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Saigon Hẻm Gems
5 Cozy Saigon Coffee Shops With Outstanding Cat Residents to Befriend
I almost never remember the faces of the employees at cafes that I’ve been to, but I am strangely attuned to the existence of their cats. I remember the textures of their fur when I gave them pets, the little squeaks when they jumped up and down the furniture, and the subtle ways they expressed their personality during our fleeting but memorable encounters.
Saigon Hẻm Gems
5 Cozy Saigon Coffee Shops With Outstanding Cat Residents to Befriend
I almost never remember the faces of the employees at cafes that I’ve been to, but I am strangely attuned to the existence of their cats. I remember the textures of their fur when I gave them pets, the little squeaks when they jumped up and down the furniture, and the subtle ways they expressed their personality during our fleeting but memorable encounters.
Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Woko Brings the Comfort of American Chinese Food to Saigon
When a dish travels far from its homeland to take root somewhere else, one common yardstick for judging it is “authenticity.” Is the seasoning true to form? How closely do the ingredients match the original? Has the cook stuck to tradition, or wandered too far into improvisation? But what if an entire cuisine was born and shaped in defiance of that very idea?
Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: In the Mood for Lẩu? A Ngưu Offers Hong Kong Vibes and Tasty Bites.
I visit Tiệm Lẩu A Ngưu on a rare wintry Saturday evening in Saigon, the perfect occasion to fill one’s stomach with warm broth, noodles, and a host of other tasty accouterments.
Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Kura Bar, a Veritable Treasure Trove of Rare Japanese Sakes Amid Saigon
Saigoneers are spoilt for choice when it comes to Japanese eateries in the city. Dozens, if not hundreds, of sushi, ramen and izakaya spots dot its districts. And if you're in the mood for something special, more obscure delicacies like tsukemen, Tokyo abura soba and Okinawa taco rice are readily available. Over the years, the epicenter of such eateries, especially those run by Japanese owners, has been slowly shifting from the upper stretches of Lê Thánh Tôn to Bình Thạnh District’s Phạm Viết Chánh neighborhood.
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.
Parks & Rec
I Know Where the Caged Bird Sings: The Joy of Saigon's Birdsong Competition
One by one, motorbikes arrived, carrying the tell-tale cages covered with cloth and parked in the gravel lot beside the coffee shop where Saigoneer sat listening to the caged birds suspended above a patch of scrabbly grass.
Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Sip on Mugwort Lattes, Make Ceramics, and Unwind at Haru Cottage
“I’m basically Demi Moore from Ghost ,” this intrusive thought plagued my mind occasionally during our visit to Haru Cottage to participate in the cafe’s ceramic class.
Browse geographically
21 places across 21 stories
Saigon Hẻm Gems
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.
Saigon Hẻm Gems
Recently, I’ve had the Mekong Delta on the mind. This month I made two trips down to research various elements of the watery region, and also spent time reading author Khải Đơn’s tremendous delta-focused book of poetry Drowning Dragon Slips by Burning Plain ; read my review of the book here . And while I haven’t actually seen the movie adaptation Đất Rừng Phương Nam , it’s been impossible to avoid the promos that feature a stereotypical wooden boat easing along a narrow delta channel, while white herons rise and farmers trudge into the field wearing colorful clothing with black khăn rằn.
Saigon Hẻm Gems
Not being a picky eater was somewhat of a personal point of pride for me growing up. I have my family to thank for this, as their immense patience and open-mindedness have encouraged me to explore as many eclectic delicacies and novel ingredients as possible during my formative years. So whenever a wild new dish comes along that challenges my palate so much I struggle to finish even one portion, I can’t help but consider it a personal blunder. Much apologies to bún cua Gia Lai, I have failed you.
In Plain Sight
If it weren’t for shrimps, developing taste buds would have been an outrageous waste of evolutionary time and resources. Truly, without the potential for boiled, grilled, fried, baked or even raw shrimp, I find little point to getting out of bed with my tongue still in my mouth.
Saigon Hẻm Gems
My slight obsession with Japanese-style flan started in Tokyo, but it’s taken on a new life here in Saigon.
Saigon Hẻm Gems
Bình Thạnh’s Ward 19 is snuggled between Xô Viết Nghệ Tĩnh and Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh, creating a surprisingly quiet area just across from District 1. As a neighborhood, it offers an eclectic mix of local and foreign.
Saigon Hẻm Gems
While Thailand and Vietnam have long been perpetual rivals in the football arena, at this streetside Hẻm Gem, the two cultures forge a harmonious relationship.
Saigon Hẻm Gems
How would you feel if everything about your favorite spot suddenly changed one day? Would the same attachment still stand? Those were the questions that popped into my head the afternoon I paid my visit to cafe Nhà Phạm’s new home.
Saigon Hẻm Gems
In the Huế dialect, mô rứa is a phrase one might encounter often in daily conversation. When a Huế resident asks “Mi đi mô rứa?” they might be wondering where you’re heading.
![[Photos] Saigon Home Re-Imagines the Traditional Tubehouse](https://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/2022/02/07/treehousetop_SGNR1x.webp)
Architecture
The mixed-use shophouse/home structure has long been a staple of Vietnam’s urban fabric — allowing residents to generate revenue from lower-floor businesses while making a home on the upper levels.
Saigon Hẻm Gems
On the slope connecting Binh Thanh and Phu Nhuan districts lives a small pocket of Quang Nam culinary spirits — in the form of “two-in-one” noodles.
