Things I miss about NYC: Sound Fix Records

It’s tough to complain about 33 cent beer here in Ho Chi Minh City, but lately my mind’s been wandering back to $5 whiskey shot ‘n’ Pabst specials at Sound Fix Records. Sitting in plastic kindergarten chairs, drinking something that manages to taste worse than Pabst, I long for the cozy respite of Sound Fix’s [...]

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Sand Dunes of Mui Ne Survival Guide

If you’re Vietnam itinerary includes a stop in seaside Mui Ne, you’ll likely find yourself at the yellow sand dunes, where street children rent out plastic sleds to tourists. It’s easy to to let the third-world “charm” of the kids overwhelm you (and they will lay it on thick), but don’t be fooled — the [...]

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Le Cheap Drinks at Le Pub, Saigon

Since a cheap night out sends tingles down my spine usually associated with things not spoken about in polite company, I felt obliged to plug one of my favorite new Saigon drinking spots: Le Pub.
One of the more attractive bars in HCMC’s backpacker district — dig that blood red paint job on the storefront patio [...]

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International Aid Fuels Saigon Subway

There’s been lots of nay-saying floating around since ground broke on the long-anticipated Ho Chi Minh City metro system this past February. But cynics can’t deny the initial foreign investment is there. Three lines have international support, and two Japanese companies and one French firm are vying for rights to outfit the system with the [...]

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Apocalypse Then and Now

It’s never been a secret: Apocalypse Now, Saigon’s most iconic club, has always been an establishment of ill repute. A few years ago, my girlfriend Sarah used to slug ex-pats for feeling up her friend, who these salacious foreigners assumed was a prostitute because a) she’s Vietnamese and b) she was at Apocalypse Now.
I [...]

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Published Writing, Online Articles, Top Blogs

I recently added some outside content I’ve published or produced online to this blog’s sidebar in case anyone is experiencing South East Asia fatigue. I think my own was brought on by watching bootlegged movies featuring NYC backdrops.
You can find some of my published writing over at eurocheapo.com. Specifically, I wrote many of the New [...]

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R-E-S-P-E-C-T in Vietnam

Just about any Vietnamese language guide will tell you that you need to address men and women of different ages by certain titles. And just about every guide gets the titles wrong or neglects to mention a few. Here’s a quick guide to abiding by Vietnam’s culture of respect.
The titles don’t correspond to specific ages. [...]

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Update Saigon: Stay Cheap, Stay Alive

Okay, so things aren’t THAT dire. But heading into my third month living on savings, I’m definitely feeling the crunch in the lead up to that sign-on bonus at ILA. Here’s how I’m staying cheap in Vietnam.

Bia Hoi. Paying $5000 VND (about 33 cents) for a beer sure alleviates (if not obliterates) morning-after guilt. There’re [...]

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Saigon Sellers Hawk Cookies for a Cause

Walking through the backpacker district in Saigon means shoeing away street vendors hawking everything from hammocks to hashish, not to mention the bevy of poor Vietnamese vying for your heart strings. But there’s one group of street sellers you can feel good about supporting.
Sozo street sellers operate between Pham Ngu Lao and Bui Vien and [...]

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Lazy Schlub Assigned to Weather Channel’s SEA Desk

The rainy season in Vietnam has rolled in right on schedule; we’ve been hit with a series of sodden days. I have yet to witness the more predictable cycle in which it supposedly rains at a predictable time every day.
So when I checked weatherchannel.com to see if Sarah and I would be able to [...]

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