world, the “granola guy” will have a presence across the country. Pete's Luxury Wholefood's website Pete's Luxury Wholefood's Facebook Phone: 079 572 7798 Pete's Luxury Wholefood's Email
Saigon
It is located in suburban Cu Chi District.
Roundups
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.
Roundups
Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook . Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from the capital, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them into short, accessible links so you can easily keep up with current affairs.
![[Photos] Japan Releases New Sketches of Upcoming Ghibli Theme Park](https://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2020/02/07/ghibli/gbtop1b.jpg)
Film & TV
A cafeteria containing Spirited Away 's ghostly food stalls , a full-size version of the house where Mei and Satsuki lived when they first met Totoro, and an interactive version of the Irontown that Princess Mononoke savaged with her forest spirits are all expected in the much-anticipated theme park.
Travel
Will the coronavirus put a dent in that?
Tech
Both services are products of Vietnamese creators.
Culture
The collective of drag artists and performers known as Genderfunk has been creating safe spaces for local queer creatives and blowing the minds of Saigon’s denizens for nearly two years, and they are now being celebrated in an exhibition of works from painter Mariano di Guglielmo.
Roundups
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.
Roundups
Stay connected with Saigoneer on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook . Each morning, we select some of the most important stories from the capital, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and digest them into short, accessible links so you can easily keep up with current affairs.
Vietnam
As the novel coronavirus outbreak continues to rage in China, Vietnam has taken extensive steps in recent days to stem its spread here.
Vietnam
For the first time in 11 years, the train crossing the border from Vietnam into China will stop running amid continuing coronavirus concerns.
Eat & Drink Partner
Saigon’s charismatic stretch of neon skyscrapers shimmers in each direction makes one feel as if they have been transported into a movie that’s reaching its dramatic climax. A large pool’s calm surface casts a soft blue glow across the rooftop and a light breeze whisks between potted ferns and a few intimate tables. The traffic far below exists as silent beads of light zipping down the roads in tune with the modern music lightly playing in the background. It’s a peaceful, romantic atmosphere that could never be replicated in an enclosed dining room or even on an isolated beach. In Saigon’s competitive dining industry, new and established restaurants are forced to evolve to stand out, and ambiance can make all the difference. When Executive Chef Stephane Leforestier joined Sofitel Saigon Plaza five months ago, he saw the opportunity to capitalize on the centrally located hotel rooftop’s stunning view of the city and offer a meal that is unavailable anywhere else. Straight from the Ocean to the Grill Chef Stephane has had a long relationship with cooking seafood in his coastal French hometown, as well as in Nha Trang and Quy Nhon. While Saigon has plenty of fresh seafood, very few places serve it barbequed. Therefore, for his new menu, he decided to marry casual beachside barbeque flavors to the more elegant rooftop setting with creative flourishes and presentations. Once he had designed and had a special dual gas and charcoal grill custom-built, it was time to open. When Saigoneer visited for dinner earlier this month, we were treated to the premium set dinner. It began with tender Hokkaido scallops whose richness was offset by the subtle acidic nature of fresh Da Lat tomatoes and an avocado siphon. Chef Stephane notes that a large number of the hotel’s dining guests are Vietnamese and, as opposed to French guests, prefer their foie gras warm. Thus, the second course consisted of carefully grilled duck liver resting atop tart apples. A perfectly plump half Nha Trang lobster splashed with a Spanish espelette pepper sauce that provided an extra hint of smoke followed. Many diners are growing tired of extravagant, experimental items, but are also not interested in returning to completely traditional French food, Chef Stephane has observed. To cater to these evolving tastes, he embraces a style that he explains is situated somewhere between bistro and gastronomy. The fourth course exemplifies this description. Tender veal imported from Holland was given a modern flourish with a silky crab polenta and urchin butter. The meal concluded with a refreshing grilled almond brioche accented by raspberries; a relative rarity in the city. Making Guests Feel Special Each item of the filling meal complemented one another, the different dishes following the other like movements in a symphony performance. But a key element of Sofitel’s luxury BBQ dinners is making guests feel special, and the chefs are happy to make a custom menu if given enough notice. Similarly, while the dinners are typically only held on Fridays from 6pm until 9 pm and require two days advanced booking, since the seafood is flown in fresh and never frozen, they will open on another day if a guest desires. And while it’s well suited to romantic evenings, the dining experience can also accommodate large groups of friends or co-workers at large tables. “It’s easy to replace the head, but finding new hands is a challenge,” Chef Stephanie says when explaining the importance of having well-trained staff and helping them improve their skills to keep them passionate about their work. When arriving at the restaurant, guests pass the array of meticulously selected seafood on display, and during their meals can see the team deftly attending to the grill. Similarly, the waiters politely explained each dish and were quick to notice when the last sip of wine left a glass. The frenzy of neon lights and cranes reaching into the distance one sees atop the Sofitel roof reminds one of what a fast-paced city Saigon is. In such a climate, after a long work week, it’s nice to take a moment to rest and pamper oneself a bit. Sofitel’s premier rooftop BBQ offers the ideal setting to savor the view, cherish time with friends or loved ones, and indulge in elegant food that is carefully grilled. Sofitel Saigon Plaza's website Sofitel Saigon Plaza's Facebook Phone: 28 38241555 Sofitel Saigon Plaza's Email
Travel
Vietnam's tourism industry saw unprecedented growth in international arrivals last month, though the timing of this success — right in the middle of a coronavirus outbreak — is unfortunate.
Saigon
The new Binh Loi railway bridge, built 12 meters away from the old one, has been open for public use since September last year.
