Thirteen Days in Saigon
Settle in — this is a long read. Pioneer photojournalist Germaine Krull spent thirteen extraordinary days in Saigon in September 1945. This reconstruction follows her through a city on the brink.
TWO CITIES: HANOI – SAIGON
Stories from Vietnam by Connla Stokes, a resident since November, 1999.
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On Seeing the 100% Perfect Street One Beautiful April Morning
Inspired by Vũ Bằng's Thương nhớ Mười Hai (Longing for the Twelve Months), this memoir explores nostalgia, migration, and the corners of Hanoi that are easy to love and impossible to forget.
Pulling rank with pronouns
The director's cut of an old 'Letter from Vietnam' – a very short version of this essay appeared in the Guardian Weekly in 2014.
Notes from the Field: Bia Hơi Spotting in Hanoi
What follows is a tribute to any veteran bia hơi spotter who spent years winding their way through the streets of Vietnam’s capital in search of a very fine bia hơi joint for a glass (or three).
One Year Later: Falling for Saigon
My book came out one year ago today. Below is a short reflection on writing about a rapidly developing city. What has changed in the last 12 months? And what remains the same?
What’s another year?
The now largely overlooked story of the American civilians that stayed behind in Saigon after April 30, 1975, some due to haplessness, others for heroics, or because they did not want to leave.
Hooked on bún chả: an age old Hanoi tale of appetite and longing
A selective history of the capital's leading culinary addiction—written in memory of Nguyễn Qui Đức and as a tribute to all who have been gripped by a deep craving for Hanoi's most intoxicating bowl.
The purist’s guide to phở in Hanoi
A tribute not only to phở in the capital of Vietnam, but also to three extraordinary writers who wrote about it with wit, nostalgia, and devotion: Thạch Lam, Vũ Bằng, and Nguyễn Tuân.
The Last French Tables: A Culinary Endgame in Old Saigon
The slow eclipse of French cuisine in wartime Saigon, told in snapshots through the eyes of foreign visitors from 1952 to 1975.
One day at the Saigon zoo
Originally published by the Shanghai Literary Review, this updated essay takes readers on a walk through history at the Saigon Zoo & Botanical Gardens – a precious piece of land in more ways than one.