Starting Point

Mandala Wellness takes an integrative approach to the promotion of wellbeing and the restoration of balance I have never tried acupuncture before. It’s not that I have an aversion to needles, but electively having somebody poke me with them never really seemed like a must-do, particularly in the name of reducing stress. Yet, here I … Read more

Restaurant Review: Rio Churrascaria

A Brazilian steakhouse that gives you all the delicious meats you can handle We all know Saigon is a food town, but a good piece of meat can be tough to find. And sometimes, one piece of meat just isn’t going to satisfy. So if you have a hankering for a place serving up quality … Read more

Smoke Signal

From moxibustion to pinch and pull therapeutic massages, traditional Chinese medicine practitioner Antoine Tran can help balance your energy Wherever you are in Saigon, chances are a massage of some sort can be found nearby. There’s an endless variety of offerings, from high-end spa packages promising an experience of the utmost serenity to the shady, … Read more

Restaurant Review: Ngoc Chau Garden

Share in traditional Vietnamese cuisine at Ngoc Chau Garden Serving up fresh and traditional Vietnamese fare since September 2015, Ngoc Chau Garden (116 Ho Tung Mau, D1) is a centrally located gem in District 1, just a stone’s throw from Nguyen Hue. The extensive menu is loaded with local favorites, ranging from frog legs to … Read more

The Farmers and Fermenters

How Puratos-Grand Place Indochina seeks to reshape the cocoa industry The first thing you notice upon entering the Puratos-Grand Place Indochina fermentation plant in Ben Tre is the smell of vinegar. It hangs heavy in the thick Mekong air as farmers buzz in with hundreds of kilos of raw cacao beans slung over their motorbikes … Read more

Keeping Vietnam Cool

Architect Charles Gallavardin speaks about bioclimatic architecture and the decline of air conditioning On a typically sweltering saigon day, the type that makes you thankful for air conditioning, the office of T3 Architecture Asia is cool and comfortable, located down a lush alley in the Thao Dien neighborhood. Not surprisingly for a firm that has … Read more