Painting with Street Children

I stopped by a painting class for disadvantaged youth and street children run by Armed with a Paintbrush to research an article I’m writing about the American nonprofit for AsiaLife HCMC. The good folks at AWAP handed me a paintbrush and let me paint with a gaggle of pre-adolescent artists:
Friends from back home will recognize [...]

Cutbacks at Qantas

Qantas announced this weekend a series of measures meant to keep out of the red in the face of sky-rocketing global fuel costs. On the chopping block are 22 of its 228 plane strong fleet, as well as Jetstar’s pilot and cabin crew base in Adelaide. The route, however, will remain in service, [...]

Escape from Saigon: Dong Nay Province Swimming

I was hurtling down the rode in Dong Nay Province, past vast swaths of rice paddy, when it suddenly occurred to me. I  cocked my wrist to accelerate and pulled up alongside Tyler.
“I think I forgot what fresh air smells like.”
Add this experience to the “You know you’ve been in Saigon too long when … [...]

An American Spendthrift in London

I was sad to hear that my friend Alex Robertson Textor’s time in London has ended. However, every cloud has its silver lining. Alex has compiled some great dispatches during his time in London over at Spendthrift Shoestring. From guest house suggestions to unheard-of walking tours, Alex’s tips should help you do what Alex does [...]

New Beer Bar Quenches Saigon

Beer in Saigon now has its Graceland. While most bars serve the same range of regional beers, the Kool Beer Bar is stocked with over 100 beers from 13 countries.
Located just off the Ben Thanh Market traffic circle, this joint is the best a beer-drinker could hope for in hop-starved Saigon. Glass-doored coolers make it [...]

Eden: Gay-Friendly in Saigon’s Backpacker District

It was a common enough night at Eden Bar. Fishbowls had given way to a booze-fueled two step (Eden is one of the only bars off Pham Ngu Lao that seems to facilitate dancing). But through the haze of bodies there came a raucous group of forty-something gay men, a rare sight in a relatively [...]

Update Saigon: On the Palate

Yikes! This blog has gone bone dry as of late (I blame the Beginner 1 class I just started teaching). Here’s a quick blast to add some meat to my recently skeletal offerings.

Just days after I plugged the Vietnamese Vegetarian Restaurant in my Vegetarian Guide to Saigon, the joint assumed a dual identity. This Pham [...]