Let’s Do Brunch

Brunch is no longer reserved for Sundays I booked the Craft Beer Brunch at Rbar at the Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon (8-15 Ton Duc Thang, D1) as a treat to ourselves at the end of a hard week, hoping beyond hope that it would live up to expectations. Having intermittently tried a few of the Sunday brunches on offer in Saigon, I had got used … Read more

Buon Appetito

Come for the wood-fired pizza, stay for the barbecue ribs and wings Italiani’s Han Thuyen (17 Han Thuyen, D1) is just a short walk from the tourist and selfie mecca of Notre Dame. The un-prepossessing exterior belies an achingly cool interior—the bare brick cladding, exposed lightbulbs and a smattering of faux-pop-art posters, coupled with a ‘lounge’ bedecked with slatted mirrors is reminiscent of a NYC … Read more

Food is Life

With a new head chef at the helm, Bistro Sông Vie’s new menu elevates fine dining to the next level Eating at Bistro Sông Vie (197/2 Nguyen Van Huong, D2), the all-day dining restaurant at the Villa Sông boutique hotel in Thao Dien feels like a sojourn in another world. Walking through the  hotel compound we past along a roofed … Read more

Sincerely, Your Daughter

The story of Denise Sandquist and the search for her birth mother in Vietnam On first meeting her, Denise Sandquist looks every part the Swedish Millennial. Tall, with platinum blonde hair, immaculate make-up and stylish nails, she greets me with a confident handshake and invites me into a meeting room. She is a business development … Read more

A Silver Lining

For farmers suffering the effects of a severe drought, the rain couldn’t come fast and heavy enough Unprecedented levels of heavy rainfall caused chaos across Vietnam the past few months—flooding homes, destroying businesses and washing away motorbikes—prompting a deluge of pictures and videos on social media. I rarely come across somebody who doesn’t have an … Read more