Grace Lewis - AsiaLIFE Magazine
Grace Lewis - AsiaLIFE Magazine
Grace Lewis - AsiaLIFE Magazine
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<strong>AsiaLIFE</strong> volume 37<br />
front<br />
on the cover<br />
storyboard<br />
getaways<br />
06 News & Events<br />
10 Dispatches<br />
13 Street Smart: An Duong<br />
Vuong<br />
16 Q&A with Dr Le Van Duc<br />
18 Life Down the Lanes<br />
22 Keeping Silent is Dying:<br />
Talking About Domestic<br />
Violence in Vietnam<br />
28 Madames of the Metropole<br />
30 A Restaurant is Born<br />
34 Social Climber<br />
36 The Starman<br />
38 Turning Asian Stereotypes<br />
Upside Down<br />
Cover<br />
Art Direction<br />
Johnny Murphy<br />
Photography<br />
Fred Wissink<br />
Model<br />
Hanh Trinh Nguyen<br />
food<br />
style & design<br />
back<br />
22<br />
40 Sterling's Saigon<br />
41 La Villa<br />
42 El Gaucho<br />
43 Cuc Gach Quan<br />
44 Behind the Design:<br />
CJ Bikes<br />
46 Canvassing the City<br />
48 BIS Art Show<br />
50 My Future's So Bright<br />
54 The List<br />
94 Spotlight<br />
96 Street Guide<br />
106 Pub Quiz<br />
30 38<br />
asialife HCMC 3
note from the editor<br />
Brett Davis<br />
4 asialife HCMC<br />
Domestic violence is an issue that<br />
defies cultures and geographic<br />
borders. Like countries the world<br />
over, it is something Vietnam is<br />
grappling with.<br />
There are cultural and social<br />
aspects to Vietnamese society<br />
that keep domestic violence<br />
a hidden issue, and one that<br />
lawmakers see as a family matter<br />
rather than a legal one. In recent<br />
years this has begun to change<br />
with the adoption in 2007 of<br />
the Law on Domestic Violence<br />
Prevention and Control, and the<br />
2006 Law on Gender Equality.<br />
There are also initiatives by<br />
Vietnam Government departments,<br />
United Nations agencies,<br />
NGOs and local non-profit groups<br />
to provide material and counselling<br />
support for domestic violence<br />
victims, and education and<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Lewis</strong><br />
After spending five years wearing navy<br />
polyester to support her travel habits,<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Lewis</strong> traded her flight attendant<br />
wings for a wedding ring and a new set of<br />
adventures. Her background is in music,<br />
but she prefers to entertain with tales of<br />
travel and real life mishaps. The Atlanta<br />
native specialises in international hair<br />
disasters, and, thanks to Saigon’s heat, is<br />
learning as much as she can about white<br />
wines.<br />
Jade Bilowol<br />
After working as a journalist and PR<br />
practitioner for a decade in Australia, Jade<br />
Bilowol jettisoned corporate life Down Under<br />
for HCM City's cheap street-side eats and<br />
scooters. Despite her intentions to work<br />
less and take pleasure from the simple<br />
things, she soon found herself again working<br />
full-time and then some. She now lectures<br />
with RMIT University Vietnam's Professional<br />
Communication Program. A stint in hospital<br />
suspended her relationship with street food<br />
but she's slowly getting back on that wagon.<br />
awareness raising campaigns<br />
across the broader community.<br />
In our cover story this month<br />
we take a look at some of the<br />
steps being taken to address<br />
the issue, beginning with the<br />
first major survey into domestic<br />
violence against women in Vietnam<br />
conducted by the General<br />
Statistics Office and the World<br />
Health Organisation.<br />
This is a very sensitive topic,<br />
and I would like to thank all those<br />
people who assisted <strong>AsiaLIFE</strong><br />
with this month’s cover story.<br />
I would like to make particular<br />
mention of Duong Thi Qui, who<br />
bravely shared her story of the<br />
violence she endured, and eventually<br />
escaped from.<br />
Elsewhere this month we meet<br />
two other fascinating individuals.<br />
First, we profile a young Chilean<br />
Find <strong>AsiaLIFE</strong> articles on<br />
man who has taken on a lifetime<br />
of adventure and challenges in<br />
his 21 years. On top of studying<br />
at RMIT University Vietnam, Paul<br />
Massad has turned his love of<br />
climbing into a business by opening<br />
his own climbing gym.<br />
In an extract from her memoir<br />
and cookbook, well-known Hoi<br />
An chef, restaurateur and cooking<br />
school proprietor Trinh Diem Vy<br />
describes the determination and<br />
hard work that was necessary to<br />
fulfill her dream of opening her<br />
own restaurant.<br />
Finally, a small correction to<br />
part of last month’s cover story<br />
on parenting in Saigon. It was<br />
reported Allyson Keane’s daughter<br />
Baillee was six years old when<br />
she is in fact four. Although if you<br />
ask me she doesn’t look a day<br />
over three.<br />
Next time you're across the border,<br />
check out the latest issue of <strong>AsiaLIFE</strong><br />
Cambodia or download it from<br />
www.asialifeguide.com.<br />
Cambodia<br />
www.asialifeguide.com<br />
The guide to life in the Kingdom<br />
042011<br />
ISSUE52
Citibank PremierMiles Card
NEWS EVENTS<br />
Operation Smile’s Auction<br />
and Dinner<br />
Park Hyatt will host Operation<br />
Smile’s art auction and gala<br />
dinner on Saturday, May 21.<br />
There will be a silent auction, live<br />
auction, and a raffle. Tickets are<br />
US $100 per person (each table<br />
will fit 10 people) and include a<br />
cocktail reception, gala dinner,<br />
free-flow drinks, and live music.<br />
For more details contact Julie on<br />
0913 966131 or Dung on 0908<br />
783 293.<br />
Mozart & Vivaldi at The<br />
Conservatory of Music<br />
The International Choir and<br />
6 asialife HCMC<br />
Orchestra of HCM City will<br />
perform Mozart and Vivaldi<br />
classics from 7.30 pm on Friday,<br />
May 27 and Saturday, May 28<br />
at the Conservatory of Music in<br />
District 1. Proceeds will benefit<br />
needy children in Vietnam<br />
through Loreto Vietnam Australia<br />
Program and Poussieres de Vie<br />
(Dust of Life). Advanced group<br />
bookings are being taken now.<br />
Tickets are 300,000 to 450,000<br />
VND, with a limited number of<br />
balcony tickets for 100,000 VND,<br />
and will be available from the<br />
Conservatory at 112 Nguyen<br />
Du, District 1, and at Mekong<br />
Merchant at 23 Thao Dien, An<br />
Phu. You can also order online<br />
at hcmcchoir.com or via email at<br />
tickets@hcmcchoir.com.<br />
ANZAC Friendship<br />
Weekend<br />
Aussie Rules football team<br />
the Vietnam Swans will host<br />
their annual ANZAC Friendship<br />
Weekend in Vung Tau from April<br />
23 to 25 to honour lives lost in<br />
war. The weekend includes an<br />
orphanage visit, the Vietnam<br />
Swans verses Hong Kong<br />
Dragons match, and gala dinner<br />
as well as battlefield tours to<br />
Long Hai Hills, Long Tan Cross,<br />
Nui Dat (Australian logistics base)<br />
and the Long Phuc Tunnels.<br />
There will be an ANZAC dawn<br />
service, and a live telecast of the<br />
Collingwood verses Essendon<br />
ANZAC match.<br />
Celebrate Trish Franklin of<br />
Loreto’s 60th Birthday<br />
Trish Franklin of the Loreto<br />
Vietnam Australia Programme will<br />
celebrate her 60th birthday on<br />
Saturday, April 23 from 6 to 10<br />
pm. The party will be held at the<br />
Australian International School<br />
campus on Pham Ngoc Thach,<br />
District 3. Call 0913 803 517 or<br />
0903 735 799 if you’re interested<br />
in attending.
Swing to Swim Charity<br />
Golf Day<br />
On May 14 in Hoi An, the<br />
Royal Life Saving Society of<br />
Australia will host the Swing<br />
to Swim Charity Golf Day at<br />
Montgomerie Links. The golf day<br />
immediately follows the three-day<br />
world conference on drowning<br />
prevention in Hoi An. More<br />
children die from drowning than<br />
road accidents. For details email<br />
jon.tomlinson@montgomerielinks.<br />
com.<br />
KITCHEN Delivers<br />
Orders can now be placed for<br />
frozen ready meals and home-<br />
made sausages with KITCHEN/<br />
Jonty’s Bangers by phone on<br />
0974 444 001. Orders can be<br />
placed from 9 am 5 pm, daily,<br />
and will be delivered within four<br />
hours. The special offers and<br />
discounts on kitchen.net.vn only<br />
apply to online orders, though.<br />
Bazaar at The Deck<br />
On Saturday, April 23 from 9 am<br />
to 4 pm, The Deck will host a<br />
bazaar where local manufacturers<br />
will display accessories, children’s<br />
clothes, cards, silk, jewellery and<br />
more. Some of the proceeds<br />
will go to IMMF and The Love<br />
Team Vietnam. The last bazaar in<br />
KOTO Founder Honoured as Global Leader<br />
The World Economic Forum has named Jimmy Pham, founder<br />
and CEO of KOTO (Know One, Teach One), as a Young<br />
Global Leader for the work he has done in lifting Vietnamese<br />
youth from poverty. KOTO, a not-for-profit hospitality training<br />
organisation, has trained more than 300 disadvantaged<br />
Vietnamese youth in its Hanoi and HCM City training centres.<br />
Besides hospitality training, the 24-month program provides<br />
accommodation, food, medical care, and English and life skills<br />
training—all free of charge. At KOTO’s restaurant in Hanoi,<br />
trainees work to gain practical experience and all profits<br />
support the program. KOTO will open a restaurant in HCM City<br />
this year.
They’ll be safe<br />
in our hands<br />
Our smallest patients - respecting their<br />
needs is our biggest concern<br />
Our three Full-time Pediatric Specialists are<br />
on hand for all your childrens medical needs<br />
• Primary pediatric emergency responses<br />
• Routine childhood development assessment<br />
• Post natal examinations<br />
• Immunisation advice<br />
• Vaccination<br />
• Nutritional counselling<br />
• New mother support<br />
• Pre-school check-ups<br />
Family Medical Practice HCMC<br />
Diamond Plaza: 34 Le Duan Street, District 1, HCMC<br />
For appointments and emergency care 24 hours:<br />
(84 8) 3822 7848<br />
www.vietnammedicalpractice.com<br />
Your health. Our care.<br />
• Emergency Medicine • Medical Evacuations • General Practice • Internal Medicine • Pediatrics<br />
• Obstetrics & Gynecology • Orthopedic & Trauma Surgery • Cardiology • ENT • Tropical Medicine<br />
• Radiology • Imaging • Ambulance Service • In-house Laboratory • Acupuncture • First Aid Training<br />
• Child Birth Education • Saigon International Mother Baby Association • Medical Check-ups<br />
Expat Community Raise Money for New<br />
Zealand Relief Effort<br />
HCM City’s expat community have banded together<br />
to raise money to support the relief effort in<br />
Christchurch. About US $64,000 was raised at a<br />
charity auction and raffle held at the Caravelle Hotel<br />
attended by 500 supporters. Close to $33,000<br />
was also raised at the 12th Annual New Zealand Wine & Food<br />
Festival last month.<br />
November raised more than US<br />
$1200. A jazz band will play in the<br />
afternoon and there will be special<br />
prices on food and drinks. Admission<br />
is free. For details contact<br />
bazaar.at.mm@gmail.com.<br />
Best of Asia Short Film<br />
Screening<br />
On April 7 from 7 pm the 48<br />
Hour Film Festival will host the<br />
“Best of Asia” 2010 Short Film<br />
Screening in HCM City. Fifteen<br />
specially selected films by Asian<br />
filmmakers will be screened. The<br />
Great Deals at Muse Boutique<br />
venue is yet to be determined.<br />
Call 0903 151 874 or visit<br />
48hourfilm.com or facebook.<br />
com/48hourfilmVN for details.<br />
Night at the Moulin Rouge<br />
On May 14 from 6.30 pm, the<br />
Vietnam Charity Fund and FV<br />
Hospital will host a Moulin<br />
Rouge themed charity ball. At<br />
this year’s ball dinner and cocktails<br />
will be served and there will<br />
be live entertainment. The fundraiser<br />
aims to bring together<br />
Saigon's philanthropic support-<br />
Muse Boutique is a multi-label boutique, stocking internationally<br />
well-known casual brands for men and women. Now,<br />
Muse is offering gift vouchers worth 300,000 VND for the first<br />
20 customers who bring this news clipping into the store on<br />
level 1 of the Saigon Center at 65 Le Loi, District 1.
ers with medical and corporate<br />
leaders to support the Children<br />
of Vietnam's mission of providing<br />
highly specialised surgeries<br />
to underprivileged children<br />
with birth defects or congenital<br />
diseases.<br />
Sponsorship opportunities<br />
are available starting at<br />
US $4,000 for gold level and<br />
$7,000 for platinum level. Contact<br />
Ms Kim at 0903 035 030<br />
for details.<br />
Red Cross Vietnam<br />
Raises Funds for Japan<br />
Through April 15, Vietnam Red<br />
Cross will coordinate a fundraising<br />
campaign to mobilise resources<br />
to assist those affected<br />
Dylan plays HCM City<br />
by the quake and tsunami in Japan.<br />
In HCM City, contributions<br />
can be made at 201 Nguyen Thi<br />
Minh Khai, District 1. For details<br />
call 3839 1271.<br />
Family Medical Practice to<br />
Welcome Obstetrics and<br />
Gynecology Specialist<br />
Back<br />
Family Medical Practice is<br />
pleased to announce that Dr<br />
Robert Riche, specialist in obstetrics<br />
and gynecology, will be<br />
returning to Vietnam and<br />
will practice from early this<br />
month. To make an appointment<br />
or for further information<br />
please contact Family Medical<br />
Practice at 3822 7848.<br />
The legendary American troubadour will play his first ever<br />
Vietnam show at the campus of RMIT University Vietnam on<br />
Sunday, April 10.<br />
Local promoter Saigon Sound System General Manager<br />
Rod Quinton said he expected all of the 8000-plus tickets for<br />
the show to sell out.<br />
“We have had a very enthusiastic response from both<br />
the expatriate and local Vietnamese communities since we<br />
announced the show.<br />
“This is a landmark event in the development of the live<br />
music industry in Vietnam, and I believe it will help pave the<br />
way for more major international acts to visit these shores,”<br />
Quinton said.<br />
Dylan’s Asian tour will also include his first shows in<br />
mainland China, as well as stops in Hong Kong, Taiwan,<br />
Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.<br />
General admission tickets are available at 900,000 VND and<br />
a VIP package for 2,500,000 VND. Tickets can be purchased<br />
via saigonsoundsystem.com or in HCM City at Juice (49<br />
Mac Thi Buoi, District 1), The Boathouse (40 Lily Rd, APSC<br />
Compound, 36 Thao Dien, District 2) and Boomarang (The<br />
Crescent, Phu My Hung, District 7). Corporate bookings can<br />
be made by calling 0907 539 239.<br />
For details on getting to and from the show, along with all<br />
the other information concert-goers should be aware of, visit<br />
saigonsoundsystem.com.
dispatches<br />
Travel news from around the region and beyond<br />
eat, Pray, love<br />
Do as Elizabeth Gilbert does in her popular book-turned-film<br />
Eat, Pray, Love and take to Bali for a spiritual adventure.<br />
The package includes a visit with Ketut Liyer, the medicine<br />
man Elizabeth befriended as well as accommodation in<br />
a four-star hotel in mystical Ubud. And instead of travelling<br />
to an Indian ashram, yoga and meditation practice will be offered<br />
each morning. Likewise, there will be a dinner at a local<br />
Italian restaurant, to satisfy the “Eat” section of the book.<br />
The tour runs June 20 to 27 and costs just under US $2000<br />
based on double occupancy. Visit spiritquesttours.com/balispirit2/<br />
for details.<br />
Boppin’ in Borneo<br />
Borneo Jazz is set to take place May 12 to 15 from 6 pm till<br />
midnight at Miri Resort City, Sarawak. The annual event, until<br />
this year known as Miri International Jazz Festival, attracts<br />
performers from across the world, including France, the US,<br />
Brazil and China.<br />
The organisers say the outdoor event will go on rain, hail<br />
or shine so bring a blanket to sit on and a raincoat in case of<br />
unpleasant weather.<br />
A one-night pass costs 60 RM (US $20) for adults and 30 RM<br />
for kids ($10) and can be purchased at ticketcharge.com.my.<br />
10 asialife HCMC<br />
a Charitable Trail<br />
Gather a group of four and head to Japan from May 13 to 15<br />
to compete in the annual Oxfam Trailwalker. The 100 km trek<br />
between Odawara City and Lake Yamanaka must be completed<br />
within 48 hours and requires an extremely high level<br />
of fitness. To qualify, teammates must start together, stick<br />
together and finish the grueling course together.<br />
To register, teams must raise at least 120,000 JPY (about US<br />
$1,500) to support Oxfam’s work in overcoming poverty and<br />
injustice. In previous years the donations have been used to<br />
implement projects in the world’s poorest regions and provide<br />
vital relief following natural disasters and conflict.<br />
For details visit trailwalker.jp/en/.
Phnom Penh Events & Openings<br />
Download the latest issue of <strong>AsiaLIFE</strong> Cambodia at www.asialifeguide.com.<br />
Tribute to the Cambodian<br />
Masters<br />
One of Cambodia’s most<br />
spectacular music events to<br />
date, the BosbaPANH Tribute<br />
to the Masters Concert took<br />
place in Siem Reap on February<br />
25 and 26. With Bayon Temple<br />
illuminated in the background,<br />
local and international musicians<br />
paid tribute to the great masters<br />
of Cambodian music, spanning<br />
the past 900 years. Centred on<br />
13-year old soprano sensation,<br />
BosbaPANH, the musical<br />
extravaganza featured a broad<br />
range of songs from composers<br />
such as Sin Sisamouth, Ung Chinary<br />
and King Father Norodom<br />
Sihanouk. Classical and modern<br />
dances were also part of the<br />
three-hour programme. Guests<br />
included Khuon Sethisak, a<br />
Cambodian tenor, Sarah O’Brien,<br />
a leading Hollywood studio<br />
composer and cellist, and Em<br />
Theay, a master of Cambodian<br />
classical dance, the last surviving<br />
dancer of the pre-war Royal<br />
Court. Cambodian-American<br />
Laura Mam and her band, the<br />
Like Me’s, joined BosbaPANH for<br />
“Refugee”, a moving song about<br />
the rift between Cambodians in<br />
exile and those living in the country.<br />
The show closer presented<br />
BosbaPANH performing “Nine<br />
Million Bicycles”, singing while<br />
simultaneously riding a bicycle<br />
through the audience. The splendour<br />
of Bayon and the talents<br />
of the performers left a lasting<br />
impression for all who attended.<br />
Rainforest Under Threat<br />
Illegal logging is threatening<br />
Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains,<br />
home of one of Southeast<br />
Asia’s most well preserved<br />
rainforests. According to Wildlife<br />
Alliance, a DC-based non-profit<br />
focused on rainforest and wildlife<br />
protection, loggers are ravaging<br />
the Southern Cardamom Mountains<br />
for Thailand Rosewood, a<br />
timber coveted for luxury furniture<br />
which can sell for US $7,000 per<br />
cubic metre in Cambodia and<br />
around $25,000 per cubic metre<br />
in China. Using portable saws<br />
and working at night, loggers are<br />
part of a powerful, interna-<br />
tional network able to source<br />
and smuggle across borders. In<br />
2010, rangers seized 302 cubic<br />
metres of illegally logged timber,<br />
of which 85 percent was Thailand<br />
Rosewood. For more information<br />
about Wildlife Alliance and efforts<br />
to combat illegal logging in Cambodia,<br />
visit wildlifealliance.org.<br />
Fly with Greater Ease<br />
Remembering to bring enough<br />
cash to pay the departure fee<br />
has been an annoyance to many<br />
a flier in Cambodia. As of the first<br />
of April, the Passenger Service<br />
Charge will be included in international<br />
air tickets for passengers<br />
departing from Phnom Penh,<br />
Siem Reap and Sihanoukville,<br />
announced the Société Concessionnaire<br />
des Aéroports. The<br />
rates will remain the same, at<br />
US $25 for adults and $13 for<br />
children under age 12. The<br />
inclusive charge is effective for<br />
tickets purchased after January<br />
21 for travel starting in April. The<br />
travelling process just became<br />
one step easier.<br />
Turn Up the Toones<br />
On March 5, Tiny Toones released<br />
their premier album with a<br />
launch party at Meta House. The<br />
event celebrated the release of<br />
Generation Z, a collection of 17<br />
songs from students and staff in<br />
Tiny Toones’ music department.<br />
A local NGO, Tiny Toones is a<br />
drop-in centre for disadvantaged<br />
youth in Phnom Penh. In addition<br />
to free education in Khmer,<br />
English, computer studies, and<br />
hygiene, sex and drug awareness,<br />
the centre also offers free<br />
hip hop music, dancing and art<br />
classes. The music department<br />
focus includes DJing, lyric writing,<br />
rapping, singing and music<br />
production. Learning how to tell<br />
stories through music is seen as<br />
a positive form of expression for<br />
students who have been traumatised<br />
from a difficult upbringing,<br />
spurring a process of healing.<br />
The new album is entirely composed,<br />
performed and produced<br />
by Tiny Toones, with all proceeds<br />
benefiting the running of Tiny<br />
Toones and those involved in the<br />
album.
12 asialife HCMC
Street Smart<br />
an duong vuong<br />
diStrict 5<br />
<strong>Grace</strong> <strong>Lewis</strong> heads down District 5’s An<br />
Duong Vuong and finds quirky cafés, the<br />
mother of all sewing machine shops and<br />
mechanics galore. Photos by Eunji Chung.<br />
Nhan<br />
394 An Duong Vuong<br />
This might not be the prettiest<br />
place on the street, but it<br />
is clearly the one-stop shop<br />
for all your sewing machine<br />
needs. The family has been<br />
doing business here for 30 years<br />
selling and repairing machines<br />
of all types. Their machines<br />
range from those designed for<br />
personal use to embroidery<br />
and specialty types for retail<br />
use. Most are imported from<br />
Australia, Taiwan, and Korea.<br />
All repairs are done here, and<br />
they can also order any parts<br />
you may need.<br />
Ngoc Hanh<br />
22 An Duong Vuong<br />
The first thing to catch your eye<br />
when you pass Ngoc Hanh is all<br />
the beautiful precious stones—<br />
quartz, jade, and amethyst, to<br />
name a few. Inside, the walls<br />
are lined with tasteful carvings<br />
and statues in the Chinese style,<br />
including dragons, lions, pigs,<br />
horses, and Buddhas. The goods<br />
run the gamut from goodluck<br />
trinkets to show-stopping<br />
sculpture. Or, if you love plants,<br />
but can’t keep them alive, Ngoc<br />
Hanh has the perfect solution:<br />
the leaves of their bonsai trees<br />
are made of gems. Necklaces<br />
and bracelets range from<br />
200,000 to 1 million VND.<br />
Tram Anh Tea and Coffee<br />
56 An Duong Vuong<br />
Tram Anh has been providing<br />
HCM City with Dalat-grown<br />
coffee since 1988, offering whole<br />
beans and ground coffee, filters,<br />
and condensed milk. They also<br />
carry a wide variety of loose<br />
and bagged teas only sold<br />
through Tram Anh, including lotus,<br />
bitter melon, artichoke, jasmine,<br />
chrysanthemum, balsam,<br />
apple, oolong, and cloranthus.<br />
A wooden tea chest with eight<br />
flavours can be purchased for<br />
300,000 VND. Come into shop<br />
or lounge at one of their tables<br />
for a cup.<br />
Handmade Café<br />
80 An Duong Vuong<br />
If you aren’t careful, you might<br />
miss the narrow, brick walkway<br />
lined with hanging orchids that<br />
leads back to this interesting<br />
café. And missing it would be a<br />
shame. Newly opened, the café<br />
has a soothing feel, and, as you<br />
might guess from the name, all<br />
of the décor is handmade—from<br />
pottery and ceramics to artwork<br />
made of wine and beer bottles.<br />
Hand-woven pictures from<br />
northern Vietnam decorate the<br />
cream coloured walls. By offering<br />
origami and other folding<br />
paper games, Handmade Café<br />
hopes to be a place people will<br />
asialife HCMC 13
14 asialife HCMC<br />
think of not just to have a drink,<br />
but to gather with friends to<br />
create.<br />
Mot Bon Mot<br />
141 An Duong Vuong<br />
At first glance, Mot Bon Mot<br />
may seem like a regular convenience<br />
store, but it can only be<br />
described as a fruit/gift basket<br />
superstore. When you first walk<br />
in, a staff member will greet<br />
you with a bag. They are there<br />
to carry the fruit you select,<br />
and then wrap them in the<br />
basket you choose. Grapes the<br />
size of ping-pong balls, perfect<br />
Washington and Gala apples,<br />
oranges, and mangoes are just<br />
a few examples of the fruit<br />
available. If you’re looking for<br />
something a little less healthy,<br />
you can choose from toffees,<br />
butter cookies, chocolates, wine<br />
and spirits. Not in the mood to<br />
decide? Pre-made baskets are<br />
available. You can order over<br />
the phone and have them delivered.<br />
Empty baskets are also<br />
available from 40,000 to 90,000<br />
VND. Visit 141freshfruits.com<br />
Nghi Khang My<br />
78 An Duong Vuong<br />
In a city where it can be difficult<br />
to find suitable bedding, Nghi<br />
Khang My offers high-quality,<br />
stylish options. Imported from<br />
Taiwan, the bedding sets start at<br />
2 million VND. Choose between<br />
attractive floral prints—bold<br />
reds, pinks, and purples, or<br />
simple yellows and white—or<br />
more masculine patterns in<br />
blues, browns and greys.<br />
NGHIA Beauty Supply<br />
49 An Duong Vuong<br />
If you are looking for salon<br />
quality products for your own<br />
home, NGHIA Beauty Supply<br />
has just about everything<br />
you could need to stay wellgroomed.<br />
They sell professional<br />
grade manicure equipment,<br />
hundreds of nail polish colours<br />
and brands (including OPI), foot<br />
smoothers, and callous scrapers<br />
and there is someone to sharpen<br />
all your tools on the spot.<br />
Blow dryers, curling and flat<br />
irons, bleaches, false eyelashes,<br />
professional hair scissors, and<br />
tweezers are also on offer.<br />
Everything Auto<br />
East end of An Duong Vuong,<br />
between Tran Phu and Nguyen<br />
Van Cu<br />
Whether you have a motorbike<br />
or a car or are looking to buy<br />
one, An Duong Vuong has all<br />
that you are looking for. The<br />
four long blocks on the eastern<br />
end of the street from Nguyen
Van Cu to the Tran Phu roundabout<br />
have everything from<br />
high-end auto salons to shops<br />
carrying bumpers and seat<br />
covers, tires and rims. Whatever<br />
your car or motorbike may<br />
need, it can surely be found on<br />
this street.<br />
Co Do Restaurant<br />
361 An Duong Vuong<br />
On a busy street like An Duong<br />
Vuong, stepping inside Co<br />
Do Restaurant is like being<br />
transported far away from<br />
HCM city's chaos. The interior<br />
is simple and elegant with tray<br />
ceilings, hanging lamps made<br />
of iron and canvas, and artwork<br />
in the Imperial style. The owner<br />
and chef are both from Hue, and<br />
have been providing authentic<br />
food from the region for more<br />
than a year. With four floors,<br />
Co Do Restaurant can accommodate<br />
private dinners and<br />
meetings for up to 50 people. All<br />
entrees are under 135,000 VND.<br />
They are open 10 am to 10 pm<br />
and also have a restaurant in<br />
District 1. Visit nhahangcodo.<br />
vn<br />
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Dr Le Van Duc<br />
16 asialife HCMC
Why did you decide to<br />
specialise in gynecology and<br />
obstetrics?<br />
After graduating from university<br />
in 1988, I wanted to work<br />
in neurosurgery at Cho Ray<br />
Hospital, but I was told I had to<br />
wait three months. During this<br />
time, I worked for Hung Vuong<br />
Hospital. There I found it was<br />
easy to work in obstetrics and<br />
gynecology.<br />
Actually, I think it makes me<br />
very happy when I can see the<br />
newborn babies every day.<br />
How many children do you<br />
think you have delivered during<br />
your career?<br />
There are many people asking<br />
me this question but I can’t<br />
remember. I think I have<br />
delivered about 10,000 babies<br />
altogether up to now.<br />
Do you stay in contact with the<br />
families of children you have<br />
helped deliver?<br />
Many of the families that I have<br />
helped deliver children keep<br />
in touch with me. They usually<br />
come to visit me and my family<br />
on Doctors’ Day (February 27)<br />
or New Year’s Day.<br />
Some families, about four or<br />
five, I’ve helped deliver two<br />
generations. Firstly, I helped<br />
The much-loved Dr Le Van Duc has helped bring thousands of<br />
babies into the world, in some cases delivering the children of two<br />
generations of the same family. Photo by Fred Wissink.<br />
deliver the baby of a couple and<br />
then many years later I help<br />
deliver that child’s baby.<br />
Your wife is a midwife; what<br />
is it like to work with your<br />
spouse?<br />
My wife is a midwife with 25<br />
years experience in this field.<br />
Currently, she works with me<br />
at Hanh Phuc Hospital. With<br />
her experience, she plays a very<br />
important role whenever I need<br />
help. For instance, she can work<br />
fast and deal with anything that<br />
happens in the delivery room.<br />
Some of my friends and<br />
colleagues think we shouldn’t<br />
work with each other. But as<br />
for me, I think it is so easy to<br />
work with her. She understands<br />
me and everything I do, and<br />
she knows everything I need to<br />
prepare before every birth.<br />
You have children of your<br />
own? How old are they and<br />
what are they doing currently?<br />
I have two children, a 22-yearold<br />
girl and 16-year-old boy.<br />
My daughter is studying at the<br />
Language University and my<br />
son is in the tenth grade.<br />
I don’t think my son wants to<br />
be a doctor. He told me that my<br />
job always keeps me busy, that<br />
I have to do operations all night<br />
and then I get back home for<br />
only 10 minutes before I have<br />
to go back again to the hospital.<br />
It’s not good at all when I have<br />
no time for my family. Actually<br />
my son wants to be an architect.<br />
What is your philosophy<br />
on parenting and what are<br />
some of the principles you<br />
have tried to instill in your<br />
children?<br />
In my hometown and in my<br />
time, parents didn’t ask their<br />
children what they wanted<br />
to do in the future. Parents<br />
just made their children do<br />
whatever they thought was best<br />
for them. My parents wanted<br />
me to pursue a medical career<br />
because at that time in Hue,<br />
being a doctor or teacher were<br />
the best jobs everyone wanted<br />
their children to have. I thought<br />
I would like working in agriculture,<br />
but I needed to obey<br />
my parents. Fortunately, when<br />
I decided to study medicine, I<br />
found I naturally fitted in.<br />
As for my son, I will never<br />
force him to do anything. I just<br />
guide him and help him to pursue<br />
whatever he likes. I think<br />
it’s better for him.<br />
Your job must keep you very<br />
busy, but what are some of the<br />
things you enjoy doing when<br />
not at work?<br />
Working full-time for Hanh<br />
Phuc Hospital, it can be difficult<br />
for me to have time for<br />
my family. But at the weekend,<br />
when I have time, I take my<br />
children to go shopping, drink<br />
coffee or play tennis and swim.<br />
Sometimes we go to the beach<br />
at Vung Tau or Phan Thiet. In<br />
the summer holiday, we travel<br />
abroad to America and Southeast<br />
Asian countries, or go to<br />
visit my parents in Australia.<br />
You now work at the new<br />
Hanh Phuc Women's and<br />
Children's Hospital. What sets<br />
this hospital apart from other<br />
medical institutions in HCM<br />
City?<br />
I consider Hanh Phuc Hospital<br />
as my family because I feel very<br />
comfortable here. I have many<br />
chances to discuss everything<br />
with my superiors or the CEO<br />
on how to get better care for the<br />
patients.<br />
I’m proud of working in<br />
Hanh Phuc, which is the first<br />
Singaporean-standard hospital<br />
in Vietnam. It is well-equipped<br />
with modern facilities and<br />
offers a comprehensive range<br />
of high-quality health care for<br />
women and children.<br />
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18 asialife HCMC<br />
Freek Drent is a Dutch visual<br />
artist who studied at the Willem<br />
De Kooning Academy in<br />
Rotterdam. In the more-than<br />
two decades since then he<br />
has worked around the world<br />
producing collages, installations,<br />
video productions and<br />
digital art. After finishing an<br />
artist’s residency in Beijing<br />
in 2008 he moved to Vietnam<br />
where he now lives. His current<br />
focus is on photography where<br />
he records scenes of daily life<br />
in the city’s hidden, gloomy alleyways.<br />
Photos from this series<br />
will form part of an exhibition<br />
running from July 9 to August<br />
19 in the Der Aa-Kerk, Groningen,<br />
the Netherlands. More<br />
of his work can be viewed at<br />
freekdrent.nl.
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20 asialife HCMC
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22 asialife HCMC
Keeping silent is dying:<br />
Talking about domestic violence in Vietnam<br />
Text by Beth Young and Brett Davis. Photos by Fred Wissink.<br />
“I think women who suffered from<br />
violence should raise their voice<br />
and ask for help or counselling.<br />
It can vary case by case, but we<br />
should not keep silent. Keeping<br />
silent is dying.”<br />
This from a Hanoi woman interviewed as<br />
part of last year’s National Study on Domestic<br />
Violence Against Women in Vietnam. One<br />
in three women reported they had suffered<br />
physical or sexual violence at the hands of<br />
their husband some time in their life. This<br />
number rose to 58 percent when taking into<br />
account psychological abuse.<br />
The research team interviewed almost<br />
5,000 women between 18 and 60 years of<br />
age. The study was conducted by Vietnam's<br />
General Statistics Office and the World Health<br />
Organisation.<br />
WHO Health System Team Leader Dr<br />
Graham Harrison said Vietnam was not alone<br />
amongst nations grappling with the issue of<br />
domestic violence.<br />
"While there are cultural elements that<br />
make addressing the issue a challenge, steps<br />
are being taken.<br />
“Domestic violence is a problem but it is<br />
basically a silent problem. Because of community<br />
attitudes it can be difficult for victims to<br />
speak up or get the help they need,” he said.<br />
Harrison said the survey would help formally<br />
address the issue of domestic violence,<br />
raise awareness in the public consciousness<br />
and determine what services were needed.<br />
“A lot of the women interviewed provided<br />
an opening, some light, into a hidden aspect<br />
of their lives. Often they had never spoken of<br />
these things before they were interviewed.”<br />
In the north much is being done to raise<br />
awareness of domestic violence. For example,<br />
in Ninh Binh Province the Swiss Cooperation<br />
Office is working with the local People’s Committee<br />
and Women’s Union to conduct focus<br />
groups with both victims and their abusers.<br />
The goal is to facilitate discussion about<br />
the root cause of the violence and to educate<br />
both men and women on what their rights<br />
are. The first phase began in 2003, and the<br />
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Photo by Eunji Chung<br />
24 asialife HCMC<br />
A Victim’s Account:<br />
DUONG THI QUI’S STORY<br />
I got married when I was 28, now I’m 53.<br />
The happy times ended quickly, when my<br />
husband began to drink heavily. We would<br />
fight a lot when he was drunk. Sometimes he<br />
would hit me. He would beat our five children,<br />
too. Other times he chased me with a knife<br />
and once he threw a knife at me. Luckily it<br />
missed.<br />
Things got really bad in 2004. He would<br />
beat me every day, again and again. One<br />
day I was boiling water at the stove. He was<br />
drunk and he picked up the pot and threw the<br />
water over me. My eldest son was standing<br />
nearby and the water also burnt his leg. My<br />
husband tried to run away and even though<br />
my son was hurt he held him back with the<br />
help of our neighbours.<br />
I was taken to hospital and my husband<br />
was sent to the police station where he was<br />
given an official warning. They also made him<br />
sign a document promising that he wouldn’t<br />
hurt me anymore. Because my injuries were<br />
so severe, he had to go to court. While he<br />
was waiting to go on trial we still lived together<br />
but he continued to beat me.<br />
When the case went to trial in 2005, I<br />
was granted a divorce and my husband was<br />
sentenced to nine months in jail. I haven’t<br />
seen him since and he has nothing to do with<br />
our children.<br />
It was a tough decision to divorce, but I<br />
had to. I couldn’t stand him anymore and I<br />
had to think of my children. My family stood<br />
behind me, especially my mother. My neighbours<br />
were really supportive, too, as they’d<br />
seen how badly my husband treated me for<br />
so many years.<br />
More can be done to prevent domestic<br />
violence in HCM City but the government<br />
tries its best. My ward’s People’s Committee<br />
helped to raise about 18 million VND to help<br />
me buy a new house after I left my husband.
second, which started in 2007 will finish this<br />
summer. So far, these sessions have proved<br />
successful.<br />
Hanoi also has an official shelter for battered<br />
women. The whereabouts of the Peace<br />
House is kept secret to ensure the residents’<br />
safety. It has a kindergarten for young children<br />
and the women are taught skills to help them<br />
find employment and become self-sufficient<br />
in the future.<br />
Rather than just providing respite from an<br />
abusive environment, the Peace House gives<br />
women options. They can decide if they want<br />
to return to their husbands or build a life on<br />
their own.<br />
According to the HCM City Women’s<br />
Union, Peace Houses will be built around the<br />
city sometime this year. For the time being,<br />
Buddhist pagodas like Tin Cay Cong Dong<br />
in Tan Phu District provide women and their<br />
children with shelter.<br />
These are rather ad hoc setups. Head<br />
nun Tung Tinh said when a victim seeks help<br />
from the pagoda the police aren’t called and<br />
they aren't taken to a doctor or hospital. The<br />
women generally stay until the husband decides<br />
he’s ready to apologise for his actions.<br />
Tinh will question him and if she deems his<br />
apology to be sincere she will allow the wife to<br />
return home.<br />
Tinh downplayed the severity of the<br />
violence that these women are subjected to,<br />
saying she had never seen any injuries worse<br />
than a bruise. However, a group of elderly<br />
nuns who live behind the pagoda were more<br />
forthcoming. One revealed they had recently<br />
cared for a woman whose husband had<br />
broken both her legs. He apparently beat her<br />
after finding out she was having an affair.<br />
The Law on Domestic Violence Prevention<br />
and Control that was enacted in 2007 has<br />
forced local government to seriously address<br />
the issue.<br />
Duong Thi Nguyet is vice president of the<br />
Ward 14 Women’s Union in District 11. She<br />
is in charge of the ward’s efforts to address<br />
domestic violence. She said that each ward’s<br />
People’s Committee has a similar department<br />
to address women’s issues.<br />
Currently, Nguyet provides victims with<br />
shelter in her own home, however she said<br />
this was only a temporary measure. The<br />
People’s Committee have purchased a block<br />
of land where a proper shelter will be built,<br />
but more money is needed to complete the<br />
project. In the meantime, she does what she<br />
can, providing financial help to women who’ve<br />
left their husbands until they can get back on<br />
their feet.<br />
Le Trang is also a passionate advocate for<br />
domestic violence prevention. She is behind<br />
the Soul Nation Project—an initiative that<br />
seeks to change behaviour in young people<br />
through music, dance and other art forms.<br />
Popular Vietnamese celebrities act as the<br />
project’s spokespeople at concerts like the<br />
one hosted at Thu Duc University at the end<br />
of last year. The message is simple: men and<br />
women are equal and gender-based violence<br />
is wrong.<br />
“Education plays an important role and this<br />
is where Soul Nation comes into the picture,”<br />
Trang said.<br />
An advertising campaign was also developed<br />
by the Grey Group, for a consortium of<br />
partners including UN agencies, Vietnamese<br />
Government departments and NGOs, aimed<br />
at the perpetrators of domestic violence. The<br />
television spot featured a woman removing<br />
the doors and window shutters from her<br />
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26 asialife HCMC<br />
house so neighbours could see what was<br />
happening inside.<br />
Grey Group Associate Creative Director<br />
Rajib Gupta said they tried to communicate<br />
the message that if it was not alright to<br />
engage in this behaviour in public, then why<br />
think it is OK at home.<br />
“We tried to find something different, and<br />
a big issue in Asian countries particularly is<br />
loss of face. People may not see you but<br />
if a woman goes out in public with bruises<br />
on her face, people know where they came<br />
from. It is not her that is losing face, it is<br />
you.”<br />
The United Nations Office on Drugs and<br />
Crime also conducts awareness raising<br />
campaigns in the community. These efforts<br />
include assisting to produce a national TV<br />
series on domestic violence called Breaking<br />
the Silence, and holding a writing competition<br />
for members of the news media to<br />
encourage more reporting on the issue.<br />
“The review committee judging the competition<br />
was overwhelmed by the response<br />
with over 1000 entries received,” UNODC<br />
Country Manager Zhuldyz Akisheva said.<br />
The UNODC has also been working on<br />
training local law enforcement officers to<br />
better equip them to respond to domestic<br />
violence cases. Akisheva said the agency<br />
had worked with 186 police officers since<br />
2008 in ‘Train the Trainer’ sessions.
“The aim is to create a pool of trained,<br />
competent law enforcement officers who<br />
can in turn train their peers,” she said.<br />
“Our experience is they don’t know how<br />
to apply the law, identify if it is an administrative<br />
or criminal offence, gather evidence or<br />
talk to the victims.”<br />
Akisheva said the general mindset of<br />
police was that domestic violence was not a<br />
public issue but rather a family issue.<br />
Nguyet of the Women’s Union was of a<br />
different opinion. “If you are suffering violence,<br />
you need to fight against it, not keep<br />
quiet like the old days.<br />
“We need to show the men that they can’t<br />
beat their wives. It’s not their right.”<br />
A Professional’s Recommendations<br />
Martin Donnelly is a practising counsellor<br />
with more than 20 years experience. He has<br />
worked with both victims and perpetrators of<br />
domestic violence in the United States.<br />
Though he has only lived in HCM City for<br />
a year, he believes that the general attitude<br />
towards domestic violence is similar to that<br />
held in the US about 60 years ago.<br />
“It was very much accepted that it was OK<br />
for a man to hit his wife,” he said. “It wasn’t<br />
seen as abuse.<br />
“I’m pretty sure that something similar is<br />
operating in Vietnam. From what I’ve seen<br />
there is a very strong sense of male privilege<br />
here.”<br />
In Donnelly’s opinion, for real change to<br />
occur this attitude needs to shift. And to really<br />
effect change, boys and men need to be<br />
educated.<br />
This is especially important since last year’s<br />
National Study on Domestic Violence Against<br />
Women in Vietnam found that boys who<br />
saw their fathers abuse their mothers were<br />
far more likely to beat their own partners in<br />
adulthood.<br />
Donnelly believes young men need to be<br />
taught how to control their responses. They<br />
need to learn to recognise when they’re<br />
about to lose it and walk away before it’s too<br />
late.<br />
To really curb domestic violence, though,<br />
he suggests using the media. While the<br />
government has teamed with various NGOs<br />
and creative agencies to develop advertising<br />
campaigns and even a 10-episode television<br />
show aired in 2009 called Breaking the<br />
Silence, Donnelly suggests a more long-term<br />
approach.<br />
He cites one example that has worked<br />
well in South Africa—the long-running and<br />
very popular soap opera Soul City, which<br />
broaches deeply sensitive social issues like<br />
HIV and AIDS in a dramatic yet entertaining<br />
fashion.<br />
“That’s where I’d put my money,” Donnelly<br />
said, “in producing a well-written soap opera<br />
with characters that viewers can relate to.<br />
"This is a problem that can only be addressed<br />
on a societal level and that’s where I would<br />
start."<br />
asialife HCMC 27
Best friends and colleagues for more than half their lives, Le Thi Bao Ha and<br />
Nguyen Kim Nhung call the Hotel Metropole Hanoi their second home.<br />
By Beth Young. Photos by Fred Wissink.<br />
Madame Ha flicks through<br />
the journal that houses the<br />
keepsakes she’s gathered since<br />
beginning work at the Hotel<br />
Metropole in 1978. In one photograph,<br />
dated 1995, she poses<br />
with George Bush Senior and<br />
his wife Barbara. A secret service<br />
agent loiters suspiciously in<br />
the background. The first lady<br />
has even left a note. “Thank you<br />
for your superb hospitality,” it<br />
reads.<br />
Over her shoulder, Madame<br />
Nhung, Ha’s best friend and<br />
colleague of more than three<br />
decades, watches on. The pair<br />
shriek with laughter while remi-<br />
28 asialife HCMC<br />
niscing and the slightly-moreserious<br />
Nhung firmly sets the<br />
record straight when Ha adds a<br />
little extra colour to her stories.<br />
Ha begrudgingly lets her. After<br />
all, they’re practically sisters.<br />
Their relationship began in<br />
1976 as students at a tourism<br />
school in Hanoi. Ha was<br />
18, Nhung just 16. “I was the<br />
youngest,” she says. “Everybody<br />
called me em be—the<br />
baby.” Now, as manager of<br />
the Metropole’s Vietnamese<br />
restaurant Spices Garden, her<br />
employees call her mother. “All<br />
the hotel staff they call me and<br />
Madame Ha me,” she laughs at<br />
the irony.<br />
Once they’d finished their<br />
studies, the girls were assigned<br />
to work at the Metropole. Then<br />
it was known as the Thong Nhat<br />
or Reunification Hotel, the name<br />
it assumed when French colonial<br />
rule was put to an end.<br />
When they started in<br />
1978—Nhung as a waitress at<br />
French restaurant Le Beaulieu<br />
and Ha as a tour organiser—<br />
times were tough. The American<br />
War was still a vivid memory<br />
and with the new government<br />
much had changed. The hotel<br />
was also in a state of disrepair,<br />
a far cry from the splendour<br />
Ha (left) and Nhung have been<br />
friends for more than 30 years.<br />
the Metropole had come to be<br />
renowned for since it opened<br />
in 1901.<br />
Ha recalls rats running across<br />
the grounds and inside Le Beaulieu.<br />
Police were stationed all<br />
over the hotel, as well. “There<br />
were policemen everywhere,<br />
watching everyone. We had to<br />
control ourselves when they<br />
were around,” Nhung remembers.<br />
Following the war, the majority<br />
of the Metropole’s guests<br />
were Vietnamese government<br />
officials or diplomats from Communist<br />
countries. And many<br />
foreign embassies worked out of
the hotel since their headquarters<br />
had been destroyed in the<br />
conflict.<br />
Ha remembers these VIPs<br />
well, especially one who drank<br />
three quarters of a bottle of wine<br />
before telling the sommelier it<br />
wasn’t to his liking, and another<br />
who would steal magazines<br />
from the lobby. She relishes<br />
retelling how she put those very<br />
important people in their place.<br />
Over the years Nhung and<br />
Ha have witnessed firsthand<br />
the Metropole’s transformation<br />
from post-war dilapidation to<br />
modern-day grandeur. They<br />
have undergone significant<br />
The Madames on Nhung's<br />
wedding day.<br />
changes themselves. While<br />
Nhung now runs Spices Garden<br />
and Ha is the room service<br />
manager, they’ve worked in<br />
every part of the hotel, even in<br />
security.<br />
When Accor took over in 1992<br />
and began the renovations that<br />
would restore the Metropole to<br />
its former glory, Ha was made<br />
the hotel’s first Vietnamese<br />
manager. It’s an honour she is<br />
still proud of.<br />
Since Accor’s accession, the<br />
hotel has changed yet again.<br />
Not only has a new, more<br />
modern wing been added to the<br />
historic original building, the<br />
atmosphere is decidedly different,<br />
too.<br />
Nhung and Ha say tourists<br />
have replaced diplomats and<br />
more Vietnamese guests are<br />
coming to stay in the hotel and<br />
dine in its restaurants. Service<br />
is better, as well. “Staff attitude<br />
has improved,” Nhung says.<br />
The Madames’ friendship<br />
has evolved, too. Though they<br />
began as classmates and went<br />
on to become co-workers, they<br />
now consider each other family.<br />
Ha puts it best. “We’ve been<br />
together for more than half our<br />
lives,” she says with Nhung’s<br />
hand clasped in hers.<br />
Though Denis Groison was<br />
raised above the pastry<br />
shop his parents owned,<br />
he desperately wanted to<br />
pursue a different line of<br />
work. He chose biochemistry.<br />
After four years of<br />
study, he decided instead<br />
to learn the science behind<br />
authentic French cooking.<br />
He moved to Hanoi a<br />
year ago with his Vietnamese<br />
wife. The couple<br />
met in France, where she’d<br />
been living for a decade.<br />
Prior to taking on the chef<br />
de cuisine position at Le<br />
Beaulieu—Vietnam’s oldest<br />
and most prestigious<br />
French restaurant—Denis<br />
worked in Singapore at<br />
Raffles Hotel.<br />
Since arriving, he’s<br />
shaken up Le Beaulieu’s<br />
fine dining experience<br />
and made it much less<br />
formal. He says eating was<br />
traditionally a shared experience<br />
in France, similar<br />
to the way Vietnamese<br />
families still enjoy meals<br />
together. So he’s fused simple<br />
French cooking with<br />
fresh local produce and<br />
more communal dishes to<br />
encourage a return to those<br />
times. And, he adds, to<br />
embrace the local culture.<br />
“We are in Vietnam, and<br />
the traditional Vietnamese<br />
style of eating is to share,”<br />
he says.<br />
What’s important to<br />
Denis is retaining the spirit<br />
of classic French gastronomy.<br />
Fusion’s not his game,<br />
but he’s happy to substitute<br />
authentic ingredients<br />
with what’s available<br />
locally in a pinch. One<br />
dish he prepares demonstrate<br />
this best: homemade<br />
mushroom ravioli encased<br />
in wonton skin and topped<br />
with a tiny quail egg. Voila.<br />
asialife HCMC 29
After my wedding in 1990, I<br />
continued to work at the tailors<br />
who had given me an apprenticeship<br />
the previous year. This<br />
was a decent way for me to<br />
earn money and contribute to<br />
my new family. The workshop<br />
was also in close proximity to<br />
my parents’ restaurant, which<br />
meant I could continue to help<br />
them out during lunchtime<br />
hours.<br />
At this time doi moi had been<br />
in effect for four years. While<br />
30 asialife HCMC<br />
my parents’ restaurant had been<br />
busy at first, their business was<br />
suffering by 1990. While the<br />
government encouraged private<br />
enterprise, times were hard and<br />
most people didn’t have the<br />
capital to start new businesses.<br />
Also, small towns like Hoi<br />
An couldn’t compete with the<br />
larger cities when it came to<br />
production and distribution.<br />
As a result, many young people<br />
moved to Saigon in search of<br />
work. Hoi An became quieter<br />
Renowned Hoi An restaurateur and cooking school owner<br />
Trinh Diem Vy risked everything to pursue her dream of<br />
owning a restaurant. In this excerpt from her new memoir and<br />
cookbook Taste Vietnam she reminisces about the early days.<br />
and trade in the market was<br />
slower so people had to watch<br />
their spending.<br />
My parents’ restaurant was<br />
the only one in town but people<br />
could no longer afford to buy<br />
daily lunches. My parents had<br />
grown weary with work and no<br />
longer had the energy or saw a<br />
future in the business, so they<br />
made the decision to close the<br />
restaurant. This affected me<br />
profoundly.<br />
I asked Father if he thought I<br />
should stay in Hoi An. He was<br />
wise in giving his advice and<br />
reflected on all the times we<br />
considered leaving Hoi An or<br />
had even attempted to escape<br />
and yet remained here. He<br />
believed there was a reason for<br />
this and that I should wait to see<br />
what direction the town would<br />
take under doi moi. Father told<br />
me I should follow my heart,<br />
that there was potential in the<br />
town and if I decided to start<br />
my own restaurant business, I
Vy (centre) with her family.<br />
would have his and Mother’s<br />
support.<br />
After my talk with Father,<br />
I started looking for a venue<br />
that would be suitable for my<br />
own restaurant. I didn’t want<br />
to take over my parents' space<br />
as the location wasn’t so easy<br />
for people to find. I saw the<br />
old police station garage on the<br />
main street of Tran Phu was being<br />
renovated and would soon<br />
be made available for rent. This<br />
was perfect! Its central position<br />
would guarantee passing trade<br />
as well as regular business from<br />
the market. I knew that if I<br />
acquired the building, my business<br />
would be a success.<br />
When the building went to<br />
auction, there were numerous<br />
bidders and the price rose<br />
quickly. I had taken part in the<br />
first round but eased off for a<br />
outside, however, I remained<br />
calm and told the auctioneer<br />
that I would return soon with<br />
the money.<br />
Straight after the auction, I<br />
went to see my parents. They<br />
asked if I had succeeded in<br />
getting the site. I replied quietly<br />
that I had. They knew something<br />
was wrong but I told them<br />
everything was fine, that I was<br />
sorting it out. At that time I was<br />
literally wringing my hands<br />
with worry—it was then that<br />
I also noticed the shiny new<br />
wedding ring on my finger. Its<br />
worth in gold would be enough<br />
for the deposit. I made the decision<br />
to pawn my wedding ring<br />
so I could open the restaurant.<br />
My instincts told me this was<br />
the right choice to support my<br />
family. After paying the initial<br />
rent, I had 5,000 VND (back<br />
I was literally wringing my hands with<br />
worry—it was then that I also noticed the<br />
shiny new wedding ring on my finger.<br />
few rounds, thinking if there<br />
were fewer bids the price might<br />
stabilise. Then it dawned on me<br />
that I may never find a location<br />
like this again. I felt in my heart<br />
that it was the right place. I also<br />
knew that if I couldn’t get a<br />
location near to the market then<br />
I would lose all my old, loyal<br />
customers and if I wasn’t on the<br />
main street, I would not be visible<br />
to new clients. I had to have<br />
this building! Suddenly, to my<br />
surprise—and everyone else’s—<br />
I put in a bid that would close<br />
the deal. As soon as the words<br />
exited my mouth, I panicked,<br />
thinking, “Oh my goodness,<br />
how am I going to pay the deposit?<br />
I have no money!” On the<br />
then this was US $0.50) leftover,<br />
which wasn’t enough to buy a<br />
day’s worth of food for a family,<br />
let alone an entire restaurant<br />
of people. But I wasn’t worried<br />
about getting supplies, I knew<br />
that I would be able to get food<br />
from the market vendors as<br />
they all knew and respected my<br />
parents. I focused on getting the<br />
restaurant ready for launch.<br />
I went to the fortune-teller<br />
who told me that the next<br />
auspicious day for opening was<br />
in three days. While renovations<br />
were almost complete,<br />
the workers said it would be<br />
another week before everything<br />
was finished. I pleaded<br />
with them to finish it on time.<br />
Fortunately, in the Vietnamese<br />
culture, we place great value on<br />
the astrological charts and so the<br />
workers promised to get it done.<br />
Meanwhile, my brother and<br />
my parents helped to paint<br />
the interior and we placed<br />
bamboo mats up against the<br />
walls. All the equipment from<br />
my parents' restaurant was also<br />
brought over to the new space.<br />
On the opening day, I went to<br />
the market early and placed a<br />
food order with all the vendors,<br />
requesting that they allow me to<br />
pay them at the end of the day.<br />
Since I had worked in the marketplace<br />
all my life and they had<br />
supplied my parents for years,<br />
they accepted the arrangement<br />
in good faith. At 10 am, Mother<br />
placed an offering in front of<br />
the restaurant doors and we lit<br />
firecrackers for good luck. It<br />
was April of 1992 and I had a<br />
restaurant. This was my dream:<br />
the one I believed would help<br />
resolve my family’s struggles.<br />
The day before opening I<br />
had also cycled around town,<br />
visiting factories and businesses<br />
and letting old customers know<br />
about the new restaurant. This<br />
proved to be a very good move<br />
as on my launch day there were<br />
many familiar faces inside. Even<br />
though it was the first day of<br />
business, the restaurant was<br />
nearly as busy as my parents'<br />
restaurant had been during its<br />
peak period. I still feel so much<br />
gratitude for the people who<br />
turned up that day and showed<br />
me their support.<br />
After the launch, business<br />
seemed to improve each day<br />
with a mixture of old and new<br />
customers. Suddenly it was the<br />
winter of 1992—six months had<br />
gone by in a flash! I remember<br />
this time vividly because I went<br />
to check my money belt to see<br />
what the situation was with<br />
the accounts. I was astonished<br />
to see I had made the equivalent<br />
of $100 profit. This was a<br />
lot of money back then! I was<br />
sure I had made a mistake and<br />
counted again. It was correct.<br />
My first instinct was to walk<br />
to my parents' house. On the<br />
way I kept thinking about how<br />
Father had agonised about<br />
asking for a loan from a relative<br />
asialife HCMC 31
in the United States to help pay<br />
for my wedding. He had been<br />
tormented by the need to make<br />
the request and it had kept him<br />
awake at night. When he did<br />
receive the reply, I could see<br />
from the disappointment in his<br />
face that they couldn’t help.<br />
This added to his embarrassment.<br />
I wish I had made this<br />
32 asialife HCMC<br />
money back then to save him<br />
from all the unnecessary stress<br />
and shame he felt.<br />
It was dark and so I was using<br />
a flashlight. When I arrived,<br />
Mother called out in concern.<br />
As I entered, I almost knocked<br />
her over in excitement. When I<br />
showed her the money she reacted<br />
in disbelief, asking whose<br />
money it was. Then she checked<br />
my accounts book to see which<br />
suppliers I owed money to and<br />
also came to the same realisation.<br />
A smile crept over her face<br />
and I found myself beaming<br />
back at her. I had accomplished<br />
what I had set out to do. This<br />
money would be more than<br />
enough to pay for my brother’s<br />
and sisters’ schooling and<br />
would help both sides of my<br />
family with the bills. I felt both<br />
a sense of relief and of pride.<br />
I had been right to trust my<br />
instincts and start the restaurant<br />
business.<br />
To buy a copy of Taste Vietnam<br />
visit restaurant-hoian.com.
FAMILY SUMMER HOLIDAYS<br />
(Applicable for Vietnamese nationals and the Expatriates in Vietnam)<br />
Price:<br />
US$ 188++/ night for Garden view room<br />
US$ 240++/ night for Superior Sea view room<br />
US$ 290++/ night for Deluxe Sea view room<br />
US$ 340++/ night for Deluxe Beachfront room<br />
US$ 365++/ night for Ana Mandara Suite<br />
.<br />
Including:<br />
1 night stay at Evason Ana Mandara<br />
Daily breakfast buffet<br />
Refreshing welcome drink and fruit basket<br />
Round trip shuttle bus airport transfer<br />
Free internet facilities<br />
These rates are subject to 5% service charge and 10% tax.<br />
Terms and conditions<br />
*Valid from 6 May, 2011 to 31 August, 2011<br />
*Based on twin share and minimum stay 2 nights<br />
*Whole family will be maximum 2 adults + 2 children under 12 years old,<br />
sharing per room<br />
Tel: +84 58 3 524 705 Fax: +84 58 3 524 704<br />
E-mail: reservations-nhatrang@sixsenses.com
34 asialife HCMC
HCM City’s newest rock climbing guru is a fast-talking<br />
Renaissance man. By Frances McInnis. Photos by Fred Wissink.<br />
His compact body slides up the<br />
wall and across the ceiling with<br />
impossibly smooth movements.<br />
An arm extends, a knee bends<br />
and, somehow, he propels himself<br />
up to his goal: an electric<br />
blue rock climbing hold in the<br />
shape of a telephone. Hanging<br />
upside down like a fly on the<br />
ceiling, he pretends to make<br />
a call, laughs, and then drops<br />
lightly down to the mats below.<br />
Meet Paul Massad, the<br />
21-year-old owner of Push<br />
Climbing. Push is Vietnam’s<br />
first gym dedicated to bouldering,<br />
a style of rock climbing<br />
done over crash pads without<br />
ropes or harnesses. Massad,<br />
who punctuates his speech with<br />
quick grins, swear words and<br />
sips of strong, black iced coffee,<br />
says he and other bouldering<br />
enthusiasts are the most<br />
laid-back segment of the rock<br />
climbing community. “It’s easy.<br />
You go out and you do it. A mat<br />
and two people, that’s all you<br />
need. No ropes, no anchors,” he<br />
says. “I’m lazy.”<br />
Well, not quite. Opening a<br />
business in Vietnam as a foreigner<br />
requires quite a bit more<br />
than a few mats, and older,<br />
more experienced entrepreneurs<br />
have been stymied by licensing<br />
snafus and language barriers.<br />
Massad tackles those challenges<br />
the same way he climbs: with<br />
unbending tenacity and a bit<br />
of grace. “It’s all patience,”<br />
he explains. “You’ve got to be<br />
willing to wait, to sit down and<br />
wait for the licenses, to bargain<br />
the prices.”<br />
Making the feat yet more<br />
impressive, Massad opened the<br />
gym in less than six months,<br />
all while taking a full academic<br />
load in the Public Relations<br />
department at RMIT. He barely<br />
slept for months before Push<br />
opened in December.<br />
But that punishing pace is<br />
routine for Massad. He seems to<br />
have more energy than normal<br />
humans, and, having barely<br />
begun his 20s, has already done<br />
more than most octogenarians.<br />
He has worked as a candy salesman,<br />
a motorcycle mechanic, a<br />
helicopter tour salesman and<br />
an office drone. He’s been a<br />
supermarket bagger, a commercial<br />
fisherman and a kebab shop<br />
owner. He’s been an ESL teacher<br />
and a dive instructor, and has<br />
lived on four continents.<br />
Massad attributes his willingness<br />
to take risks and try new<br />
experiences to a childhood<br />
in Chiloe Island, in southern<br />
Chile. Living in a community of<br />
only 300 people, his American<br />
father and Chilean mother let<br />
him set his limits. “You could<br />
go anywhere and it was safe.<br />
My parents always gave me<br />
the liberty to do as I pleased: to<br />
roll on the ground, climb trees,<br />
eat anything, come back with<br />
scratches and bruises.”<br />
The family moved to Alaska<br />
when Massad was 15, and it<br />
was there that he started rock<br />
climbing. At first it was stress<br />
release—he was only sleeping<br />
two hours a night back then too,<br />
bagging groceries at a supermarket<br />
chain called Alaska<br />
and Proud, starting a kebab<br />
restaurant and attending school.<br />
Soon, he was a fixture at a local<br />
climbing gym, heading out<br />
to local mountains with other<br />
regulars whenever he could.<br />
After the family moved to<br />
Nha Trang last year, Massad<br />
missed rock climbing. (“My<br />
hands went soft,” he says<br />
shaking his head mournfully.)<br />
He planned a trip to Japan to<br />
satisfy the craving, and trained<br />
to climb Mount Fuji solo at<br />
dawn. Alone with a bottle of<br />
Jack Daniels at the summit, he<br />
watched the sun go up. “I was<br />
breathless. It was an epiphany<br />
moment,” he says with uncharacteristic<br />
solemnity. Then he<br />
grins and adds, “It was just like<br />
The Lion King.”<br />
He hit several bouldering<br />
gyms in Japan, and was gratified<br />
to find they were packed,<br />
with experts and amateurs.<br />
“Everyone having a good time,<br />
fat, short, skinny, tall. It didn’t<br />
matter at all if you’re good or<br />
bad. Then I clicked. This might<br />
work in Vietnam.”<br />
Indeed, Vietnam’s karst limestone<br />
formations produce the<br />
stalactites, caves and pockets<br />
that make for exciting climbing<br />
and the sport has exploded here<br />
in the last few years. Tourists<br />
and expats flock to Halong<br />
Bay and Dalat, HCM City now<br />
boasts two vertical climbing<br />
walls, and teams from across<br />
Southeast Asia converged on<br />
a peak in Phu Yen province in<br />
late March for the country’s<br />
first international rock climbing<br />
competition.<br />
But local residents have<br />
been slower to embrace the<br />
adventure sport, says Massad,<br />
and this is where his ambitions<br />
lie—to bring Vietnamese into<br />
the global climbing community.<br />
“Climbing is a means to<br />
communication where you<br />
don’t need words. It’s a feeling<br />
that you’re part of community.<br />
Climbing here, or in Japan or in<br />
the US, it’s all the same.”<br />
“Still, it’s not easy to have<br />
people try a new thing, especially<br />
where they are committed to<br />
their own culture and traditions,”<br />
he says. “It’s going [to<br />
be] a lot of work.”<br />
Somehow, I think he’s up to<br />
the challenge.<br />
asialife HCMC 35
An astronomical tour of the galaxy is not normally on the menu at even the most<br />
upscale resorts. However, there is one man whose job it is to break down the<br />
mysteries of the heavens to even the most uninformed guests, such as Brett Davis.<br />
Dr Parag Mahajani looks like I<br />
imagine an astronomer should<br />
look. He is wiry and bespectacled,<br />
and possessed of a natural<br />
intelligence. He also has the<br />
enviable role of travelling the<br />
world to enlighten the guests<br />
of the Six Senses resort group<br />
on matters astronomical and<br />
astrological.<br />
He was recently at the group’s<br />
Ninh Van Bay resort, near Nha<br />
Trang, to give a series of lectures<br />
and host a special dinner with<br />
a menu themed on the four elements<br />
of the zodiac.<br />
His lecturing style is entertaining<br />
and informative, weaving<br />
in equal part of zodiac lore<br />
with hard astronomical science<br />
in order to keep both the skeptic<br />
36 asialife HCMC<br />
and the believer intrigued. But<br />
make no mistake where this man<br />
of science stands on the issue.<br />
“I personally don’t believe<br />
in astrology, but it is fun, you<br />
know.” He compares it to watching<br />
a film, “I don’t believe the<br />
movie is real, but I can still enjoy<br />
watching it".<br />
Mumbai educated, Dr Parag<br />
continues to write books and<br />
articles, and gives lectures<br />
around the world. Inspired to<br />
study astronomy after seeing<br />
Hayley’s Comet in his last year<br />
of high school, the drudgery of<br />
pure academic research was not<br />
for him.<br />
“I found academic life boring.<br />
I don’t want to sit in front of a<br />
computer all day, I like being<br />
out, talking to people.<br />
“There is a huge gap between<br />
researchers and the common<br />
people. I want to be the link<br />
between researchers and nonastronomers.”<br />
By all accounts, guests have<br />
responded enthusiastically<br />
whenever Dr Parag has conducted<br />
lectures. “People really love<br />
it,” he says of the astronomy sessions.<br />
“It is intellectual luxury.”<br />
It is this combination of learning<br />
while enjoying premium<br />
hospitality that makes for such a<br />
unique and enjoyable experience.<br />
Dr Parag spent three<br />
months in consultation with the<br />
resort’s head chef to design the<br />
menu for the zodiac dinner.<br />
Each course of the dinner had<br />
to represent one of the four elements<br />
of the zodiac: fire, water,<br />
air and earth. For example, the<br />
water signs of Cancer, Scorpio<br />
and Pisces were represented by<br />
a crayfish tortellini, while the<br />
earth signs of Taurus, Virgo and<br />
Capricorn took the form of Black<br />
Angus Beef with a potato puree<br />
and braised morning glory.<br />
The following evening, guests<br />
were invited to gather on a jetty<br />
protruding from the rocky beach<br />
to study the moon and stars under<br />
the doctor’s guidance, while<br />
tasting a selection of organic<br />
wines from Europe, Australia<br />
and South America. Intellectual<br />
luxury seems a very appropriate<br />
term for it.<br />
Guests at the Six Senses
group’s resorts must appreciate<br />
the pairing of refined surroundings<br />
and child-like wonder you<br />
get from looking through a telescope<br />
at the stars. In addition to<br />
Dr Parag’s lectures and trusty<br />
telescope, the two flagship<br />
resorts in the portfolio—Soneva<br />
Fushi in Maldives and Soneva<br />
Kiri in Thailand— have their<br />
own permanent, fully-functioning<br />
observatories.<br />
Like all of the Six Senses<br />
properties, Ninh Van Bay is<br />
designed to blend in with the<br />
environment by using natural<br />
materials for construction and<br />
maintaining a focus on sustainability.<br />
This includes making<br />
their own drinking water to<br />
reduce the need for plastic<br />
bottles, to growing much of<br />
their own fresh produce on the<br />
island.<br />
General Manager of Six<br />
Senses Ninh Van Bay Wayne<br />
Lunt says the company aims to<br />
be "de-carbonising", or being a<br />
negative emitter of carbon, by<br />
2020. “It is difficult to do as a<br />
resort, but that is why we have<br />
started forests in Thailand to<br />
offset our carbon footprint.”<br />
Lunt says adhering to the resort’s<br />
values of complementing<br />
the natural environment is not<br />
always the cheapest way to do<br />
things, but that it is something<br />
people appreciate in this day<br />
and age.<br />
The resort's villas are barely<br />
visible, scattered amongst<br />
the trees and perched over<br />
rocks along the crescent-moon<br />
shaped bay. Each has its<br />
own infinity–edged pool and<br />
spacious living area with an<br />
enormous day bed. Inside your<br />
own private oasis it is nearly<br />
impossible to see your neighbours<br />
and certainly creates the<br />
impression you have this tropical<br />
paradise all to yourself.<br />
Six Senses has what it calls<br />
its ‘SLOW LIFE’ philosophy:<br />
Sustainable – Local – Organic –<br />
Wholesome Learning – Inspiring<br />
– Fun – Experiences. With<br />
activities like studying the stars<br />
in idyllic surrounds, while<br />
enjoying wonderful food and<br />
wine, it is a philosophy they are<br />
very successfully putting in to<br />
practice.<br />
asialife HCMC 37
There’s more to the ramshackle beach town of El Nido,<br />
on Palawan Island in The Philippines, than a sweeping<br />
seascape of limestone islands and hidden beaches, as<br />
Jade Bilowol discovers. Photos by Landon Carnie.<br />
Flanked by two thick slabs of<br />
timber joined at a 90-degree<br />
angle before her, diminutive<br />
Filipino bartender Anjelyn leans<br />
towards us and blurts out, “Not<br />
many foreigners can speak English!”<br />
To emphasise her point—<br />
and confirm she’s speaking<br />
about her white customers—she<br />
rests her eyes on a Muscovite<br />
she only minutes ago poured a<br />
San Mig for.<br />
This moment encapsulates<br />
what makes The Philippines<br />
pleasantly surprising. The country<br />
takes Asian stereotypes and<br />
turns them upside down. The<br />
Philippines is in Asia but if you<br />
speak English you’ll find you’ll<br />
be greeted with polite, warm<br />
responses in lieu of blank stares.<br />
After all, this is the world’s third<br />
largest English speaking nation,<br />
38 asialife HCMC<br />
stemming from 45 years of<br />
United States rule.<br />
Anjelyn is one of the countless<br />
smiling, happy-go-lucky<br />
Filipinos who make this country<br />
so inviting. While it was an obscenely<br />
large crab that initially<br />
attracted my travel companion<br />
Landon and I to the ‘Balay<br />
Tubay’ restaurant, Anjelyn and<br />
her friendly co-workers’ infectious<br />
personalities lured us back.<br />
After a second consecutive night<br />
of fresh seafood and good wine<br />
Anjelyn invites us to El Nido’s<br />
main Balay Tubay—a live music<br />
venue. El Nido is located near<br />
the northern tip of Palawan. It’s<br />
a small yet thriving beach town,<br />
most of which is sandwiched<br />
between towering, jagged<br />
limestone cliffs mottled with<br />
vegetation.<br />
There are two Balay Tubays<br />
in town, both owned by the<br />
same person, who cheekily<br />
introduces himself as “Bong”.<br />
Filipinos love to come up with<br />
quirky names for themselves.<br />
For example, Jejomar is derived<br />
from JEsus, JOseph and MARy<br />
(The Philippines is a devoutly<br />
Catholic country).<br />
Bong explains his ancestor<br />
Sabas “Tubas” Robles erected<br />
Balay Tubay in 1931, before<br />
it became a secret meeting<br />
place for the guerilla resistance<br />
against Japanese occupation<br />
forces in 1943. It was demolished<br />
in 2004, before reincarnating<br />
at its current locations, the<br />
larger of which showcases local<br />
musicians who play a mixed<br />
bag of rock, reggae and local<br />
numbers seven nights a week.<br />
We eventually pull ourselves<br />
away from the live music at<br />
2.45 am, mounting our hired<br />
scooter for the short ride to our<br />
beach shack tucked away from<br />
El Nido’s main beachfront. As<br />
we retire for the night, we look<br />
out at the silver sheet of water,<br />
shimmering under the moon’s<br />
glow. Beyond are the dark<br />
silhouettes of limestone islands,<br />
in a horizon almost identical<br />
to that of Halong Bay, yet even<br />
more pristine.<br />
Scuba-diving and snorkeling<br />
are very popular in these parts<br />
with a range of boat tours on<br />
offer to take you to isolated bays<br />
and golden beaches. Further<br />
north at Busuanga Island, there’s<br />
said to be some of the best wreck<br />
diving in the world. Dozens of<br />
Japanese Navy ships sunk by
the United States during WWII<br />
sit on the ocean floor just waiting<br />
for divers to explore.<br />
If you’re prone to get seasick<br />
in a bath tub like me, never<br />
fear. Just make sure you are<br />
equipped with some cash as El<br />
Nido, while tourist-orientated<br />
in so many other ways, has<br />
no ATM. The closest ATM is<br />
located eight hours’ drive south<br />
in Puerto Princesa, Palawan’s<br />
capital. Cash permitting there<br />
are plenty of wonderful places<br />
to eat, drink and relax, or treat<br />
yourself to a massage or natural<br />
facial. Obviously you can enjoy<br />
El Nido’s beaches for free and<br />
meander through its streets or<br />
embark on hiking and climbing<br />
trips.<br />
In our final hour in El Nido<br />
we wander down the beach to<br />
the Greenview Resort for breakfast.<br />
The owner Paul reckons<br />
almost all the people who come<br />
to Southeast Asia and visit The<br />
Philippines leave it until last on<br />
their itinerary. “Once they’re<br />
here, they wish they had put it<br />
at the top and allowed for more<br />
time”. I’m not sure about the<br />
accuracy of his figures but I get<br />
his point. It’s definitely a country<br />
that catches you unawares<br />
and disarms you.<br />
We farewell the dogs, cats,<br />
bearcat and large native pig,<br />
which also call the Greenview<br />
Resort home before jumping on<br />
our Honda XRM for the long<br />
ride back to Puerto Princesa. I<br />
am good at vowing to return<br />
to impressive holiday spots<br />
but with El Nido, I know I’ll be<br />
back.<br />
The long and<br />
winding road<br />
to El Nido<br />
The night is pitch-black yet I cannot<br />
remove my sunglasses as they are<br />
obstructing a relentless torrent of bugs<br />
flying into my face. We’re cursing the<br />
dusty, rutted road our scooter is bouncing<br />
along, and we’re cursing ourselves<br />
for not starting this ride earlier in the<br />
day.<br />
Departing Puerto Princesa at 12.30<br />
pm north to El Nido proves not to be<br />
our brightest move. But in our defense<br />
we’d been advised the trip would total<br />
five hours on a road, “that’s fine”.<br />
The first two hours are smooth and<br />
scenic. When we stop for fuel at Roxas,<br />
some locals encouragingly tell us we’re<br />
“halfway” there. But soon we hit dirt<br />
and after a few hours it dawns upon<br />
us this halfway mark is definitely in<br />
regards to kilometres.<br />
“I wish they weren’t so friendly and<br />
would stop saying hello so I don’t have<br />
an accident,” Landon, the driver of the<br />
bike, remarks as yet another enthusiastic<br />
“hello” rings out from yet another<br />
gorgeous child. But the friendly people<br />
and electric-green countryside become<br />
increasingly blotted out in clouds of<br />
dust as the road further deteriorates.<br />
The longer we ride, the seemingly<br />
shorter the gaps between oncoming vehicles<br />
that leave a massive dust-cloud<br />
in their wake. The trip goes on and on.<br />
Things start to feel bleak. I’m tired and<br />
I want to be in El Nido. Now.<br />
My backside aches so much the rest<br />
of my body has grown numb. We<br />
ambitiously saddled a lot of baggage<br />
on our motorbike and the bones in my<br />
arms, after hours of clinging on to several<br />
bags, feel brittle. It takes another<br />
two hours after darkness descends to<br />
reach El Nido. And due to the Lunar<br />
New Year it’s high season here, so<br />
we’re in for another fight trying to find<br />
accommodation.<br />
Eventually we’re settled on a<br />
wooden balcony overlooking a secluded<br />
beach away from the main part<br />
of Barcuit Bay. An Aussie couple starts<br />
up a conversation with us and we soon<br />
establish we all reached El Nido via<br />
motorbike. “There would be people<br />
who would underestimate the time<br />
it takes to get here and have to drive<br />
at night—that would be so bad,” one<br />
of them says. We begin to explain our<br />
7.5-hour ride…<br />
asialife HCMC 39
40 asialife HCMC<br />
Lucky Beef Parts<br />
In 1999 a restaurant opened at<br />
31 Ly Tu Trong in District 1. Its<br />
proper name was Quan Luong<br />
Son. But expats and tourists<br />
alike called it Bo Tung Xeo, after<br />
its signature dish. It's a bit like<br />
Korean barbeque. Although<br />
instead of a gas fire built into<br />
the table, Bo Tung Xeo features<br />
a charcoal brazier brought to<br />
the table, upon which you grill<br />
your own beef and veg. It's<br />
hot and smokey but, hey, it's<br />
also festive and delicious. Of<br />
course you walk out with your<br />
clothes and hair smelling like<br />
grilled meat, and some people<br />
think that's a bad thing, but I<br />
am not among their number.<br />
Same-same with garlic. When<br />
it comes to either garlic or barbeque,<br />
too much is not enough!<br />
Well, so say I. But to my tale.<br />
Quan Luong Son, or Bo<br />
Tung Xeo if you must, was a<br />
beer-gardeny sort of joint. Big,<br />
rambling, part of it in a patio<br />
open to the tropical sky. (So<br />
what if you get a little rain?)<br />
Fish tanks full of fresh seafood<br />
waiting to leap into your mouth<br />
lined one wall. And happiness<br />
and hubbub and bubble and<br />
bustle floated on the air along<br />
with the pungent, beefy smoke<br />
and shouts of recognition and<br />
bursts of laughter and squeals<br />
of kids on a night out with the<br />
folks. It was a favourite and perennial<br />
of my former publisher,<br />
Lonely Planet. Indeed, the LP<br />
Vietnam entry was blown up to<br />
about 100 times true size and<br />
plastered to the eastern wall.<br />
But I digress.<br />
And then, in 2008, for reasons<br />
best not delved in to on this<br />
page, the venerable haunt<br />
suddenly ceased. The smoke<br />
cleared, the shouts echoed<br />
away, the sizzle ceased, and the<br />
mirthful place was no more. But<br />
hallelujah! The Smokey Lady<br />
has returned! And she is at her<br />
old place and just as seductive<br />
as ever.<br />
She's in an old colonial<br />
structure across the street from<br />
what was originally a French<br />
hospital. Indeed, the restaurant<br />
was actually an annex to it<br />
back in the Gaullic days. The<br />
moulded, butter-yellow walls<br />
have aged well, and reflect a<br />
golden light, giving the scene<br />
what we can call a cool warmth.<br />
It looks warm, but feels cool.<br />
The atmo is the same, the menu<br />
is the same. It's as though she<br />
just took a long nap.<br />
So let me tell you a little<br />
about the menu. In addition to<br />
the smokey meat and the swimmingly<br />
fresh fish and the crisp<br />
vegetables, the tasty treats include:<br />
fried scorpions (the sauce<br />
is piquant without being overpowering);<br />
the crocodile is one<br />
of my faves (and is guaranteed<br />
not to have killed or devoured<br />
any humans, at least none of<br />
my acquaintance); the crickets<br />
are crunchy (low in cholesterol,<br />
high in protein); the snakehead<br />
is rather pedestrian (but some<br />
people like it); the nearest<br />
competitors have got nuttin' on<br />
the mutton; and the penis and<br />
ball might be an acquired taste,<br />
but give it a try. Hey, don't be a<br />
wus. Be bold!<br />
And one last thing, about<br />
the Bo Tung Xeo. The term<br />
translates loosely as “lucky<br />
beef parts”. And such they are.<br />
They are small, tender and juicy<br />
parts of bovine, and you are<br />
lucky if you eat them. But the<br />
term “bo tung xeo” also refers<br />
to something else. Something<br />
a bit darker than the starlit sky<br />
above the open patio. It refers<br />
to an ancient form of torture.<br />
Bo Tung Xeo. The term translates<br />
loosely as “lucky beef parts”. And<br />
such they are. They are small, tender<br />
and juicy parts of bovine, and you are<br />
lucky if you eat them.<br />
A torture in which the victim,<br />
be he rich man, poor man,<br />
beggar man or thief; spy, rebel<br />
or assassin, was strapped to a<br />
butcher's table. Then slowly,<br />
inch by inch, little parts of his<br />
body were sliced off and fed<br />
to the baying hounds. Perhaps<br />
a slice an hour, perhaps a slice<br />
a day. It would depend on the<br />
torturer's agenda. If all that was<br />
required of him was a confession,<br />
then the miscreant might<br />
leave minus a steak or a couple<br />
of chops, maybe a little bacon.<br />
But otherwise, it was Death by<br />
a Thousand Cuts. Muhuhahahaha!<br />
Bon appetite, and hope to see<br />
you there.
La Villa A<br />
La Villa’s high-ceilinged dining<br />
room, complete with majestic<br />
timber staircase, is all elegance.<br />
A vase of fresh-cut flowers in<br />
the centre of the space offsets<br />
the all-white walls, as do<br />
antique-style chairs and a black<br />
Eiffel Tower print.<br />
The real treat is outside,<br />
though: a lush garden filled<br />
with tropical ginger and lantana,<br />
shaded beneath a huge<br />
mango tree. A young grey<br />
parrot called Lila perches on<br />
the lowest branch, welcoming<br />
customers to the restaurant that<br />
doubles as her owners’ home.<br />
Chef Thierry Mounon and his<br />
wife Tina live on the top floor<br />
of the two-storey pale pink villa<br />
French fine dining experience in An Phu.<br />
Photos by Fred Wissink.<br />
just off Thao Dien. Thierry grew<br />
up in the south of France and<br />
says his vision was to recreate<br />
an opulent villa like those he<br />
used to admire along the French<br />
Riviera.<br />
Likewise, the compact<br />
menu he’s created brings other<br />
memories to life. One appetizer,<br />
the caillette (US $12), is a special<br />
recipe his great grandmother<br />
passed on to his grandfather.<br />
Pork, liver and sage are<br />
combined to make a fist-sized<br />
meatball, which sits in a rich<br />
tomato sauce. When sliced in<br />
half, a hunk of goat’s cheese<br />
oozes from its core.<br />
Another starter is Fine de<br />
Claire oysters ($10) served on ice<br />
with green caviar and shallot<br />
vinaigrette. This particular oyster<br />
was initially imported from<br />
France and is now farmed in<br />
Nha Trang. Slightly saltier than<br />
the average Vietnamese variety,<br />
the texture is also decidedly less<br />
chewy.<br />
The mains take a little time<br />
but they’re worth the wait. One<br />
dish, a traditional fish stew<br />
or bouillabaisse ($40 including<br />
French cheeses and dessert)<br />
must be ordered one day in advance.<br />
The Australian rack lamb<br />
with orange sauce ($30) and the<br />
cobia fish cooked in crab bisque<br />
with mushroom, cheese and<br />
truffle oil-infused mash ($20)<br />
come a little quicker.<br />
For dessert, Thierry has a<br />
secret weapon in the kitchen.<br />
His pastry-chef godfather<br />
has travelled especially from<br />
France to create treats like the<br />
flaky custard-filled millefeuille<br />
($10) and the doughnut-y peche<br />
briochee ($9).<br />
After spending time with<br />
Thierry it’s no surprise to find<br />
an extended family member<br />
working in the restaurant. After<br />
all, a trip to La Villa is also a<br />
trip to Thierry’s home.<br />
14 Ngo Quang Huy, Thao Dien<br />
Ward, District 2.<br />
Tel: 3898 2082<br />
Open Wednesday to Monday noon till<br />
1.30 pm; 7 pm till late<br />
asialife HCMC 41
El Gaucho An<br />
Specialising in great-quality<br />
steaks and hearty and filling Argentinean<br />
comfort food, it’s best<br />
to visit the newest restaurant in<br />
the El Gaucho chain on an empty<br />
stomach.<br />
With 45 outlets preceding it,<br />
the Saigon establishment follows<br />
the same formula as its counterparts.<br />
The menu is mostly the<br />
same except for some additions<br />
to cater to local tastes, and the<br />
décor has the same rustic feel<br />
that can be found worldwide.<br />
In HCM City, though, the<br />
design seems very fresh. The<br />
downstairs is small and cosy and<br />
backed by the gleaming stainless<br />
steel kitchen. The upstairs is<br />
bright and airy with a fantastic<br />
42 asialife HCMC<br />
Argentinean steakhouse with plenty of<br />
meat on the menu. Photos by Fred Wissink.<br />
heavy-wood bar and outside terrace<br />
that overlooks leafy Nguyen<br />
Sieu.<br />
The food is just as impressive.<br />
To start, crusty white bread is<br />
served with a side of slightlyspicy<br />
chimichuri (40,000 VND).<br />
Similar to salsa, the zesty sauce<br />
is made from diced capsicum,<br />
onion, parsley and olive oil. Next<br />
out is the very substantial Argentinean<br />
beef soup (65,000 VND).<br />
Almost like a stew, the broth is<br />
thick and rich with chunks of<br />
tender beef and potato, and butter<br />
beans.<br />
Homemade chorizo (120,000<br />
VND) and a spicier sausage<br />
called salchicha (120,000 VND)<br />
are available, too. Both are<br />
savoury and fragrant. The beef<br />
empanada (95,000 VND) is also<br />
homemade. Minced beef is<br />
encased in fried pastry to make a<br />
parcel resembling a pasty, albeit<br />
of a more exotic variety.<br />
It’s during the main course<br />
that El Gaucho’s emphasis<br />
on deluxe cuts of premium<br />
imported beef becomes clear.<br />
Cooked medium rare, the<br />
prime Black Angus rib eye<br />
(550,000 VND/250g or 750,000<br />
VND/350g) is unbelievably tender<br />
and flavoursome. The side<br />
of macaroni cheese, rough-cut<br />
chips and sautéed mushrooms<br />
are tasty, too.<br />
The hamburger (250,000 VND)<br />
again showcases a commitment<br />
to top-quality meat. The 350gram<br />
patty, also medium rare, is<br />
thick and juicy and complemented<br />
by a generous stack of tomato,<br />
lettuce, onion and mayonnaise.<br />
One thing seems almost<br />
certain: a trip to El Gaucho is<br />
sure to satisfy HCM City’s most<br />
carnivorous residents. And with<br />
another location set to open at<br />
The Crescent in Phu My Hung<br />
on June 1, and perhaps more<br />
in the near future, El Gaucho<br />
certainly has Saigon covered.<br />
5D/104 Nguyen Sieu, District 1<br />
Tel: 3825 1879.<br />
Open daily for breakfast 8 am to 11<br />
am, lunch 11 am to 2.30 pm, dinner<br />
3 pm till late
Cuc Gach Quan Family-style<br />
Go to Cuc Gach Quan and<br />
you’ll wish you lived there.<br />
Tucked behind a half-open gate<br />
on Dang Tat, the restaurant is a<br />
series of nooks filled with deep,<br />
leather chairs, salvaged-wood<br />
tables and armoires stacked<br />
with blue-and-white china<br />
bowls. Head up the ladder-like<br />
staircase to find a bedroominspired<br />
second floor, featuring<br />
a canopied bed for lounging<br />
and a spectacular terracotta tile<br />
ceiling.<br />
“The main idea was to recreate<br />
a home,” says owner Thai<br />
Tu-Tho who bought the colonial<br />
mansion with her partner, architect<br />
Tran Binh, to supplement<br />
Vietnamese food served in artful<br />
surroundings. Photos by Eunji Chung.<br />
their first restaurant on Thach<br />
Thi Thanh. (Incidentally, Tran’s<br />
assiduous redesign—and the<br />
fact that his architecture firm<br />
occupies the top two floors—is<br />
responsible for the restaurant’s<br />
nickname of “Architect’s<br />
House” among HCM City’s<br />
expats.) “The two of us live far<br />
from our families, and we’re not<br />
the only ones in Saigon away<br />
from home. This is for people<br />
who miss the taste and simplicity<br />
of family-style food.”<br />
Even those who didn’t grow<br />
up in Vietnamese homes will<br />
appreciate the Southern dishes<br />
cooked with care by chef duo<br />
Co Diep (vegetables and salads)<br />
and Chi Bay (meat and stir<br />
fries). Sipping on fresh fruit<br />
juices that arrive in glass bottles<br />
with whimsical rolled-leaf stoppers<br />
(55,000 VND), we sample<br />
cuon diep or lettuce rolls with<br />
prawn (60,000 VND), each bearing<br />
an orange prawn trussed on<br />
the top.<br />
The homemade tofu also<br />
impresses—we marvel a<br />
deep-fried version topped with<br />
crispy chilli-fried lemongrass<br />
(65,000 VND). As good as it<br />
is, though, it’s forgotten as the<br />
thit kho trung—stewed pork in<br />
clay pot—arrives at the table<br />
(75,000 VND). Pieces of pork<br />
and a hardboiled egg bathe in<br />
a rich, brown salty sauce and<br />
conversation stalls apart from<br />
an occasional grunt of delight.<br />
Unlike the set menu on offer<br />
at the Thach Thi Thanh location,<br />
the menu here is extensive<br />
to the point of bewildering; if<br />
you’re feeling overwhelmed,<br />
the staff will happily provide<br />
recommendations or even<br />
choose your entire meal. All<br />
you need to do is grab a pair<br />
of chopsticks out of the can at<br />
the end of the table and make<br />
yourself at home.<br />
10 Dang Tat, District 1<br />
Tel: 3848 0144<br />
Open daily 9 am till midnight<br />
asialife HCMC 43
44 asialife HCMC<br />
Behind the Design:<br />
CJ BIKES<br />
Two guys with a passion for motorbikes are helping people unleash<br />
their inner Easy Rider. By Brett Davis. Photos by Fred Wissink.<br />
Saigon is a motorbike town.<br />
Even if you arrive here with<br />
minimal or even no previous<br />
experience, it doesn’t take long<br />
to get caught up in the excitement<br />
and feeling of freedom<br />
that comes with riding a<br />
motorbike.<br />
Once you are at that point, it<br />
is a short step to casting admiring<br />
glances at some of the cool<br />
rides you see around town, be<br />
it a tricked-out retro scooter,<br />
a restored vintage classic or a<br />
mean chopper.<br />
Canadian Jason Steiner and<br />
business partner Chuong Tran<br />
are helping make some of those<br />
two-wheel dreams come true<br />
through their custom motorcycle<br />
business CJ Bikes. The<br />
pair and their team of mechanics<br />
and painters have turned<br />
out about 35 custom built and<br />
restored bikes in the company’s<br />
18 months of existence.<br />
The enterprise came about<br />
when Steiner was looking for<br />
someone to help him restore an<br />
old bike, and found the small<br />
workshop on Nguyen Van Cu<br />
on the border of District 1 and<br />
5. “Chuong and his guys did a<br />
spectacular job,” Steiner says,<br />
and the idea for the business<br />
was born.<br />
Still operating out of that<br />
same workshop and with a<br />
sales office at 114 Bui Vien, the<br />
guys keep some bikes in stock<br />
but usually start from scratch<br />
with each customer. “People<br />
can come to us with an idea or a<br />
picture, whatever they want really<br />
we can do it,” Steiner says.<br />
The bikes are stripped down<br />
to the frame and rebuilt. From<br />
there you are really only limited<br />
by your imagination and your<br />
budget.<br />
Gas tanks, exhausts, tires,<br />
fenders, handlebars, tail and<br />
shocks can all be tinkered with.<br />
At present they must build off<br />
existing frames, but are looking<br />
for welders with the necessary
expertise to enable them to<br />
build frames from scratch.<br />
Often the raw materials they<br />
begin with are bikes like the<br />
Honda CD, Magna or Daelim.<br />
The latter are good for rebuilding<br />
into roadsters, which are<br />
the most popular type of bike<br />
the shop is producing.<br />
Steiner’s own bike was<br />
purchased as more or less a<br />
complete wreck after it had<br />
been involved in a crash. The<br />
engine was in good order but<br />
the rest was completely rebuilt<br />
at the shop.<br />
“A lot of people want<br />
something different and we can<br />
do that for them. We are also<br />
seeing a lot of people who are<br />
just tired of scooters and want<br />
to move up to a real bike.”<br />
About 60 percent of the<br />
shop’s customers are foreigners,<br />
but the local market is growing.<br />
Steiner says as young Vietnamese<br />
guys begin to earn more<br />
money, they want a bike that<br />
sets them apart from the crowd.<br />
“They maybe don’t have the<br />
ability to buy a big-money bike<br />
direct from the factory but they<br />
can spend a few thousand dollars<br />
and we can make something<br />
spectacular for them.”<br />
You can get a good custom<br />
bike for around US $3000,<br />
although the guys have done<br />
bikes up to about $9000. Steiner<br />
says all their bikes have a<br />
one-year service warranty<br />
on engines, and they pride<br />
themselves on their after-sale<br />
service.<br />
“We will go out to customers’<br />
homes to help them out<br />
with problems, even something<br />
as small as not knowing how<br />
to use the choke or getting the<br />
bike started using the kick start.<br />
“A lot of people come here<br />
not knowing much about bikes<br />
but they really get into it.”<br />
For more information visit<br />
c-jbikes.tumblr.com<br />
asialife HCMC 45
46 asialife HCMC<br />
In 1959, Nguyen Trung, then 19, created his<br />
first artwork. It was a figurative painting<br />
that depicted Saigon. A touch over five<br />
decades later, the city still features heavily<br />
in his art and in particular served as the<br />
inspiration for his latest body of work<br />
“Grey White Black”. Using only the three<br />
colours, Trung sought to translate his personal<br />
observations of Saigon on to canvas<br />
plus a sense of nostalgia for another city he<br />
loves—Paris.<br />
While the darker shades represent HCM<br />
City and what Trung calls its “graffiti”—the<br />
marks and scratches etched into the walls<br />
of old buildings and weathered alleyways,<br />
the white symbolises the snow he first<br />
saw in France. “It left a great impression<br />
on me,” he says, adding that the memory<br />
was triggered when a friend from the US<br />
sent a photograph of an American winter<br />
wonderland.<br />
This image was the impetus for “Grey<br />
White Black” and also signalled the end of<br />
a six-year absence from the public sphere<br />
since his last exhibition “Blackboard”. The<br />
reason for the break: a complete lack of<br />
inspiration. But with a whisper of the past<br />
Trung’s passion was restored and the city<br />
again became his muse.<br />
Abstract artist Nguyen Trung<br />
observes Saigon with a keen eye,<br />
taking in every nuance, then reflecting<br />
the city’s essence back through his<br />
paintings. Beth Young visits his<br />
studio. Photos by Huynh Ho Quang.
To communicate its frantic energy Trung<br />
uses atypical tools. Paintbrushes the size<br />
of small brooms line a patch of wall in his<br />
crowded studio along with a selection of<br />
rollers. A plastic container of rusty nails<br />
and an antique porcelain bowl filled with<br />
corks lie among the countless tubes of<br />
acrylic paint. According to Trung, they can<br />
“Using my hands to paint gives<br />
me freedom to express myself.”<br />
all be used to create art. Still, his favourite<br />
tools are his hands. When elbow-deep in a<br />
project he says he can best express himself.<br />
With a career spanning half a century<br />
and punctuated by French colonial rule<br />
and the American War, Trung has become<br />
one of Vietnam’s most well-known and collectable<br />
artists. His style has evolved over<br />
the years, but the use of a subdued palette<br />
has remained fairly constant. While he has<br />
plans to use even less colour in the near future,<br />
he predicts that one day he may inject<br />
his work with shocks of red or yellow.<br />
He does make one promise, though:<br />
there will be no repeats. His work may<br />
continue to tell a story of Saigon but that<br />
tale will be reworked, taking on a totally<br />
different aesthetic each time.<br />
asialife HCMC 47
48 asialife HCMC<br />
Kirsty Josephine Proud<br />
Vandalism<br />
Acrylic paint on canvas<br />
Tran Kieu Tu Minh<br />
Natural Beauty: Glamour<br />
Lino print & mono print on paper<br />
At the end of April some final<br />
year students at the British<br />
International School will be<br />
showcasing artwork undertaken<br />
as part of the International<br />
Baccalaureate Diploma.<br />
The students were able to<br />
work in any visual medium<br />
and used techniques such as oil<br />
and acrylic paints on canvas,<br />
linoprinting, monoprinting and<br />
etching. Other students produced<br />
sculpture, installations<br />
and digital art.<br />
The school’s Head of Art and<br />
Design Richard Harper said the<br />
students had to develop their<br />
own thematic approach and<br />
ideas for their work.<br />
“I was there to guide them<br />
but they really had to undertake<br />
some personal investiga-<br />
Pham Ngoc Minh Khanh<br />
Bend & Shift<br />
Oil paint on canvas<br />
tion to come up with their<br />
ideas.”<br />
An exhibition for students<br />
and parents will be held at the<br />
British International School<br />
later this month. Following this<br />
some selected works will be<br />
displayed at the restaurant and<br />
gallery space FLOW in District<br />
1 from Friday April 29 to Sunday<br />
May 1.
Mac Hoang Cuc Phuong<br />
The Harmony<br />
Acrylic paint on canvas<br />
Bui Thanh Truc<br />
Tempting<br />
Digital painting printed on board<br />
Da Eun Oh<br />
Road to the City<br />
Acrylic paint on canvas<br />
Kyoung Eun Park<br />
Not It<br />
Watercolour and coloured pencil on paper<br />
Nguyen Phan Tu Bao<br />
In My Eyes<br />
Oil pastel on paper<br />
asialife HCMC 49
50 asialife HCMC<br />
MY<br />
FUTURE'S<br />
SO<br />
BRIGHT<br />
I GOTTA WEAR SHADES<br />
Styling by Hanh Edbrooke and Anthony Thong Nguyen<br />
Photos by Fred Wissink<br />
Eyewear Plaza: 33 Nguyen Du, D1<br />
Jess Luxury Eyewear: Vincom, Parkson, Diamond<br />
Eyewear Hut: 1 Truong Dinh, D1, 15-17 Truong Dinh, D1, 169-171 Duong 3/2, D10,<br />
101-103 Nguyen Trai, D1, Vincom, Tax Plaza, Diamond
Nike<br />
4,100,000 VND<br />
Givenchy<br />
5,900,000 VND<br />
Timberland<br />
3,600,000 VND<br />
Ermenegildo<br />
Zegna<br />
5,900,000 VND<br />
asialife HCMC 51
Charriol<br />
4,830,000 VND<br />
Escada<br />
4,250,000 VND<br />
Dior<br />
5,550,000 VND<br />
Dior<br />
5,000,000 VND<br />
52 asialife HCMC
Zegna<br />
5,270,000 VND<br />
Ray-Ban<br />
4,000,000 VND<br />
Levi's<br />
1,900,000 VND<br />
Tom Ford<br />
8,500,000 VND<br />
asialife HCMC 53
listings<br />
hotel &<br />
travel<br />
AIRLINES<br />
air asia<br />
254 De Tham, D1 Tel: 3838 9810<br />
www.airasia.com<br />
Asia’s largest low-cost airline operates<br />
one daily flight between HCM City-Hanoi,<br />
as well as international flights to Bangkok,<br />
Phuket, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.<br />
air france<br />
130 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3829 0981<br />
ext. 82<br />
Fax: 3822 0537<br />
www.airfrance.com.vn<br />
An airline with a vast and effective global<br />
network. Now flies direct to Paris.<br />
Cathay Pacific<br />
72-74 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D3<br />
Tel: 3822 3203<br />
www.cathaypacific.com<br />
Hong Kong-based airline makes three<br />
flights daily to HCM City and two flights<br />
daily to Hong Kong’s international airport.<br />
Fares start at about $300.<br />
Jetstar Pacific<br />
www.jetstar.com<br />
Budget branch of Australian Qantas<br />
flies into Can Tho, Danang, Hanoi, Hai<br />
Phong, HCM City, Hue, Nha Trang and<br />
Vinh and operates cheap flights from<br />
HCM City to Siem Reap and Bangkok.<br />
Check out Friday Fare Frenzy online<br />
promotion from 2 to 5 pm every Friday.<br />
54 asialife HCMC<br />
Malaysia airlines<br />
www.malaysiaairlines.com<br />
Offers daily flights from Hanoi and HCM<br />
City to Kuala Lumpur for about $200<br />
round trip, with four economy class fare<br />
levels: low, basic, smart and flex.<br />
Philippine airways<br />
229 Dong Khoi, D3 Tel: 3822 2241<br />
www.philippineairlines.com<br />
Operates daily service from HCM City to<br />
Manila, offering fare options through the<br />
PAL Econo Light Class.<br />
Royal Brunei<br />
Level 4, 129A Nguyen Hue, D1<br />
Tel: 3914 6868<br />
www.bruneiair.com<br />
Royal Brunei provides scheduled service<br />
across Asia, the Middle East, United<br />
Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.<br />
Thai airways<br />
65 Nguyen Du, Tel: 3829 2810<br />
29 Le Duan, D1<br />
www.thaiair.com<br />
Bangkok-based airline connects twice<br />
daily between the Thai capital and HCM<br />
City and Hanoi. Multiple daily flights are<br />
also operated from both to Phnom Penh<br />
and Phuket.<br />
Vietnam airlines<br />
Hanoi: 94 Tran Quoc Toan<br />
Tel: 942 0848<br />
HCM City: 116 Nguyen Hue, D1<br />
Tel: 3832 0320<br />
www.vietnamair.com.vn<br />
The domestic route map is extensive,<br />
with several flights daily between major<br />
and less touristed cities throughout<br />
Vietnam. Flies internationally throughout<br />
Asia and to Paris, Frankfurt, Moscow,<br />
Sydney, Melboure, Los Angeles and San<br />
Francisco.<br />
CON DAO<br />
Con Dao Resort<br />
8 Nguyen Duc Thuan Tel: 06 4830 949<br />
www.condaoresort.com<br />
Modern hotel with 45 rooms and seven<br />
villas set on 2km of private beach.<br />
On-premise facilities include restaurant,<br />
bar, beach-view swimming pool, tennis<br />
court and volleyball. Organizes outdoor<br />
activities and tours.<br />
Saigon Con Dao Resort<br />
18-24 Ton Duc Thang Tel: 06 4830 155<br />
www.saigoncondaoresort.com<br />
Opened in summer 2009, Saigon Tourist’s<br />
82-room hotel has a restaurant,<br />
swimming pool, tennis court and health<br />
club with sauna. Another 30 villas are<br />
available in the adjacent sister hotel, a<br />
renovated colonial-era administration<br />
building. Tours organized by hotel.<br />
Six senses Con Dao<br />
Dat Doc Beach, Con Dao District, Ba<br />
Ria - Vung Tau Province, Vietnam Tel:<br />
06 43831 222, Fax : +84 64 3831 456<br />
www.saigoncondaoresort.com<br />
The first five-star resort in this unspoilt<br />
archipelago, Six Senses Con Dao's 50<br />
villas sit along a mile of sandy beach,<br />
sheltered by green forested hills behind<br />
and with stunning vistas of the sea Each<br />
villa also has its own infinity-edged<br />
swimming pool.<br />
DALAT<br />
ana Mandara Villas Resort & Spa<br />
Le Lai, Ward 5, Dalat Tel: 063 3555<br />
888<br />
www.anamandara-resort.com<br />
Luxury 35-acre resort encompasses 17<br />
restored early 20th-century villas and<br />
65 rooms set in the rural highlands. La<br />
Cochinchine Spa offers wide range of<br />
treatments. Le Petite Dalat Restaurant<br />
serves Vietnamese and fusion cuisine.<br />
Heated swimming pool, art gallery and<br />
cooking classes in organic garden.<br />
Mercure Dalat<br />
7 Tran Phu, Dalat Tel: 063 3825 777<br />
www.mercure.com<br />
Built in 1932 as the Hotel Du Parc, this<br />
144-room resort pairs French colonial architecture<br />
with modern amenities. Cafe<br />
De Le Poste serves French home-style,<br />
international and Vietnamese cuisine.<br />
Facilities include tennis court and sauna<br />
escape take flight with travel promotions around the region<br />
La Residence Hotel & Spa, Hue<br />
To celebrate Easter, La Residence Hotel &<br />
Spa will include a 60-minute aromatherapy<br />
massage for two, welcome fruit<br />
basket, chocolate bunny and daily buffet<br />
breakfast with rooms for US $98 ++ per<br />
person (based on double occupancy).<br />
Valid until May 30. Call 54 3837 475,<br />
email resa@la-residence-hue.com or visit<br />
la-residence-hue.com.<br />
InterContinental<br />
Through May 8, Spa InterContinental will<br />
offer a rejuvenating facial treatment for<br />
1,650,000 VND ++ per treatment. First,<br />
pure rosemary concentrate is applied<br />
to deep clean and purify the skin. Then,<br />
rosewood oil and neroli oil is applied. Fifty<br />
percent discount for second person. Call<br />
3520 9999.<br />
Vedana Lagoon<br />
Until September 30, the Vedana Lagoon<br />
will offer a special opening promotion:<br />
two nights for the price of one, or three<br />
nights for the price of two plus one<br />
60-minute body treatment per person<br />
at Vedana Wellness. The 27-hectare<br />
property, located on the edge of a lagoon<br />
between Hue and Hoi An, combines contemporary<br />
high-end living with traditional<br />
and modern therapies like meditation,<br />
Reiki, tai chi and yoga. Visit vedanalagoon.com.<br />
Saigon Park Hyatt<br />
Xuan Spa is now offering its signature Absolute<br />
Sanctuary package for 2,080,000<br />
VND ++ per person. The package<br />
includes a 25-minute orange scrub,<br />
45-minute aroma massage, 40-minute<br />
facial and a healthy smoothie. Call 3824<br />
1234 or email saigon.park@hyatt.com.<br />
Six Senses Ninh Van Bay<br />
Join yoga instructor Michelle Lloyd and<br />
massage therapist Sarah Martin for a<br />
three-day wellness retreat from May 20<br />
Sofitel Dalat Palace<br />
12 Tran Phu, Dalat Tel: 063 3825 444<br />
www.accorhotels-asia.com<br />
Stately lakeside hotel was built in 1920s<br />
and retains the period’s aesthetic. It<br />
encompasses 38 rooms, five suites, a<br />
gourmet restaurant, brasserie, piano bar<br />
and Larry’s Bar. Golf can be arranged,<br />
and there’s tennis, boules, snooker and<br />
billiards on premise.<br />
activities<br />
Phat Tire Ventures<br />
73 Truong Cong Dinh Tel: 63 3829 422<br />
www.phattireventures.com<br />
Runs guided trips for hiking/trekking,<br />
mountain biking, rock climbing, kayaking<br />
and canyoning in the highlands surrounding<br />
Dalat. Also operates mixed trip<br />
adventure packages and ropes course<br />
set among pine forest with 100+ metre<br />
Flying Fox zip line.<br />
Dalat Easy Rider Tours<br />
70 Phan Dinh Phung<br />
dalateasyriders@yahoo.com<br />
www.dalat-easyrider.com<br />
Ride pillion with English-, French- or<br />
German-speaking tour guides on motorbike<br />
adventures that start in Dalat and<br />
snake through mountains, jungles and<br />
deltas, lasting anywhere from three to 21<br />
days. Trips terminate in Nha Trang, Hoi<br />
An, Hanoi, Mui Ne or HCM City. All hotels<br />
and entrance fees included.<br />
HANOI<br />
intercontinental Westlake Hanoi<br />
1A Nghi Tam, Tay Ho Tel: 04 6270 8888<br />
www.intercontinental.com<br />
Located on the waterfront with contemporary<br />
Vietnamese design, restaurants,<br />
business services, fitness centre including<br />
exercise classes and pool.<br />
Hanoi Hilton Opera<br />
1 Le Thanh Tong, Hoan Kiem<br />
Tel: 04 3933 0500<br />
www.hilton.com<br />
Housed in a colonial-style building<br />
that complements the adjacent Opera<br />
House, this luxury hotel features modern<br />
to 23. Single occupancy in a hilltop/<br />
spa suite villa starts at US $1,290 ++<br />
and includes three nights accommodation,<br />
airport transfers, daily vinyasa flow<br />
yoga and relaxation sessions, a massage<br />
therapy session with Sarah and three<br />
organic meals per day (a interactive raw<br />
cooking class is included, too.) Guests<br />
can choose from a daily 60-minute signature<br />
massage or body scrub, as well. For<br />
bookings, email reservations-ninhvan@<br />
sixsenses.com.<br />
Hotel Equatorial HCM City<br />
The Hotel Equatorial is now offering<br />
guests “cash back” incentives. The hotel<br />
will give guests US $40 credit that can<br />
be spent at the bar, in the restaurants,<br />
on internet, treats from the mini bar or a<br />
massage at the spa. Half of the unspent<br />
credit will be paid back to guests. The<br />
promotion applies to rooms starting from<br />
US $138++ per night. Call 3839 7777<br />
ext. 8086.
amenities, business services, outdoor<br />
pool and fitness centre. Vietnamese specialties<br />
are served at Ba Mien, and Chez<br />
Manon does Japanese and pan-Asian.<br />
Melia Hanoi Hotel<br />
44B Ly Thuong Kiet Tel: 04 3934 3343<br />
www.meliahanoi.com<br />
Located in the city centre with 306 comfortable<br />
guestrooms elegantly decorated,<br />
complete with a host of modern amenities.<br />
Dining includes Asian cuisine at El<br />
Patio and El Oriental, snacks at Cava<br />
Lounge and tapas at Latino Bar.<br />
Mercure Hanoi la Gare<br />
94 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hoan Kiem<br />
Tel: 04 3944 7766<br />
www.accorhotels.com<br />
Situated in the Old Quarter with 102<br />
bright, spacious and modern rooms,<br />
Brasserie Le Pavillion restaurant serves<br />
Vietnamese and international cuisine.<br />
Mövenpick Hotel Hanoi<br />
83A Ly Thuong Kiet<br />
Tel: 3822 2800<br />
www.moevenpick-hotels.com<br />
Conveniently located in the heart of<br />
Hanoi’s business district, a 40-minute<br />
drive from Noi Bai International Airport<br />
and only 5 minutes from the city centre,<br />
Mövenpick Hotel Hanoi is the latest<br />
five-star hotel in town, tailored to meet<br />
the needs of discerning guests and<br />
especially corporate travellers.<br />
Sheraton Hotel Hanoi<br />
K5 Nghi Tam, 11 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho<br />
Tel: 04 3719 9000<br />
www.starwoodhotels.com<br />
“Resort within a city” boasts 299 spacious<br />
guest rooms with panoramic views,<br />
fitness centre, international restaurant<br />
and Hemisphere Vietnamese restaurant.<br />
Sofitel Metropole<br />
15 Ngo Quyen, Hoan Kiem<br />
Tel: 04 3826 6919<br />
56 asialife HCMC<br />
www.sofitel.com<br />
Located downtown. Colonial-style hotel<br />
with well-regarded restaurants/bars serving<br />
French & Vietnamese cuisine, plus<br />
Italian steak house.<br />
HO CHI MINH CITY<br />
Caravelle Hotel<br />
19 Lam Son Square, D1 Tel: 3823 4999<br />
www.caravellehotel.com<br />
One of the city’s most prestigious<br />
venues. Features a casino, Reflections<br />
Restaurant and al fresco 9th-floor Saigon<br />
Saigon Bar.<br />
equatorial<br />
242 Tran Binh Trong D5 Tel: 3839 7777<br />
www.equatorial.com/hcm<br />
On the intersect of 4 districts, with 333<br />
rooms, Orientica Seafood restaurant<br />
and bar, Chit Chat cafe, pool (swim-up<br />
bar), gym.<br />
interContinental asiana Saigon<br />
Corner of Hai Ba Trung & Le Duan, D1<br />
Tel: 3520 9999<br />
saigon@interconti.com<br />
www.intercontinental.com/saigon<br />
305 rooms/suites with floor-to-ceiling<br />
windows, five restaurants/bars, meeting/<br />
banquet facilities, spa/health club and<br />
lounge with panoramic view.<br />
Möevenpick Hotel Saigon<br />
253 Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan<br />
Tel: 3844 9222<br />
www.moevenpick-saigon.com<br />
Has 278 well-appointed rooms/suites,<br />
five restaurants/bars, meeting/banquet<br />
facilities and a shopping arcade as well<br />
as a popular e-gaming centre.<br />
New World Hotel<br />
76 Le Lai, D1 Tel: 3822 8888<br />
www.newworldsaigon.com<br />
Located in the city centre, with gym,<br />
outdoor pool, tennis court, event space<br />
and Dynasty Chinese restaurant.<br />
Park Hyatt<br />
2 Lam Son Square, D1 Tel: 3824 1234<br />
www.saigon.park.hyatt.com<br />
Luxury colonial-style hotel includes 21<br />
suites, lobby lounge with live music,<br />
Xuan Spa, pool, gym, international dining<br />
at Square One.<br />
Renaissance Riverside<br />
8-15 Ton Duc Thang, D1<br />
Tel: 3822 0033<br />
www.renaissancehotels.com<br />
349 rooms/suites with panoramic views<br />
over Saigon River. Conference/banquet<br />
facilities, rooftop pool, gym, two<br />
restaurants.<br />
Sheraton<br />
88 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3827 2828<br />
www.sheraton.com/saigon<br />
Luxury downtown hotel with Level 23<br />
bar, Mojo cafe, Li Bai Chinese restaurant,<br />
fine dining at The Signature on the<br />
23rd floor.<br />
Sofitel Saigon Plaza<br />
17 Le Duan, D1 Tel: 3824 1555<br />
www.sofitel.com/2077<br />
One of the city’s top hotels with in-room<br />
Wi-Fi, two restaurants with international<br />
cuisine, two bars, six conference<br />
rooms, outdoor swimming pool, fitness<br />
centre.<br />
Windsor Plaza<br />
18 An Duong Vuong, D5<br />
Tel: 3833 6688<br />
services@windsorplazahotel.com<br />
www.windsorplazahotel.com<br />
Located in a main shopping hub. Four<br />
restaurants, modern discotheque,<br />
conference centre, casino, health club,<br />
shopping centre, supermarket, Chinese<br />
restaurant.<br />
activities<br />
Saigon Scooter Centre<br />
25/7 Cuu Long, Tan Binh District<br />
Tel: 4848 7816<br />
www.saigonscootercentre.com<br />
One-stop rental service with a wide selection<br />
of scooters/motorbikes available<br />
for around town travel or long trips<br />
Vietnam Vespa Adventures<br />
169 De Tham, D1, Pham Ngu Lao<br />
Tel: 3920 3897<br />
www.vietnamvespaadventures.com<br />
Headquaters located in Cafe Zoom.<br />
Offers 3-day trips to Mui Ne, 8-days to<br />
Nha Trang or half-day tours of HCMC<br />
on classic Vespas.<br />
HOI AN & DANANG<br />
life Resort Hoi an<br />
1 Pham Hong Thai, Hoi An<br />
Tel: 0510 3914 555<br />
www.life-resorts.com<br />
Within walking distance of Hoi An.<br />
Rooms are chic and minimalist, offering<br />
all the mod cons. Two restaurants, two<br />
bars and an outdoor pool.<br />
Nam Hai<br />
Tel: 0510 3940 000<br />
www.ghmhotel.com<br />
Luxury resort accommodation from<br />
single villas to sumptuous five-room<br />
dwellings with private pools. Facilities<br />
include 8 private spa villas; 3 beachfront<br />
swimming pools; library; and tennis,<br />
basketball and badminton courts.<br />
Palm Garden Resort Hoi an<br />
Lac Long Quan Street, Cua Dai Beach,<br />
Hoi An<br />
Tel: 0510 3 927 927<br />
www.palmgardenresort.com.vn<br />
Set on 5 hectares of landscaped<br />
tropical garden in an enviable beach<br />
location, the Palm Garden Resort offers<br />
an exceptional green environment with<br />
over 400 species of palm trees and<br />
plants along the famous Cua Dai Beach<br />
in the UNESCO-recognized world heritage<br />
site of Hoi An Ancient City.
Victoria Hoi an Beach Resort & Spa<br />
Cua Dai Beach Tel: 0510 3927 040<br />
www.victoriahotels-asia.com<br />
Set on its own stretch of beach with<br />
105 rooms spread through a traditional<br />
fishing village design of small “streets”<br />
and ponds.<br />
activities<br />
Hoi an Motorbike adventures<br />
Tel: 0918 230 653<br />
www.motorbiketours-hoian.com<br />
Two-wheeled tours of the Central<br />
Highlands, Ho Chi Minh Trail, Monkey<br />
Mountain and more on a fleet of Minsk<br />
dirt bikes and fully and semi-automatic<br />
motorbikes. Customers can drive or be<br />
driven on half- to five-day trips.<br />
Phat Tire Ventures<br />
619 Hai Ba Trung Tel: 0510 391 1700<br />
www.phattireventures.com<br />
Offers rappelling and rock climbing at<br />
Marble Mountains, as well as walking<br />
and mountain biking excursions, from<br />
two-hour countryside trips to two-day<br />
cycling trips to Hue. Also does cultural<br />
and historical tours and car trips to My<br />
Son Holy Land.<br />
Vietnam Sailing<br />
88 Nguyen Thai Hoc Tel: 0918 255 521<br />
www.vietnamsailing.com<br />
Foreign-operated company operates<br />
chartered coach or private tours to<br />
Cham Islands aboard a Corsair Sprint<br />
750 Trimaran. One-day cruises or twoday<br />
excursions with beach camping by<br />
campfire are available.<br />
HUE<br />
Celadon Palace Hue<br />
105A Hung Vuong Tel: 054 3936 666<br />
www.celadonpalacehue.com<br />
Grand building inspired by Indochine<br />
Nobel House with panoramic views, international<br />
restaurant, lounge/bars, pool,<br />
ballroom and wedding planning.<br />
imperial Hue<br />
57 Dang Dung Tel: 054 3522 478<br />
www.imperial-hotel.com.vn<br />
Opulent high-rise hotel with panoramic<br />
views of the city and Ngu Binh Mountain.<br />
Facilities include swimming pool, gym,<br />
Royal spa, Prince Club casino and business<br />
centre.<br />
la Residence<br />
5 Le Loi Tel: 054 3837 475<br />
www.la-residence-hue.com<br />
Former governor’s residence on the<br />
banks of the Perfume River is now home<br />
to a boutique resort where art deco<br />
meets Indochine. La Parfum restaurant<br />
serves local and international dishes.<br />
Facilitiesa include spa, saltwater pool,<br />
tennis court and fleet of bicycles.<br />
Mercure Hue Gerbera<br />
38 Le Loi Tel: 054 3946 688<br />
www.mercure.com<br />
Overlooking the Perfume River, this<br />
centrally located hotel has 110 contemporary<br />
rooms. Local Hue cuisine and<br />
international fare served at Le Bordeaux,<br />
and drinks served up top at Sky Bar or in<br />
the ground-floor Lobby Bar.<br />
Pilgrimage Village Resort & Spa<br />
130 Minh Mang Tel: 054 3885 461<br />
www.pilgrimagevillage.com<br />
Boutique resort with hut, bungalow and<br />
villa accommodation draws on natural<br />
environment and local culture. Features<br />
Vedana spa, two restaurants serving<br />
Vietnamese & Western food and imported<br />
wines and three bar/lounges.<br />
NHA TRANG<br />
evason Hideaway at ana Mandara<br />
Ninh Van Bay, Ninh Hoa, Khanh Hoa<br />
Tel: 058 3728 222<br />
www.sixsenses.com/hideawayanamandara<br />
An island hideaway accessible only by<br />
boat, 58 private pool villas, international<br />
and local restaurants, wedding services,<br />
water sports and scuba diving.<br />
evason ana Mandara Nha Trang<br />
Beachside, Tran Phu, Nha Trang<br />
Tel: 058 3522 222<br />
www.sixsenses.com/evasonanamandara<br />
Beachside resort set in 26,000 square<br />
metres of tropical garden, with 74 guest<br />
villas, three restaurants, Six Senses Spa.<br />
Hon Tam Resort Representative<br />
Office<br />
Level 1, 68 Le Loi, D1 Tel: 3822 0632<br />
sales@hontamresort.vn<br />
A boutique eco-resort set on Hon Tam<br />
Island, located off Nha Trang.<br />
Novotel Nha Trang<br />
50 Tran Phu Tel: 058 625 6900<br />
www.novotel-nhatrang.com<br />
Each of the 154 rooms has a terrace with<br />
seaviews in this modern hotel located<br />
in the city centre. The Square serves<br />
international cuisine in a dining room<br />
overlooking the bay.<br />
Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa<br />
26 - 28 Tran Phu, Nha Trang, Khanh<br />
Hoa Tel: 58 388 0000<br />
www.sheraton.com/nhatrang<br />
Luxury hotel with 284 ocean view rooms,<br />
six restaurants and bars, club lounge,<br />
infinity edge swimming pool, spa, yoga<br />
studio, cooking school, Sheraton Adventure<br />
Club and (connected at) Link@<br />
Sheraton.<br />
Sunrise Beach Resort<br />
12-14 Tran Phu, Nha Trang<br />
Tel: 058 3820 999<br />
www.sunrisehotelvietnam.com<br />
Private beach resort equipped with gym,<br />
fitness centre, outdoor pool and water<br />
sports.<br />
PHAN THIET<br />
full Moon<br />
98A Nguyen Dinh Chieu<br />
Tel: 062 3847 008<br />
fullmoon@windsurf-vietnam.com<br />
Resort set in a private garden with<br />
lovingly decorated bedrooms and<br />
terracotta-tiled bathrooms. The grounds<br />
include a good Vietnamese restaurant,<br />
pool and kitesurfing school.<br />
l’anmien Beach Resort<br />
Mui Ne Beach, Km10, Ham Tien Ward<br />
Tel: 062 3741 888<br />
www.lanmienresort.com<br />
Beachfront resort with 90 fully equipped<br />
rooms, business centre, spa, fitness<br />
centre and outdoor pool.<br />
Princess D’annam Resort and Spa<br />
Khu Hon Lan, Tan Thanh, Ham Thuan<br />
Nam, Binh Thuan<br />
Tel: 062 3682 222<br />
www.princessannam.com<br />
Located on Ke Ga Bay with 57 exclusive<br />
villas, eight swimming pools, two<br />
restaurants and 1,800 square metres<br />
spa complex.<br />
Romana Resort<br />
KM8, Mui Ne, Phan Thiet<br />
Tel: 062 3741 289<br />
www.romanaresort.com.vn<br />
10 beachfront villas and 18 hill villas<br />
with private pools and all the mod cons.<br />
The Sailing Club<br />
24 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Mui Ne,<br />
Phan Thiet Tel: 062 3847 440<br />
www.sailingclubvietnam.com<br />
Open bar overlooking the sea, spacious<br />
rooms, restaurant, swimming pool and<br />
day spa.<br />
Victoria Phan Thiet Resort and Spa<br />
Mui Ne Beach Tel: 84 62 3813 000<br />
www.victoriahotels-asia.com<br />
asialife HCMC 57
58 asialife HCMC<br />
Located on a private beach, 60 cosy<br />
bungalows, natural spa experiences<br />
among other great activities on offer at<br />
the resort.<br />
activities<br />
C2Sky Kitesurfing<br />
Sunny Beach, 64-66 Nguyen Dinh<br />
Chieu Tel: 0916655241<br />
www.c2skykitecenter.com<br />
Operates two schools roughly 500m<br />
apart, staffed by IKO-certified instructors.<br />
Offers a half dozen course types,<br />
as well as instructor training. Equipment<br />
rental and repair.<br />
Jibes Beach Club<br />
84-90 Nguyen Dinh Chieu<br />
Tel: 062 3847 008<br />
www.windsurf-vietnam.com<br />
IKO-licensed kitesurfing centre offers<br />
highly structured kitesurfing classes<br />
taught by experienced watersportsmen.<br />
Also offer windsurfing lessons and retails<br />
in watersports equipment (bodyboards,<br />
kayaks, surfboards, windsurfs).<br />
Mui Ne Cooking School<br />
Sunshine Beach Resort, 84 Tuyen<br />
Quang Tel: 062 383 0755<br />
Al fresco classes begin with a trip to<br />
Rang Market and focus on the provincial<br />
cuisine of Binh Thuan, like banh xeo<br />
(crepes with beef or seafood) and goi<br />
hai san (seafood salad).<br />
Surfpoint<br />
217 Nguyen Dinh Chieu<br />
www.surfpoint-vietnam.com<br />
Offers private and group kiteboarding<br />
courses and equipment rental (from<br />
$40-50/hr). Also runs group and private<br />
surfing lessons, as well as kayaking trips<br />
to Song Quao Lake.<br />
WindChimes School<br />
Saigon Mui Ne Resort, 56 Nguyen Dinh<br />
Chieu<br />
www.kiteboarding-vietnam.com<br />
Surf school situated on 235m of beach<br />
offers kiteboarding, windsurfing and<br />
surfing classes in multiple languages<br />
taught by IKO-certified instructors.<br />
Equipment rented and trips organised.<br />
Satellite school at Bamboo Village<br />
Resort.<br />
PHU QUOC<br />
la Veranda<br />
Ward 1, Duong Dong Beach<br />
Tel: 077 3982 888<br />
www.laverandaresort.com<br />
Set amid tropical gardens along a<br />
beach. Features a highly-rated spa,<br />
beach grill, Vietnamese, Asian and European<br />
cuisine.<br />
Mango Bay<br />
Ong Lang Beach, Phu Quoc<br />
Tel: 0903 382 207<br />
www.mangobayphuquoc.com<br />
Low-cost seaside resort with ecological<br />
outlook promotes nature activities, forest<br />
walks, snorkelling, open-air seafood<br />
restaurant. No TV or telephone.<br />
SAPA<br />
Chau long Hotel<br />
24 Dong Loi Tel: 020 3871 245<br />
www.chaulonghotel.com<br />
Mid-range hotel with wraparound<br />
construction offering panoramic views.<br />
Rooms in the newer wing are more attractive,<br />
with dark wood furnishings and<br />
polished hardwood floors.<br />
Topas eco lodge<br />
24 Muong Hoa Tel: 020 3871 331<br />
www.topasecolodge.com<br />
Overlooking the Hoang Lien Mountains,<br />
Topas is comprised of 25 white granite<br />
and golden hardwood lodges powered<br />
by solar energy. Premises include<br />
restaurant in traditional Tay stilt house,<br />
and Topas offers a range of outdoor<br />
activities, including mountain biking and<br />
trekking.<br />
Victoria Sapa Resort<br />
Sapa District, Lao Cai Province<br />
Tel: 020 0871 522<br />
www.victoriahotels-asia.com<br />
Mountain chalet perched over the village<br />
wth cosy but modern guestrooms<br />
overlooking the lawn and garden. Ta Van<br />
restaurant overlooks Mount Fansipan<br />
and Ta Fin bar has a stone hearth<br />
fireplace. Connection from Hanoi by<br />
private train.<br />
SCUBA DIVING<br />
Note: <strong>AsiaLIFE</strong> only lists dive centres<br />
recognized by international dive training<br />
programs, such as the Professional<br />
Association of Dive Instructors (PADI)<br />
and Scuba Schools International (SSI).<br />
We strongly advise against diving with<br />
unaccredited dive centres in Vietnam.<br />
Rainbow Divers<br />
55 Nguyen Dang Giai, An Phu, D2<br />
Tel: 3744 6825<br />
www.divevietnam.com<br />
Diving tours and career/instructor<br />
development offered by Vietnam’s first<br />
PADI centre. established in the mid-<br />
90s. All courses can be started at the<br />
state-of-the-art dive centre in An Phu,<br />
from beginner pool work and theory to<br />
divemaster and instructor certification.<br />
Operates dive centres in Nha Trang,<br />
Whale Island, Hoi An and Phu Quoc.<br />
Octopus Diving<br />
62 Tran Phu, Nha Trang<br />
058 826 528<br />
www.divenhatrang.com<br />
PADI/SSI dive centre based in Nha<br />
Trang and affiliated with the Sailing Club<br />
Co., with additional centres in Mui Ne<br />
and Hoi An. Offers a range of services,<br />
including children’s Bubblemaker classes,<br />
courses in specialised techniques<br />
and divemaster certification.<br />
VUNG TAU<br />
Ho Tram Beach Resort & Spa<br />
Ho Tram Village, Xuyen Moc<br />
Tel: 06 4378 1525<br />
www.hotramresort.com<br />
Located about 45km from Vung Tau in<br />
the Phuoc Buu Reserve Forest, Ho Tram<br />
Beach Resort & Spa boasts uniquely<br />
designed bungalows and villas.<br />
River Ray Resort<br />
159-163 Thuy Van Tel: 06 4362 8888<br />
www.imperialhotelvietnam.com<br />
Victorian-style hotel with 152 rooms,<br />
outdoor pool, shopping mall and fully<br />
serviced gym.<br />
TRAVEL AGENTS<br />
Buffalo Tours<br />
Suite 601, Satra House, 58 Dong Khoi<br />
D1 Tel: 3827 9170<br />
www.buffalotours.com<br />
Tailor-made itineraries, communitybased<br />
tourism, cultural tours, adventure<br />
trips, golfing and premium trips offered<br />
by locally run and well-respected travel<br />
agent.<br />
exotissimo<br />
HCMC: 20 Hai Ba Trung St, D1<br />
Tel: 3827 2911<br />
infosgn@exotissimo.com<br />
SD5-2 Grand View, Nguyen Duc Canh,<br />
Phu My Hung, D7 Tel: 5412 2761/62<br />
pmh@exotissimo.com<br />
HANOI: 26 Tran Nhat Duat St,<br />
Hoan Kiem Tel: 04 3828 2150<br />
infohanoi@exotissimo.com<br />
www.exotissimo.com<br />
French-owned agency specializing in<br />
flight bookings, package holidays and a<br />
range of well-run cultural and historical<br />
tours of Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
USD 225 net/ Mandarin Suite/ Night.<br />
Validity: From Validity: 10 Jan until 2011; 30 except November 30 Apr 2010 - 2 May 2011.<br />
Rate is valid for Local Residents and Vietnamese<br />
living oversea visiting Vietnam.<br />
Terms & Conditions Apply.<br />
For minimum 10 rooms paid will get 1 FOC room with breakfast<br />
Please ask for Weekday Special Oers.
listings<br />
food &<br />
drink<br />
BAR RESTAURANTS<br />
ala Mezon<br />
10 Chu Manh Trinh, D1 Tel: 6291 0447<br />
www.alamezon.vn<br />
Colourful four-storey venue serves fusion<br />
French-Japanese cuisine, as well as<br />
cocktails and wine by the glass. Space<br />
spans a restaurant, lounge and main<br />
bar and spacious, airy rooftop. Open 5<br />
pm to late.<br />
alibi<br />
5A Nguyen Sieu, D1 Tel: 3822 3240<br />
Hip without being showy, this versatile<br />
venue has a pleasant front porch, stand<br />
up bar and comfortable lounge seating<br />
with bright, warm décor and great tunes.<br />
Drinks list is extensive and the food<br />
menu boasts French-style mains.<br />
Bread & Butter<br />
40/26 Bui Vien, D1 Tel: 3836 8452<br />
Lunch menu of American classics<br />
(California burritos, po boy sandwiches),<br />
Brit pub dinner (bangers & mash, fish &<br />
chips) and Sunday evening roast. Serves<br />
Huda Beer from Hue. Closed 2:30 pm to<br />
5 pm and Mondays.<br />
Bernie's Bar & Grill<br />
19 Thai Van Lung, D1 Tel: 3822 2684<br />
Serves a solid menu of certified Angus<br />
and imported Aussie steaks, fresh<br />
pasta, thin crust pizza, sandwiches and<br />
mains in an old school steak house<br />
setting. Drink menu includes smoothies,<br />
cocktails, premium wines and spirits and<br />
Saigon's largest martini. <br />
Buddha Bar<br />
7 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 2080<br />
An Phu institution serves up tasty meals<br />
60 asialife HCMC<br />
and good drinks in a friendly, chilled environment.<br />
Plenty of room to relax inside or<br />
out, plus a pool table on premise. <br />
Cafe latin<br />
17 Dong Du, D1<br />
In its third location, this expat favourite<br />
continues to deliver good food, an<br />
extensive drink list and a comfortable<br />
atmosphere. Two levels to watch sport<br />
on or simply unwind. Said to serve the<br />
best chicken parmigiana in Vietnam.<br />
Corso Steakhouse & Bar<br />
Norfolk Hotel, 117 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
Located in the chic Norfolk Hotel Corso<br />
Steakhouse & Bar is well known for its<br />
steak imported from the US and Australia.<br />
Good destination for both lunch<br />
and dinner.<br />
K Cafe<br />
28 Do Quang Dau, D1 Tel: 3913 4673<br />
www.kcafevietnam.com<br />
This down-to-earth bistro-bar is a haven<br />
for French-speaking emigrés looking for<br />
an alternative in the backpackers’ area.<br />
Prop up the bar with a beer or Ricard,<br />
or tuck into the tasty Gallic fare. Good<br />
atmosphere for conversation. <br />
la Habana<br />
6 Cao Ba Quat, D1 Tel: 3829 5180<br />
www.lahabana-saigon.com<br />
This charming little place has seating<br />
indoors and outdoors, upstairs and<br />
downstairs to fit your dining pleasure.<br />
Relaxed environment with frequent live<br />
music. Offers Spanish and Cuban fare<br />
including paella and a tapas fiesta comprising<br />
three plates. Open late daily.<br />
le Pub<br />
175/ 22 Pham Ngu Lao, D1<br />
www.lepub.org<br />
One of Pham Ngu Lao’s favourite<br />
watering holes, Le Pub also has a good<br />
menu of well-executed pub grub and<br />
international favourites. Hearty breakfast<br />
is available all day and specials are offered<br />
daily.<br />
Mogambos<br />
50 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3825 1311<br />
This restaurant has been around since<br />
the mid-1990s, which offers an insight<br />
into its enduring quality. Specializes in<br />
American grain-fed steaks, hamburgers<br />
and salads served in a pleasant<br />
atmosphere. <br />
feast broaden your palate with promotions around town<br />
Yu Chu<br />
InterContinental Asiana Saigon’s signature<br />
Chinese restaurant Yu Chu is<br />
offering a special all-you-can-eat dim<br />
sum promotion for 300,000 VND ++ per<br />
person including iced or hot tea. The<br />
deal is available noon to 2.30 pm daily.<br />
Call 3520 9999.<br />
Basilico<br />
Every Friday night, starting March 11,<br />
Basilico will prepare a meat or seafood<br />
barbeque platter for two for 999,000<br />
VND. The platter includes a rack of lamb,<br />
beef skewers, cutlets and tenderloin or a<br />
selection of lobster, salmon, tiger prawn<br />
and squid. A mixed platter is also on offer.<br />
Call 3520 9099.<br />
O’Brien’s<br />
74/A2 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3829 3198<br />
A large Celtic-style pub popular with<br />
media types that has an interior done in<br />
brickwork and wood, and an upstairs<br />
dining area. Draught beer is happy<br />
hour between 3 pm and 7 pm. Great<br />
pizzas.<br />
Pasha Bar & Restaurant<br />
25 Dong Du, D1 Tel: 08 629 136 77<br />
www.pasha.com.vn<br />
Turkish–Mediterranean restaurant located<br />
in heart of HCMC serves halal and high<br />
quality food with ingredients imported<br />
from Turkey, Spain, Singapore, Egypt,<br />
New Zealand, Japan and France. Long<br />
happy hour half price by glass. Various<br />
shisha flavours.<br />
Peaches: The Curry Pub<br />
Sky Garden 2, S57-1, Phu My Hung, D7<br />
Tel: 5410 0999<br />
Serves up dishes from Thailand, Vietnam,<br />
Malaysia, China, Japan, Singapore<br />
and Indonesia with a focus on healthy<br />
preparation and fresh produce.<br />
Phatty’s<br />
46-48 Ton That Thiep, D1<br />
Tel: 3821 0705<br />
www.phattysbar.com<br />
Jaspa’s Steve Hardy and Ben Winspear’s<br />
sports bar has five widescreen TVs, a<br />
large drop-down screen and lots of pub<br />
grub and beer for fans looking to take in<br />
a game or two.<br />
Qing<br />
110 Pasteur, D1<br />
www.qing.com.vn<br />
Sophisticated downtown bar just off Le<br />
Loi specializes in Asian tapas, Asian/<br />
South American fusion dishes and a few<br />
delectable deserts. Variety of good wines<br />
by the glass or bottle.<br />
Sheridan’s irish House<br />
17/13 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3823 0793<br />
www.sheridansbarvn.com<br />
Cosy Irish pub with authentic Irish decor,<br />
a pleasant atmosphere and regular live<br />
music. Wide range of classic pub grub,<br />
East Asian dishes and a fantastic breakfast<br />
fry-up available from 8 am.<br />
Storm P Bar & Restaurant<br />
5B Nguyen Sieu, D1 Tel: 3827 4738<br />
www.stormp.vn<br />
This friendly hangout is a favourite with<br />
Nineteen Restaurant<br />
On Sunday, April 24, Caravelle Hotel’s<br />
Nineteen Restaurant will host an Easter<br />
brunch. For 1,144,000 VND ++ per person,<br />
the brunch includes a salad bar, barbeque<br />
station, choice of soups, appetizers and a<br />
range of traditional main courses like roast<br />
turkey, duck and rabbit. Call 3823 4999 or<br />
visit caravellehotel.com.<br />
The Deck<br />
The Deck has launched its new lunch menu,<br />
Tall Orders. Available everyday from 11 am<br />
until 4 pm, different set menus including<br />
options like Asian fusion dim sum, yakatori<br />
chicken leek skewers and Peking duck<br />
fillet pancake roll are offered starting from<br />
190,000 VND ++ including a pot of tea.<br />
both the Scandinavian community and<br />
English-speaking expats. Offers Danish<br />
cuisine to go with the drinks. <br />
The Tavern<br />
R2/24 Hung Gia 3, Bui Bang Doan, D7<br />
Tel: 5410 3900<br />
Boasts good international food, a pool<br />
table, dartboards and sports coverage<br />
on large screens. Outdoor seating on<br />
mutiple levels. Second floor sports<br />
lounge hosts DJs at the weekends. <br />
Vasco’s Bar<br />
74/7D Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3824 2888<br />
Chic bar decked in deep reds that gets<br />
packed to capacity on weekends. Open<br />
Monday to Saturday with live music on<br />
Fridays. Food menu by chef with over 10<br />
years experience at La Camargue. Also<br />
does excellent pizza. <br />
ZanZBar<br />
41 Dong Du, D1<br />
Funky, modern interiors and varied<br />
international breakfast, lunch and dinner<br />
cuisine. Imported beers, cocktails,<br />
gourmet espresso coffee, and happy<br />
hours make ZanZBar a great after-work<br />
spot. Open late.<br />
CAFES<br />
annam Cafe<br />
16-18 Hai Ba Trung<br />
Cosy corner cafe with free Wi-Fi overlooking<br />
Hai Ba Trung. Serves a slate of<br />
gourmet sandwiches, coffee and wine.<br />
Bobby Brewer’s<br />
45 Bui Vien, D1 Tel: 3920 4090<br />
70 Nguyen Cong Tru, D1 Tel: 3821 8100<br />
86 Pham Ngoc Thach, D3 Tel: 6299<br />
1990<br />
www.bobbybrewers.com<br />
This is an attractive fast-food style coffee<br />
shop with friendly staff and good lattes.<br />
All the coffee is roasted on the premises<br />
and there are comfortable couches and<br />
travellers aplenty making it a chilled place<br />
to hang out. <br />
Cafe Terrace<br />
Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi, D1<br />
This funky café is frequented by trendy<br />
types attracted by the leather lounges,<br />
outdoor terrace and 52 non-alcoholic<br />
fruit concotions.<br />
Cay Da Cafe<br />
Ground floor, Moevenpick Hotel Saigon
253 Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan<br />
Tel: 3844 9222 ext. 118<br />
www.moevenpick-saigon.com<br />
Stocks the Moevenpick’s chef’s most<br />
delicious cakes, pastries, ice cream and<br />
sandwiches.<br />
Coffee Bean & Tea leaf<br />
12-14 Thai Van Lung, D1<br />
94 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D3<br />
Nowzone, 235 Nguyen Van Cu, D5<br />
Metropolitan Bldng, 235 Dong Khoi,<br />
D1<br />
International café chain with a wide<br />
variety of coffees and teas, as well as<br />
light snacks and food. Also sells freshroasted<br />
coffee beans and tins of whole<br />
leaf tea. <br />
illy Café<br />
111A Pasteur, D1 Tel: 2220 2388<br />
Fax: 2220 2389<br />
Grand View Shop SA1-1, SB2-1<br />
Nguyen Duc Canh, D7 Tel: 5412 3292<br />
Fax: 5412 3293<br />
An Italian-style coffee bar that serves<br />
Illy—a world-renowned espresso blend.<br />
Makes classic coffees like the cappuccino<br />
as well as innovative alcoholic and<br />
non-alcoholic cocktails. Also serve light<br />
Italian cuisine and desserts.<br />
Jubarcalypse<br />
35 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3827 7930<br />
Jubarcalypse has an interesting underground<br />
design. Playing jazz music, it’s<br />
the perfect place to re-energize with<br />
a refreshing selection of juices and<br />
snacks.<br />
loaves and fishes<br />
5 Street 11, Thao Dien, D2<br />
Tel: 3547 0577<br />
Coffee house on a side street near<br />
Riverside Apartments serves up drinks<br />
and serves the full line of Western-style<br />
baked goods from Harvest Baking.<br />
Mojo<br />
88 Dong Khoi, D1<br />
www.sheratonsaigon.com<br />
A top-end cafe with an attractive interior,<br />
outdoor terrace at street level and comfortable<br />
lounges upstairs. Good business<br />
coffee or lunch venue.<br />
Paris Deli<br />
35 Dong Khoi, D1<br />
Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi, D1<br />
Tel: 3821 6127<br />
Grand View Building, Nguyen Duc<br />
Canh, Phu My Hung, D7 Tel: 412 2179<br />
Petite boulangerie/cafe decked out with<br />
French-style furnishings. Offering tasty<br />
French and international dishes with a<br />
range of lunchtime specials at reasonable<br />
prices.<br />
That’s Café<br />
Rivergarden, 170 Nguyen Van Huong,<br />
D2<br />
The Crescent, 103 Ton Dat Tien, Phu<br />
My Hung, D7<br />
Hailing from the U.S., That’s Café is<br />
a new Khai Silk initiative. Claiming to<br />
provide the best coffee in town in a<br />
comfortable and friendly atmosphere, it’s<br />
a great place to hold a business meeting<br />
or catch up with friends.<br />
Une Journee a Paris<br />
234 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3827 7723<br />
15B Ngo Quang Huy, An Phu, D2<br />
Tel: 0128 608 9551<br />
A Parisian-style café that serve French<br />
cuisine, coffee and pastries like fondant<br />
chocolat, baba au rhum and tropezienne.<br />
Free Wi-Fi. Open Monday to Saturday<br />
from 7 am to 7 pm.<br />
X Cafe<br />
58 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3914 2142<br />
212 A2 Nguyen Trai, D1 Tel: 3925 9307<br />
Bright, spacious foreign-run cafe<br />
decorated in the style of an Alpine chalet.<br />
Popular with local makers and shakers,<br />
has a great open-plan upstairs area and<br />
two outdoor terraces. Regular live music<br />
and homemade ice cream. Nguyen Trai<br />
location includes children’s playground.<br />
Catering available.<br />
Zenta<br />
41 Mac Dinh Chi, D3<br />
A large, extravagant, kitsch cafe with<br />
several rooms resembling airport departure<br />
lounges. Customers, though, tend to<br />
gravitate to the more attractive outdoor<br />
terrace with its pond and waterfall-style<br />
water features.<br />
CHINESE<br />
Dragon Court<br />
11-13 Lam Son Square, D1<br />
Tel: 3827 2566<br />
Open until 2am, this vast, no-frills eatery<br />
gets packed with hungry locals who<br />
savour generous portions of tasty dim<br />
sum. All the Chinese staples are here.<br />
Expect a good feed for under 100,000<br />
VND per person.<br />
Dynasty Restaurant<br />
New World Hotel, 76 Le Lai, D1<br />
Tel: 3822 8888<br />
Fine Chinese dining in an opulent restaurant<br />
reminiscent of the Middle Kingdom’s<br />
imperial days. Delicacies clock in at<br />
500,000 VND, but most dishes fall<br />
between 80,000 to 180,000 VND.<br />
Huy long Vien<br />
99 Nguyen Du, D1 Tel: 3823 7799<br />
www.huylongvien.com<br />
A magnificent Chinese restaurant with<br />
a leafy slate-tiled courtyard, Chinese<br />
lanterns and a labyrinth of water works.<br />
Lunchtime dim sum is 120,000 VND,<br />
while the a la carte menu runs higher<br />
with Chinese specialties such as Peking<br />
duck for 400,000 VND.<br />
Kabin<br />
Renaissance Riverside Hotel, 8-15 Ton<br />
Duc Thang, D1 Tel: 3822 0033<br />
Elegant dining space with beautiful decor<br />
and great views over the river offers<br />
extensive lunch and dinner menus featuring<br />
authentic gourmet Cantonese and<br />
Szechuan dishes and an assortment of<br />
dim sum at lunchtime.<br />
li Bai<br />
Sheraton Hotel, 88 Dong Khoi, D1<br />
Tel: 3827 2828<br />
Imperial-styled restaurant named after<br />
a famous Chinese poet. Excellent lunch<br />
time dim sum buffet for USD $17.00.<br />
Nightly à la carte menu with dishes going<br />
from 100,000 VND.<br />
lotus Court<br />
1st floor, Moevenpick Hotel Saigon<br />
253 Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan<br />
Tel: 3844 9222 ext. 168<br />
www.moevenpick-saigon.com<br />
Dim Sum and exciting Cantonese cuisine<br />
in a unique and elegant setting.<br />
Ming Dynasty<br />
23 Nguyen Khac Vien, Phu My Hung<br />
Tel: 5411 5555<br />
Decorated in Ming Dynasty-style; offers<br />
100 dim sum varieties and 300 dishes<br />
prepared by a chef from Hong Kong. The<br />
restaurant’s Imperial Buffet costs USD<br />
$39 per person and includes free flow<br />
of wine.<br />
Ngan Dinh Chinese Restaurant<br />
Windsor Plaza Hotel, 18 An Duong<br />
Vuong, D5 Tel: 3833 6688<br />
Beautiful wood paneling, colourful hanging<br />
lanterns and a sparkling mineral gallery<br />
make for a relaxing dining experience<br />
at the Windsor. Feast on roasted Pi Pa<br />
duck, giant grouper and steamed king<br />
prawns. Be sure to check out monthly<br />
specials.<br />
Ocean Palace<br />
2 Le Duan, D1 Tel: 3911 8822<br />
Both traditional and trendy Chinese<br />
dishes are prepared by chef from Hong<br />
asialife HCMC 61
imbibe<br />
Kiwi Quenchers<br />
By <strong>Grace</strong> lewis<br />
Everyone who likes white wine<br />
knows that New Zealand’s<br />
Marlborough region produces<br />
some of the world’s best<br />
specimens. But, if you’re looking<br />
to branch out, you might<br />
consider trying something<br />
from Ohau Vineyards, says<br />
Billy Dela of Bacchus Corner.<br />
The vineyard is the first<br />
in what will surely be New<br />
Zealand’s newest wine growing<br />
region in the lower North<br />
Island. The Ohau River has<br />
been depositing gravel for<br />
centuries producing the stony<br />
yet fertile soil that grapes<br />
need.<br />
All three of Ohau’s wines—<br />
Ohau Gravels Sauvignon<br />
Blanc, Pinot Gris and Woven<br />
Stone Sauvignon Blanc—are<br />
already award winners, having<br />
been recognised at the 2009<br />
New Zealand International<br />
Wine Show, the 2009 Romeo<br />
Bragato Awards, and the<br />
2009 Air New Zealand Wine<br />
awards.<br />
If you are already a white<br />
wine lover, Dela says Ohau<br />
Vineyards' sauvignon blancs<br />
share the same passionfruit<br />
and citrus flavours that the<br />
Marlborough region is known<br />
for. For a heavier white, try<br />
Ohau Gravels Pinot Gris. It<br />
pairs well with fruits, cream,<br />
and chocolate.<br />
Ohau even has a HCM City<br />
connection: Peter Healy, the<br />
vineyard’s marketing manager,<br />
lived in Vietnam for many<br />
years as the former New<br />
62 asialife HCMC<br />
Zealand Consul General.<br />
Still, white wine in Vietnam<br />
can be a tough sell. Historically,<br />
HCM City’s Vietnamese<br />
population prefers heavy, red<br />
French wines. Bacchus Corner<br />
took a big risk recently by<br />
offering a wine tasting dinner<br />
to foreigners and locals solely<br />
featuring white wine. Dela and<br />
his colleagues knew the decision<br />
was potentially a dicey<br />
one, but, with the seafood<br />
pairings, guests responded<br />
with enthusiasm.<br />
Another way Bacchus Corner<br />
is encouraging locals to<br />
step out of their wine comfort<br />
zone is with their single tasting<br />
machine, which allows potential<br />
buyers to try wines instore.<br />
The devaluation of the<br />
dong has caused wine prices<br />
to climb, putting the range<br />
of New Zealand whites from<br />
370,000 to 860,000 VND. For<br />
a beginner white wine drinker,<br />
spending 580,000 VND for a<br />
bottle of Ohau’s Woven Stone<br />
Sauvignon Blanc or 680,000<br />
VND for Ohau Gravels may<br />
seem like a big commitment.<br />
But, when you are able to<br />
have a glass of an entry level<br />
wine and then compare it to a<br />
mid-range wine like Ohau, the<br />
difference in quality is evident.<br />
So, the timing is right; Bacchus<br />
Corner is introducing<br />
Ohau Vineyards to Vietnam<br />
just as locals are realising the<br />
attraction of white wine. After<br />
all, nothing beats the heat like<br />
a cool white wine.<br />
Banh Tai Yen<br />
Banh tai yen is a subtly<br />
sweet cake that is made<br />
completely from rice flour<br />
and quickly deep-fried in<br />
hot oil until it has turned<br />
dark brown and puffs up<br />
around the edges. Tai yen<br />
translates to "swallow’s<br />
Kong and served in an opulent 280-seat<br />
dining room in this restaurant opposite<br />
the zoo. Intimate private rooms and larger<br />
party rooms available for booking.<br />
Shang Palace Restaurant<br />
Norfolk Mansion, 17-19-21 Ly Tu Trong,<br />
D1 Tel: 3823 2221<br />
www.shangpalace.com.vn<br />
An upscale Chinese restaurant with a spacious<br />
and welcoming atmosphere. The<br />
menu boasts a wide range of Hong Kong<br />
Cantonese cuisine, including both dim<br />
sum, a la carte and set menus, regularly<br />
changed by the creative chefs.<br />
Thao li Restaurant<br />
Grand View C, Nguyen Duc Canh, Phu<br />
My Hung Tel: 5412 5999<br />
Daily Dim Sum Buffet costs USD $9.90<br />
per person, starting from 11 am. The daily<br />
A La Carte Dinner Buffet costs $14.90 per<br />
person; includes more than 55 dishes.<br />
Truyen Ky<br />
261B Dao Duy Tu, D10<br />
Small homestyle Chinese restaurant<br />
specializing in the salty Hakka cuisine of<br />
southeastern China, including tofu and<br />
chilis stuffed with fish paste.<br />
Yu Chu<br />
InterContinental Asiana Saigon, corner<br />
of Hai Ba Trung and Le Duan, D1<br />
Tel: 3520 9099<br />
dine@icasianasaigon.com<br />
Specializing in authentic Cantonese and<br />
Peking cuisine. Award-winning chef<br />
prepares dishes including handmade<br />
noodles, dim sum and wok-fried items.<br />
Wide selection of live seafood. Five interactive<br />
kitchens.<br />
DESSERT PARLOURS<br />
Bo Gia (The Godfather)<br />
29 Ngo Duc Ke, D1<br />
street gourmet<br />
nest", which the treat, with<br />
its curled-up sides and<br />
soft middle, resembles.<br />
Banh tai yen is a favourite<br />
snack for locals and can<br />
be found all over the city<br />
for about 5,000 VND.<br />
Stephy Thai<br />
20 Ho Huan Nghiep, D1<br />
299 Nguyen Van Troi, Tan Binh<br />
Does brisk lunchtime trade with its selection<br />
of more than 25 ice cream favours<br />
and Vietnamese noodle and rice dishes.<br />
Ciao Cafe<br />
40 Ngo Duc Ke, D1<br />
With a number of branches downtown<br />
(21 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai and 26 Tran<br />
Cao Van, among others), this popular<br />
cafe offers a mixture of food, drinks<br />
and books. Boasts about 20 ice cream<br />
specials and serves crepes, sodas and<br />
shakes.<br />
fanny ice Cream<br />
29-31 Ton That Thiep, D1<br />
Tel: 3821 1633<br />
Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton,<br />
D1<br />
www.fanny.com.vn<br />
Tranquil open-terraced heaven for icecream<br />
lovers. Menu contains fresh fruit,<br />
ice cream, sherbets and sorbets (coconut,<br />
caramel and Bailey’s ice-cream and<br />
mango sorbet are standouts). All you can<br />
eat first Friday of the month. <br />
Ministry of Food<br />
30 Le Loi, D1 Tel: 3827 7898<br />
Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton,<br />
D1<br />
Two-floor dessert house specializing in<br />
Italian and Japanese treats serving a<br />
wide array of ice cream flavours using<br />
milk from Japan’s dairy capital. Also<br />
serves sandwiches and bento boxes.<br />
New Zealand Natural<br />
3rd Floor, Parkson Department Store<br />
39-45 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
4th Floor, Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan<br />
1st Floor, Saigon Superbowl, 843<br />
Truong Son, Tan Binh<br />
www.newzealandnatural.com<br />
Serves flavours ranging from chocolate
ecstasy, fruits of the forest and boysenberry<br />
dream by the scoop.<br />
Yogen fruz<br />
118 Pasteur, D1<br />
106 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1<br />
Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
Panorama Apartments, Ton Dat Tien,<br />
Phu My Hung, D7<br />
www.yogenfruz.com<br />
Frozen yoghurt parlour is decked in<br />
mod-meets-IKEA decor and serves<br />
no-fat, and low-fat fro-yo blended with<br />
fresh fruits, as well as soft serve and<br />
smoothies.<br />
FRENCH<br />
agapéstro<br />
River Garden, 170 Nguyen Van Huong,<br />
Thao Dien, D2<br />
Tel: 0903 669 252<br />
Serves fine French cuisine originating<br />
from all over France—particularly<br />
seafood and dishes prepared from foie<br />
gras.<br />
annamite french Restaurant<br />
21 Tu Xuong, Ward 7 D3<br />
Tel: 6277 8332<br />
annamite-restaurant.com<br />
The new VN restaurant area of D3<br />
opens a classic French dinning option,<br />
led by ex Caprice chef. Snug atmosphere<br />
with a classic touch . French<br />
favourites such as escargot in garlic<br />
butter, Pan fried goose froie gras, duck<br />
in port wine, poached river sole with saffron<br />
sauce and classic flambé crepes.<br />
au Manoir de Khai<br />
251 Dien Bien Phu, Q3 Tel: 3930 3394<br />
This top-end contemporary French<br />
restaurant is set in a picturesque<br />
colonial villa with a lush courtyard and<br />
a lavish interior. Full of private rooms<br />
and opulent lounge areas, this unique<br />
eatery is the brainchild of Vietnamese<br />
fashion guru Hoang Khai of Khai Silk<br />
fame. Offers up dishes such as lobster<br />
consomme, pan-fried duck liver, salmon<br />
medallions with Moet and escalope de<br />
foie gras.<br />
Cote D'azur<br />
12T3 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Da Kao.<br />
D1 Tel: 3911 5473<br />
www.cotedazur.vn<br />
Authentic French cuisine in delightful<br />
surroundings, the brasserie's menu<br />
offers delectable dishes. Cote d'Azur's<br />
ambience gives it a homely feel and it<br />
also offers catering services.<br />
la Camargue<br />
191 Hai Ba Trung, D3 Tel: 3520 4888<br />
Boasts a reputation for excellence in<br />
fine dining for more than 10 years.<br />
Modern French and Italian cuisine is<br />
served in a colonial-style alfresco dining<br />
space. An extensive wine list allows<br />
diners to choose the perfect pairing.<br />
la fourchette<br />
9 Ngo Duc Ke, D1 Tel: 3829 8143<br />
Rustic downtown restaurant, with<br />
a good longstanding reputation for<br />
serving good traditional French fare at<br />
reasonable prices. Open 12 am to 2 pm<br />
and from 7 pm to 10 pm.<br />
la Nicoise<br />
42 Ngo Duc Ke, D1 Tel: 3822 8613<br />
Small French-style bistro, with pretty<br />
mosaic tiled bar and tables. Offers<br />
a good range of teas, coffees and<br />
espresso-based drinks. Lunch menu<br />
changes daily, but always encompasses<br />
traditional French food. Open<br />
until 10 pm.<br />
le Jardin<br />
31 Thai Van Lung, D1 Tel: 3825 8465<br />
This delightful restaurant in a picturesque<br />
garden setting is open for lunch<br />
and dinner and serves excellent French<br />
food at reasonable prices. Main courses<br />
cost about 60,000 VND and a carafe of<br />
house wine costs 50,000 VND.<br />
l’en Tête<br />
139 Nguyen Thai Binh, D1<br />
Tel: 3821 4049, 0903 188 091<br />
This stylish bistro and gallery serves up<br />
a large selection of French fare representing<br />
an excellent selection of classic<br />
French fish and meat dishes, as well<br />
as international cuisine. Live music on<br />
Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays<br />
starting at 8 pm.<br />
INDIAN<br />
Ganesh<br />
15 - B4 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
Tel: 3822 3017<br />
Casual dining with takeaway available,<br />
Ganesh serves up both North and<br />
South Indian culinary traditions. Very<br />
reasonably priced, with vegetarian<br />
curries from 40,000 VND and chicken<br />
dishes from 64,000 VND. <br />
indus indian<br />
2G Thi Sach, D1 Tel: 3521 0326<br />
A003 KP Hung Vuong 1, Phu My Hung<br />
D7 Tel: 5410 0947<br />
indusindian-saigon@gmail.com<br />
Wide range of Indian special across<br />
the board from North to South: Dosas,<br />
Idly, Vadai, Tandoories, veg & non veg<br />
curries... Catering and home delivery is<br />
also available.<br />
Saigon indian<br />
73 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 Tel: 3824 5671<br />
Popular venue with an enormous menu.<br />
Serves both southern and northern<br />
Indian dishes like tandoori, biryani, dosa<br />
and idly snacks, plus a wide range of<br />
vegetarian dishes. Offers a set lunch<br />
menu. Cater service is available. <br />
Tandoor<br />
74/6 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3930 4839<br />
www.tandoorvietnam.com<br />
Part of a chain of restaurants covering<br />
Hanoi and Saigon, Tandoor features a<br />
large selection of standard northern<br />
Indian dishes, including a good<br />
vegetarian selection. Excellent cheap<br />
set lunches and reasonable prices<br />
all around. Will organize catering for<br />
events. <br />
INTERNATIONAL<br />
al fresco’s<br />
21 Mac Dinh Chi D1 Tel: 3823 8427<br />
27 Dong Du, D1 Tel: 3822 7317<br />
D1-23 My Toan 3, D7 Tel: 5410 1093<br />
400 Nguyen Trai, D5 Tel: 3838 3840<br />
www.alfrescosgroup.com<br />
Theme restaurant boasting a range of<br />
Tex-Mex, Italian and Australian-style<br />
BBQ dishes. Huge portions and tasty<br />
Australian ribs coupled with a good<br />
atmosphere and helpful staff. Good<br />
lunch menu. <br />
amigo Grill<br />
55 Nguyen Hue, D1 Tel: 3829 0437<br />
Outstanding steaks made with Australian,<br />
U.S. and Argentine beef, served in<br />
a cosy, family-friendly environment with<br />
large tables and banquette seating.<br />
Dishes like leg of lamb and seafood<br />
are also on the menu. Open 11 am to<br />
11 pm.<br />
au lac Do Brazil<br />
238 Pasteur, D3 Tel: 3820 7157<br />
36/19-21 Pham Van Nghi-Bac, D7<br />
Tel: 5410 5566<br />
www.aulacdobrazil.com<br />
A Brazilian barbecue restaurant that<br />
takes meat seriously. The mixed grills<br />
and rodizio are fantastic and served<br />
in generous portions. No meat-eater<br />
should miss the churrasco: 12 cuts of<br />
meat carved at your table, plus unlimited<br />
salad.<br />
au Parc<br />
23 Han Thuyen, D1 Tel: 3829 2772<br />
asialife HCMC 63
Out of stock,<br />
out of excuses<br />
If we don’t take tuna off the menu,<br />
it will be off the menu forever<br />
• Overfishing, intensified by pollution and climate change, is the main cause of<br />
our oceans' degradation with tuna at the forefront of destruction.<br />
• Tuna, specifically bluefin, are close to extinction, on a par with pandas, rhinos<br />
and tigers.<br />
• Although one of the fastest animals on the planet, reaching speeds of up to<br />
90km/hour in long distance oceanic migration, they cannot escape the weapons<br />
of mass destruction - trawlers, commercial long line fishing<br />
vessels - and man's voracious appetite for sashimi and steaks.<br />
• A third of their population is depleted annually along with significant by-catches<br />
of sharks, dolphins, turtles and rays. Their spawning age is 8 to 9 years<br />
and conservation is prevented by a lack of protected spawning grounds,<br />
inappropriate management, poaching, corruption, rising market values and short<br />
term benefits to relatively few people.<br />
• As bluefin stocks drop, greater pressure is put on albacore, bigeye and yellowfin<br />
species. All tuna are warm blooded and their meat spoils easily while albacore<br />
tuna has relatively high levels of mercury.<br />
Join the worldwide campaign to take bluefin tuna off all<br />
menus and let them grow to breed and avoid extinction
Lavishly decorated brasserie borrowing<br />
from Moroccan and French styles and<br />
popular during lunchtime with expats.<br />
Specializes in Middle Eastern and North<br />
African food. The salad menu is a favourite,<br />
and a great range of lush smoothies<br />
and juices are on offer. <br />
Black Cat<br />
13 Phan Van Dat, D1 Tel: 3829 2055<br />
628 An Binh, An Phu, D2<br />
Tel: 3898 9837<br />
Tiny but popular District 1 restaurant<br />
serving up an excellent selection of<br />
Western and Vietnamese fare and an<br />
extensive range of sandwiches and burgers.<br />
The District 2 location also features<br />
a slate of sushi and Mexican food, and<br />
the District 7 outpost has a full barbecue<br />
menu. <br />
BoatHouse<br />
40 Lily Road, APSC Compound,<br />
36 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 6790<br />
Riverside restaurant with umbrella-shaded<br />
tables spread across outdoor deck<br />
and small indoor dining room. Serves<br />
remarkably fresh and inspired dishes<br />
made with choice local and imported<br />
ingredients—favourites include the sirloin<br />
burger and pan-fried fish and chips.<br />
BoatHouse Cafe<br />
37 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 6281 9182<br />
BoatHouse’s sister eatery for take-away<br />
and delivery service. Offers coffee,<br />
breakfast sandwiches, juices, smoothies,<br />
pre-packaged salads, sandwiches, burgers<br />
and fish and chips. <br />
Byblos Restaurant & Shisha lounge<br />
11 Ngo Duc Ke, D1 Tel: 3825 7781<br />
www.byblos.com.vn<br />
Downtown restaurant serves a menu<br />
of Lebanese starters, salads and mains<br />
served in a casual dining room. Catering<br />
available. Events and weekly belly dance<br />
show hosted. <br />
Cafe evita<br />
230 Nguyen Van Huong, An Phu, D2<br />
Tel: 3512 3888<br />
Academic-themed menu at this outlet<br />
near the British International School<br />
includes meals like The Principal, a<br />
triple-decker club with fries and salad<br />
and burgers that range from First to<br />
Fourth Grade. Also has a wood-fired<br />
pizza oven. <br />
Cafe Saigon<br />
Ground floor, Moevenpick Hotel Saigon<br />
253 Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan<br />
Tel: 3844 9222 ext. 234<br />
www.moevenpick-saigon.com<br />
An international buffet with unique food<br />
concepts that is perfect for gathering<br />
family and friends.<br />
Casablanca<br />
58/9 Thanh Thai, D10<br />
Tel: 3862 8859<br />
Moroccan cuisine from merguez to<br />
pastilla served in an intimate, attractive<br />
dining room. Owner/chef trained at<br />
Morocco's finest hotels and caters<br />
to guests' every need. Reservations<br />
required.<br />
Cepage<br />
Lancaster Building 22 Le Thanh Ton,<br />
D1 Tel: 3823 8321, 3823 8733<br />
www.cepage.biz<br />
One of the city’s premier venues, Cepage<br />
delivers an up-market bar, wine lounge<br />
and restaurant in one sleek package.<br />
Sells several wines by the glass with<br />
several hundred bottles to choose from.<br />
Mixes some of the city’s best cocktails.<br />
Cham Charm<br />
3 Phan Van Chuong, Phu My Hung<br />
Tel: 5410 9999<br />
The highlight of this upscale, beautifully<br />
decorated Asian restaurant is a special<br />
seafood buffet that includes Portuguese<br />
oysters, Alaskan crab, lobsters, sushi,<br />
sashimi, Japanese-style seafood, Langoustine<br />
prawns, American Angus beef<br />
and much more. Errazuriz wines are also<br />
included in the buffet. Part of the Khai<br />
Silk chain.<br />
The Deck<br />
38 Nguyen U Di, D2 Tel: 3744 6632<br />
Serves upmarket takes on regional<br />
specialties made with fresh local and<br />
imported products. Well-designed,<br />
minimalist dining space and bar on the<br />
river are a serious draw.<br />
The elbow Room<br />
52 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3821 4327<br />
elbowroom52@yahoo.com<br />
American-style bistro offering a wide<br />
range of appetisers, soups, salads,<br />
sandwiches, mains and desserts, plus<br />
an extensive wine menu. Open daily 7.30<br />
am to 11 pm. Breakfast served all day.<br />
Gartenstadt<br />
34 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3822 3623<br />
Opened in 1992, it’s the first venue in<br />
town to offer German food with specialities<br />
such as pork knuckle and authentic<br />
German sausages prepared fresh each<br />
day. Also offers imported German<br />
draught beer.<br />
Good eats<br />
NTFQ2, 34 Nguyen Dang Giai<br />
Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 6672<br />
Easteran and Western dishes are low in<br />
saturated fat and made from all-natural<br />
ingredients. Organic vegetables, herbs<br />
and spices accompany meals. Even the<br />
French fries are healthy. <br />
Halal@Saigon<br />
31 Dong Du, D1 Tel: 3824 5823<br />
www.halalsaigon.com<br />
Serving up a range of Vietnamese and<br />
Malaysian dishes prepared according to<br />
halal guidelines including ban xeo, pho<br />
and roti chennai and seafood favourites<br />
such as shrimp, squid and mussels.<br />
Hideaway Cafe<br />
41/1 Pham Ngoc Thach, D3<br />
Tel: 3822 4222<br />
www.hideawaycafe-saigon.com<br />
Stylishly decorated and relaxing restaurant<br />
and cafe serving an eclectic range of<br />
tasty European-style food. Dine al fresco<br />
in the charming courtyard. <br />
Jaspa’s<br />
33 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3822 9926<br />
www.alfrescosgroup.com<br />
Unpretentious brasserie-style restaurant<br />
specializes in Australian-influenced<br />
international fusion cuisine. Full range of<br />
drinks including Australian and French<br />
wines and good cocktails. Hosts monthly<br />
Spam Cham networking event. <br />
Juice<br />
49 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 Tel: 3829 6900<br />
Bright and stylish deli-style restaurant<br />
serving salads, sandwiches, quiches and<br />
meat pies with French fries and potato<br />
salad. Also has daily lunch and dinner<br />
menu. Excellent smoothies and juices,<br />
as well as novelty drinks like wheatgrass<br />
shooter and Cannonball cocktail. <br />
Kita Coffee House<br />
39 Nguyen Hue, D1, Tel: 3821 5300<br />
Four-level restaurant serving a wide<br />
menu of mains, pastas, salads, sandwiches,<br />
soups and appetizers for lunch<br />
and dinner, as well as a variety of coffee<br />
and fresh fruit juices. Includes a bright<br />
ground floor cafe, sophisticated Old<br />
World second floor bar and rooftop dining.<br />
Set dinner everyday from 5pm. <br />
Market 39<br />
InterContinental Asiana Saigon<br />
Ground Floor, Corner Hai Ba Trung and<br />
Le Duan, D1 Tel: 3520 9099<br />
dine@icasianasaigon.com<br />
Seven interactive live kitchens offering<br />
French, Vietnamese and Southeast Asian<br />
asialife HCMC 65
ecipes<br />
Smoked salmon for breakfast will give you a jolt of<br />
Omega-3 fatty acids first thing in the morning. With<br />
fluffy scrambled eggs, it’s a breakfast of champions.<br />
4 slices smoked salmon<br />
3 eggs<br />
1⁄4 cup milk<br />
2 tbs cream<br />
A pinch of salt<br />
1 tsp butter<br />
ONE<br />
Beat all ingredients in a bowl except for salmon.<br />
TWO<br />
Place frying pan on low-medium heat and pour in egg mixture. Stir<br />
continuously to fluff up eggs.<br />
THREE<br />
Remove eggs from heat when the sides are medium cooked. This<br />
ensures smooth and soft scrambled eggs.<br />
FOUR<br />
Lay smoked salmon on toast or bagel and lay scrambled eggs on top.<br />
TIPS<br />
A good way to ensure your eggs are cooked just the way you like is to<br />
add a bit of cold milk once you have desired consistency. The jolt of cold<br />
milk will stop the eggs from cooking further.<br />
TRY THIS<br />
Replace the cream with 2 tbs evaporated milk. This makes richer and<br />
creamier scrambled eggs.<br />
For more information contact Elizabeth Png-Reade at<br />
elizabeth.png-reade@electrolux.com<br />
66 asialife HCMC<br />
Smoked Salmon with<br />
Scrambled Eggs<br />
serves 2 | prep time: 5 minutes<br />
Recipes provided by<br />
cuisines, including a bakery, French<br />
patisseries, pancakes, tossed salads,<br />
grilled steak, seafood, wok-fried items,<br />
noodles and pasta dishes.<br />
Mekong Merchant<br />
23 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 4713<br />
Set in a courtyard, this rustic Australianstyle<br />
brasserie has brought modern<br />
international cuisine to suburban An Phu.<br />
Popular for weekend brunches. Weekly<br />
specials and seafood flown in from Phu<br />
Quoc. <br />
New York Dessert Cafe (nydc)<br />
Restaurant and Cafe<br />
NOWZONE 235 Nguyen Van Cu, D1<br />
Metropolitan 235 Dong Khoi, D1<br />
Parkson Flemington 184 Le Dai Hanh,<br />
D11<br />
Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
The Crescent. Phu My Hung, 107 Ton<br />
Dat Tien, D7<br />
New York themed menu offering a wide<br />
selection of Western dishes and desserts,<br />
including a variety of cheesecakes.<br />
New York Steakhouse & Winery<br />
25-27 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D1<br />
Tel: 3823 7373<br />
New-york@steakhouse.com.vn<br />
www.steakhouse.com.vn<br />
Chic dining venue designed in a classic<br />
New York City Art Deco. Open every day<br />
until late. Specializes in certified U.S.<br />
Black Angus steak, and features a fully<br />
stocked wine cellar. Guests are invited to<br />
bring their own wine on BYOB Mondays.<br />
Orientica<br />
Hotel Equatorial, 242 Tran Binh Trong,<br />
D5 Tel: 3839 7777<br />
www.equatorial.com/hcm<br />
Top-end seafood and grill restaurant<br />
boasting modern decor. Good service<br />
and excellent food presentation make<br />
this a pleasant alternative to the downtown<br />
scene.<br />
Pacharan Tapas and Bodega<br />
97 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3825 6024<br />
This tapas restaurant and bar serves up<br />
superb Spanish fare crafted from authentic<br />
imported ingredients. The exclusively<br />
Spanish wine list is extensive and Sangria<br />
is half price during happy hour from<br />
5 pm to 7 pm and all day Wednesday.<br />
Pizza Hut<br />
(For delivery)Tel: 3838 8388<br />
www.pizzahut.vn<br />
The world's largest pizza retaurant chain<br />
has 10 dine-in locations around HCM<br />
City serving up pizza, pasta, chicken<br />
wings and much more in a family-friendly<br />
environment. Delivery is also available<br />
through the PHD service which has<br />
the same Pizza Hut 30-minute delivery<br />
policy or your next pizza is free. <br />
The Refinery<br />
74/7C Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3823 0509<br />
Authentic bistro with cane furniture outside,<br />
informal indoor restaurant section<br />
and a bar area. Cuisine is light, modern<br />
European. The menu spans a price range<br />
to suit most budgets.<br />
Reflections<br />
Caravelle Hotel, 19 Lam Son Square,<br />
D1 Tel: 3823 4999<br />
Contemporary fine dining that combines<br />
Asian flavors with classic Mediterranean<br />
cuisine in an ambiance of understated<br />
elegance and European style. Special<br />
culinary events include guest chefs from<br />
Michelin-star establishments around the<br />
world. Private rooms are available.<br />
Riverside Cafe<br />
Renaissance Riverside, 8-15 Ton Duc<br />
Thang, D1 Tel: 3822 0033<br />
International venue opening onto the<br />
bustling river sidewalk, open for breakfast,<br />
lunch and dinner, and particularly<br />
noted for its sumptuous buffet selection<br />
which combines Asian, Western and<br />
Vietnamese cuisine.<br />
Sandals<br />
93 Hai Ba Trung, D1<br />
www.sailingclubvietnam.com<br />
Casual dining in evocative 3-floor space<br />
with blonde wood accents and cosy<br />
seating throughout. Kitchen turns out<br />
elegant and inspired fare at surprising<br />
value for money: meal-sized salads; filling<br />
burgers, wraps and sandwiches.<br />
Signature Restaurant<br />
Level 23, Sheraton Hotel, 88 Dong<br />
Khoi, D1 Tel: 3827 2828<br />
Fine dining with panoramic views over<br />
central HCM City. Food is stunningly<br />
presented, top-end European cuisine<br />
with Asian influences cooked by German<br />
chef Andreas Schimanski. A la carte or<br />
five-course set menu available.<br />
Skewers<br />
9A Thai Van Lung, D1 Tel: 3822 4798<br />
www.skewers-restaurant.com<br />
Rustic Mediterranean restaurant where<br />
subtle colours and exposed brickwork<br />
combine with jazzy tunes. Serves tabouleh,<br />
falafel, couscous and kebab. Highly<br />
rated for its grilled meats, bread and dip<br />
combos, soups and pastas. <br />
Square One<br />
Park Hyatt Saigon, 2 Lam Son Square,<br />
D1 Tel: 3520 2359<br />
Specializing in high-end Western and<br />
Vietnamese cuisine, Square One serves<br />
charcoal-grilled meats and seafood,<br />
as well as steamed and wok-cooked<br />
Vietnamese fare.<br />
Texas BarBQ<br />
15/1 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
The flavour and feel of the Wild Wild<br />
West is evoked by both the food and<br />
décor at this perennially popular eatery.<br />
Quarter rack ribs are a mainstay. <br />
VillafB<br />
79 Suong Nguyet Anh, D1<br />
Tel: 3823 3822<br />
www.villafb.com<br />
Refurbished villa with a spacious designled<br />
indoor dining room and an elegant<br />
enclosed courtyard. Serves bun noodle<br />
dishes for breakfast and lunch before<br />
switching to a menu of Eastern and<br />
Western fine dining for dinner.<br />
Warda<br />
71/7 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 Tel: 3823 3822<br />
Chic, middle-eastern themed eatery<br />
swathed in oranges and reds serving<br />
Lebanese cuisine prepared by Damascan<br />
chef, Nouman. Mezze and tapas are<br />
the main draw, but you can also puff on<br />
hookas post-meal.<br />
Xu Saigon<br />
71-75 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3824 8468<br />
www.xusaigon.com<br />
Inspired restaurant with an F&B director<br />
with a passion for mixing Vietnamese<br />
cooking with flavours and styles from<br />
around the world. Sleek but sparsely<br />
designed, the restaurant serves nouveau<br />
takes on Vietnamese cuisine.<br />
ITALIAN<br />
Baby Spoon Cafe & Restaurant<br />
Head Office: 47 Phan Chu Trinh, D1<br />
Tel: 3822 3356 Fax: 3822 3357<br />
SB 2-1 Parkview, Phu My Hung, D7<br />
Tel: 5412 0145<br />
Level 3, Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan,<br />
D1<br />
While Baby Spoon is primarily Italian,<br />
a vast selection of international cuisine<br />
is served in this Japanese-inspired<br />
restaurant.<br />
Basilico<br />
InterContinental Asiana Saigon,<br />
Ground Floor, Corner Nguyen Du and<br />
Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3520 9099<br />
dine@icasianasaigon.com<br />
Contemporary and casual trattoria-style<br />
restaurant specializing in authentic Italian<br />
dishes and homemade desserts. Wood-
fired pizza oven and a wide selection of<br />
Italian wines.<br />
Centro Caffe & Ristorante<br />
11-13 Lam Son Square, D1<br />
31 Ngo Duc Ke, D1<br />
6 Thai Van Lung, D1<br />
This is home of Illy coffee in Vietnam. Offers<br />
modern and traditional Italian cuisine<br />
in three central locations with lunchtime<br />
set menus and regular wine tasting<br />
evenings. Good spot for business coffee<br />
meetings.<br />
Da Vinci’s Pizza<br />
001B Hoang Dieu, H1, D4<br />
Tel: 3943 4982<br />
Wide variety of brick oven pizza, calzones,<br />
spaghetti, subs and sandwiches.<br />
Pizzas come in medium and large sizes<br />
and pay homage to Italy with names like<br />
Verrochio, Pompeii and Assisi. <br />
Good Morning Vietnam<br />
197 De Tham, D1 Tel: 3837 1894<br />
Popular authentic Italian restaurant with<br />
additional outlets around the country.<br />
Specializes in thin-crust pizza, pasta and<br />
a range of Italian dishes. Good selection<br />
of Italian wines. <br />
la Hostaria<br />
17B Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3823 1080<br />
Rustic eatery specializing in top-end<br />
traditional cuisine from various regions<br />
in Italy. Main courses from 130,000 VND<br />
with daily specials on offer. Serves excellent<br />
pizza. <br />
Opera<br />
Ground floor Park Hyatt Hotel, 2 Lam<br />
Son Square, D1 Tel: 3824 1234<br />
Slick, contemporary eatery with exposed<br />
brick and glass. The space revolves<br />
around an island kitchen from which<br />
chefs produce gourmet Italian fare.<br />
Internationally trained chefs work with the<br />
freshest and finest ingredients around to<br />
produce some superb dishes.<br />
Pendalasco<br />
87 Nguyen Hue, D1, Tel: 3821 8181<br />
One of the city’s oldest Western restaurants,<br />
Pendalaso serves a wide range if<br />
Italian favourites, as well as remarkably<br />
authentic crispy, thin-crust pizza. <br />
Pepperoni’s<br />
111 Bui Vien, D1 Tel: 3920 4989<br />
Attractive pizza and pasta restaurant from<br />
the same chain as Al Fresco’s. Good<br />
cheap buffet lunches on weekdays and<br />
all-round large and tasty portions. <br />
Pomodoro<br />
79 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3823 8998<br />
A family-oriented Italian restaurant serving<br />
traditional fare are surprisingly reasonable<br />
prices. Offers daily lunchtime specials<br />
and has an extensive wine list.<br />
Sarpino’s<br />
125 Ho Tung Mau, D1 Tel: 3821 7788<br />
Tasty American-style pan pizza in a<br />
pleasant and fresh Italian-themed<br />
environment. Four sizes available, from<br />
personal to extra large, with a large range<br />
of toppings. Also serves pasta, soups,<br />
wings and salads. <br />
Scoozi<br />
6 Thai Van Lung, D1 Tel: 3823 5795<br />
Italian pizza restaurant affiliated with<br />
Centro Caffe serving tasty gourmet pizzas<br />
prepared in a wood-fired oven. The delicious<br />
creations restore one’s faith in HCM<br />
City’s ability to turn out a quality pie. <br />
Villa Romaine<br />
Thao Dien Village 195 Nguyen Van<br />
Huong D2 Tel: 3744 6857<br />
Set on the banks of the Saigon River, Villa<br />
Romaine offers traditional Italian pizzas<br />
and pastas in an alfresco setting with<br />
an excellent wine list. Open till midnight<br />
Sunday to Thursday and till 1 am Friday<br />
and Saturday.<br />
JAPANESE<br />
Chiisana Hashi<br />
River Garden, 170 Nguyen Van Huong,<br />
Thao Dien, D2<br />
Tel: 6683 5308 0903 669 252<br />
Serves authentic Japanese cuisuine<br />
including sashimi, sushi, tempura,<br />
sukiyaki and shabu shabu.<br />
Dragon Hot Pot<br />
122-124 Ho Tung Mau, D1<br />
Tel: 3915 1001<br />
info@dragonhotpot.vn<br />
Japanese hot pot restaurant serving<br />
motsu nabe, Japanese barbeque and<br />
lots of sake and shoju.<br />
iki<br />
Ground floor, Moevenpick Hotel<br />
Saigon<br />
253 Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan<br />
Tel: 3844 9222 ext. 127<br />
www.moevenpick-saigon.com<br />
A Japanese restaurant that turns the<br />
notion of the common hotel sushi eatery<br />
on its head thanks to an affordable<br />
menu and a fun atmosphere.<br />
K Cafe<br />
74 A4 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3824<br />
5355<br />
Small, cosy and cheery, this café is<br />
noteworthy for its cracking hand rolls.<br />
Salmon skin rolls are also a treat. The<br />
assorted sushi and sashimi, tasty and<br />
beautifully presented, costs around<br />
USD $8. Leave some room for homemade<br />
yoghurt.<br />
MOf – Japanese Sweets & Coffee<br />
Level B3-17A, Vincom Centre, 70-72<br />
Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
30 Le Loi, D1<br />
Refined Japanese café specializing in<br />
unique desserts and food. Focusing<br />
on use of organic products, this casual<br />
eatery has a comprehensive Japanese<br />
dining menu along with a wonderful<br />
selection of sweets and offers possibly<br />
the most divine and delectable gelato<br />
in HCM City.<br />
Nishimura<br />
Mövenpick Hotel Saigon, 253 Nguyen<br />
Van Troi, Phu Nhuan Tel: 3844 9222<br />
Exquisitely prepared sushi and sashimi<br />
from a globetrotting chef with three<br />
decades’ experience. A wide range of<br />
cooked dishes and monthly meal promotions<br />
are also available. Set lunches<br />
cost about USD $15.<br />
Okinawa Yamaneko<br />
13/1 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3823 8433<br />
www.yamaneko-vn.com<br />
Part restaurant, part Japanese pub<br />
serving up a variety of Okinawa<br />
favourites like sashimi with sea grapes,<br />
namakari and goya champuru plus<br />
sushi and soba.<br />
Sakae Sushi<br />
Nowzone @ Royal Centre, Level 4<br />
235 Nguyen Van Cu, D1 Tel: 3504<br />
0054<br />
Healthy, affordable and quick service<br />
kaiten (conveyor belt) sushi makes<br />
for a fun dining experience. Extensive<br />
menu also includes beef, chicken and<br />
vegetarian options.<br />
The Sushi Bar<br />
2 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3823 8042<br />
3A Ton Duc Thang, D1 Tel: 3911 8618<br />
This brightly lit Japanese-style restaurant<br />
serves over 40 varieties of sushi at<br />
reasonable prices. Sit at the sushi bar<br />
or in private rooms upstairs. Open until<br />
11.30 pm, delivery available on request.<br />
Popular with expats and locals alike. <br />
Tama-Gawa<br />
Thao Dien Village 195 Nguyen Van<br />
Huong D2 Tel: 08 37446857<br />
Anh Phu’s only Japanese restaurant,<br />
Tama-Gawa serves fresh sushi and<br />
asialife HCMC 67
Where the game’s always on!<br />
68 asialife HCMC<br />
28/4 Bui Vien Str. Pham Ngu Lao Ward, Dist 1.<br />
Phone: (08) 665 663 38 - (08) 665 663 28<br />
OPEN<br />
24/7<br />
NFL, College Football, NHL, Football, Rugby and More.<br />
Takeout and Free Delivery.<br />
other delicacies. Set lunches begin at<br />
120,000 VND.<br />
Zen<br />
20 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3825 0782<br />
Located amid the sea of Japanese restaurants<br />
on Le Thanh Ton Street, Zen<br />
offers a wide range of Japanese dishes.<br />
The yakitori station grills up fantastic<br />
steak and quail’s eggs, and the chilled<br />
udon noodles are also a standout.<br />
KOREAN<br />
25 Si<br />
8A/6D Thai Van Lung, D1<br />
Tel: 3824 6921<br />
Traditional Yasik-style drinking restaurant.<br />
Winter and summer scene<br />
murals fill the walls of this dual level<br />
eatery. Large menu with favs like budae<br />
jjigae, a mix of chilli paste, Spam, hot<br />
dog and tofu, as well as super spicy<br />
duruchigi.<br />
Hana<br />
8 Cao Ba Quat, D1 Tel: 3829 5588<br />
Japanese-Korean fusion in the heart<br />
of District 1. Contemporary decor with<br />
a private, yet open feel. Broad menu<br />
including cooked and raw fish and<br />
traditional hot pot with fish eggs, rice<br />
and vegetables.<br />
Kim Bab Chun Gook<br />
R4 42 Hung Phuoc 2, Phu My Hung<br />
Tel: 6296 9057<br />
Korean boonshik/snack food eatery<br />
serving up a wide variety of light but<br />
substantial foods including dumplings,<br />
rameyon and fish cakes.<br />
Kumdo<br />
6A Pham Ngoc Thach, D3<br />
Tel: 3824 3253<br />
Korean beef barbecue served in small,<br />
welcoming dining rooms with barbecues<br />
built into tables. Large selection of<br />
raw meat specialties.<br />
SOUTHEAST ASIAN<br />
Chaba Thai<br />
Thao Dien Village 195 Nguyen Van<br />
Huong D2 Tel: 3744 6857<br />
Cosy restaurant nestled in the middle of<br />
Thao Dien Village offering authentic Thai<br />
food. Open daily for lunch and dinner.<br />
lac Thai<br />
71/2 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 Tel: 3823 7506<br />
An elegant restaurant tucked in an<br />
alleyway and decorated with art-deco<br />
furniture. Authentic Thai cuisine<br />
prepared by two Thai chefs. Food is<br />
tasty but less spicy than you’d find in<br />
Thailand. <br />
little Manila<br />
S2-1 Hung Vuong 2, Phu My Hung, D7<br />
Tel: 5410 0812<br />
Small, no -frills eatery with outdoor and<br />
indoor seating located on a quiet street.<br />
Serves a range of dishes from the<br />
Philippines (pictured on menu for those<br />
unfamiliar) and draught San Miguel.<br />
Thai Village Sharksfin Restaurant<br />
38 Ly Tu Trong, D1 Tel: 3825 6706<br />
Restaurant serving authentic Thai-Theochew<br />
cuisine including their specialty:<br />
whole braised shark’s fin in clay pot.<br />
The Red Dot<br />
21 Tu Xuong, D3 Tel: 3932 5123<br />
Aptly titled, this Singaporean restaurant<br />
serves decent chicken rice, char kway<br />
teow, chili crab, and a handful of Malaysian<br />
specialties. <br />
Satay House<br />
35 Mac Dinh Chi, D1 Tel: 3822 1727<br />
Bright and rustic, this Malaysian-run<br />
place specializes in Halal food. Chicken<br />
and asam fish curries are must-tries. Its<br />
famous satays are equally delicious. <br />
Thai express<br />
8A Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 6299 1338<br />
www.thaiexpress.com.vn<br />
Modern restaurant with a massive menu<br />
of Thai specialties served in moderate<br />
proportions. The menu inludes chef’s<br />
recommendations and background on<br />
Thai cuisine. Warning: some dishes will<br />
test your tongue’s threshold.<br />
VEGETARIAN<br />
an lac Chay<br />
175/4 Pham Ngu Lao, D1<br />
Tel: 3837 0760<br />
Apropos of the backpacker district,<br />
this little restaurant offers no frills and<br />
a vast menu. Though meat dishes are<br />
available, it specializes in vegetarian<br />
Vietnamese and quirky “backpacker<br />
favourites.” <br />
Hoa Dang<br />
38 Huynh Khuong Ninh, D1<br />
Swish vegetarian restaurant on a quiet<br />
street that serves up nutritious dishes,<br />
including meatless versions of bun bo,<br />
pho and steamboat. Cosy bar serving<br />
non-alcoholic drinks, fruits and other<br />
sweets.<br />
Saigon Vegan<br />
378/3 Vo Van Tan, D3 Tel: 3834 4473<br />
Rustic vegan restaurant with extensive<br />
menu of healthy food at moderate<br />
prices. Lots of tofu dishes and soya<br />
chicken/beef, soups, banh bao and<br />
more. Also has a kids menu.<br />
Tib Chay<br />
11 Tran Nhat Duat, D1 Tel: 3843 6460<br />
Intimate spot with a big menu of Vietnamese<br />
vegetarian appetisers, salads,<br />
soups, rice/noodle mains and desserts<br />
Viet Chay<br />
339 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, D3
Chao Muc<br />
street gourmet<br />
Chao muc or squid<br />
porridge is a savoury<br />
delicacy. Shredded dried<br />
squid, which has been<br />
soaked in water and a<br />
little white wine bulks up<br />
the dish. In addition to<br />
the squid and coagulated<br />
blood clots (huyet), the<br />
Tel: 3526 5862<br />
Upscale vegetarian restaurant specializes<br />
in fake meat dishes. The attractive<br />
dining room is suffused with natural<br />
light. Located within the walls of Vinh<br />
Nghiem Pagoda.<br />
VIETNAMESE<br />
Cha Ca la Vong<br />
3 Ho Xuan Huong, D3 Tel: 3930 5674<br />
36 Ton That Thiep, D1 Tel: 3915<br />
3343<br />
dish contains finely sliced<br />
pigskin, dried shrimp<br />
and finger-shaped soufflé<br />
batter (chao quay). Egg<br />
yolk, bean sprouts and<br />
shredded ginger are also<br />
added. A bowl goes<br />
for about 30,000 VND.<br />
Stephy Thai<br />
Two HCM City ouposts of the legendary<br />
Hanoi original serve only one dish:<br />
the eponymous and delicious cha ca<br />
la vong, fish pan-fried at the table with<br />
turmeric and dill and served with cold<br />
noodles and peanuts.<br />
Cha Ca Viet Nam<br />
River Garden, 170 Nguyen Van<br />
Huong, Thao Dien, D2<br />
Tel: 6683 5308 0903 669 252<br />
Serves Hanoi specialty Cha Ca—turmeric<br />
grilled fish with noodles and dill.<br />
Com Nieu<br />
19 Tu Xuong, D3 Tel: 3932 6288<br />
The house specialty, com nieu<br />
(smashed rice), comes with a<br />
shattered-crockery and flying-rice show<br />
at this well-known restaurant, prominently<br />
featured in Anthony Bourdain’s A<br />
Cook’s Tour. An extensive and tasty selection<br />
of southern Vietnamese cuisine<br />
rounds out the menu.<br />
Hoa Tuc<br />
74 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3825 1676<br />
This comfortable high-end restaurant<br />
serves traditional Vietnamese fare with<br />
a contemporary, classy twist. Expect to<br />
find your local favourites as you’ve never<br />
experienced them before. Beautifully<br />
plated, this is Vietnamese cuisine at<br />
its best.<br />
lang Nuong Nam Bo<br />
285/C145 Cach Mang Thang Tam, D10<br />
Tel: 3862 2569<br />
Warehouse-sized quan well-regarded<br />
among locals serves everything from<br />
beef, chicken and fish to porcupine,<br />
weasel and field mouse. Great destination<br />
for intrepid gastronomes. Has<br />
standard hot pot, rice and noodle<br />
dishes too.<br />
Mandarine Restaurant<br />
11A Ngo Van Nam, D1 Tel: 3822 9783<br />
Fine dining Vietnamese-style courtesy<br />
of two sumptuously decorated colonial<br />
villas, an antique wooden stair and a<br />
menu spanning all regions of Vietnam.<br />
Traditional music performances are<br />
available for dinner.<br />
Nam Phan<br />
34 Vo Van Tan, Q3 Tel: 3933 3636<br />
Well known at its previous corner<br />
location on Le Thanh Ton, Nam Phan<br />
continues to serve modern Asian cuisine<br />
including asparagus and crab meat<br />
soup, stewed bellyfish in pineapple and<br />
grilled duck breast in orange sauce. Set<br />
in a restored colonial villa, the interior is<br />
alive with reproductions of Cham-era<br />
bas-reliefs and is inspired by Euro-Zen.<br />
Nghi Xuan<br />
5/9 Nguyen Sieu, D1 Tel: 3823 0699<br />
Located down an alley just past Hai<br />
Ba Trung, featuring an attractive open<br />
first-floor and upstairs dining rooms<br />
with dark wood furniture and carved<br />
woodwork. Serving Hue staples, crab<br />
and prawn spreads and an impressive<br />
array of wines and cocktails.<br />
Ngon Vietnamese<br />
Thao Dien Village 195 Nguyen Van<br />
Huong D2 Tel: 3744 6857<br />
Located at the picturesque Thao Dien<br />
Village, Ngon offers authentic Vietnamese<br />
cuisine including alfresco cooking<br />
and dinning with traditional music on<br />
Thursday nights and traditional water<br />
puppet show on Saturday nights.<br />
Ngon Restaurant<br />
160 Pasteur, D1<br />
The long lunchtime queues tell the<br />
story: good food at low prices. More<br />
a food court than a restaurant, this<br />
has become a major favourite for its<br />
airy decor combined with cheap and<br />
tasty noodle, rice and other standard<br />
dishes.<br />
Papaya<br />
68 Pham Viet Chanh, Binh Thanh<br />
Tel: 6258 1508<br />
www.chi-nghia.com<br />
Hanoian classics mingle with new<br />
interpretations created by Chi Nghia,<br />
whose experience and dedication to<br />
clean, fresh ingredients set Papaya's<br />
menu apart. 10 am to 11 pm, 7 days.<br />
Temple Club<br />
29 – 31 Ton That Thiep, D1<br />
Tel: 3829 9244<br />
This high-end restaurant attached to<br />
an elegant lounge bar is a must-try<br />
for its art deco atmosphere as much<br />
as for its food. Mains go from around<br />
VND80,000 to VND150,000.<br />
Tib<br />
187 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3829 7242<br />
100 Nguyen Luong Bang, Phu My<br />
Hung, D7 Tel: 5413 6868<br />
www.tibrestaurant.com.vn<br />
Popular up-market dining spot serving<br />
Hue cuisine in an attactive dining room<br />
that draws on traditional architecture.<br />
Call for reservations.<br />
Wrap & Roll<br />
62 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3823 4030<br />
SA1–1, My Khanh 1,<br />
Nguyen Van Linh, D7<br />
Attractive downtown venue that brings<br />
street-style food into air-conditioned<br />
and uncluttered comfort. Choose prewrapped<br />
appetisers such as the cha<br />
gio (spring rolls) or roll-it-yourself mains<br />
with ingredients like pickled shrimps,<br />
beef on sugar cane, fish, grilled eel<br />
and pork. <br />
asialife HCMC 69
Italian & French Chefs<br />
Free Delivery<br />
70 asialife HCMC<br />
11 Le Thanh Ton, D1, HCMC<br />
Tel. 08.38247446<br />
Italian Chef<br />
Wood-fired Pizza Oven<br />
Free Home Delivery<br />
86 Le Loi, D1, HCMC<br />
Tel: 08.382.44286<br />
nightlife<br />
LOUISIANE<br />
BREWHOUSE<br />
BARS & LOUNGES<br />
See bar restaurant listings for more<br />
popular watering holes.<br />
amber Room<br />
59 Dong Du, D1 Tel: 6291 3686<br />
info@theamberoom.com<br />
A true London meets New York lounge,<br />
with chilled out tunes during the day<br />
and more funky vibes at night. A pleasant<br />
meeting place for drinks and a bite<br />
to eat.<br />
Bar's bar<br />
47 Phan Chu Trinh, D1<br />
Tel: 3822 3352<br />
Up stair and same entrance with Baby<br />
Spoon Restaurant, opposite Benthanh<br />
Market. This cozy bar serve it's customer<br />
with Jazz music and great drinks.<br />
Japanese Sake also available. Open<br />
from 6pm till late. <br />
Boston Sports Bar<br />
28/4 Bui Vien, D1<br />
Tel: 6656 6338/6656 6328<br />
Sports bar featuring North American<br />
food. Satellite TV, free pool and darts.<br />
Catering services and private room<br />
available for parties. Takeout and free<br />
delivery. Open 24 hours. <br />
Cloud 9<br />
2bis Cong Truong Quoc Te, D3, HCMC<br />
(Corner of Turtle Lake Roundabout &<br />
Tran Cao Van), Tel: 0948 445544<br />
Recently opened with beautiful déco,<br />
this rooftop lounge bar has its stunning<br />
views at night. Live DJ, great cocktails<br />
and desserts. Open 6pm till late. <br />
level 23<br />
23rd Floor, Sheraton Hotel<br />
88 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3827 2828<br />
One of the best views of the city from<br />
this upmarket terrace bar and lounge.<br />
Excellent cocktails don’t come cheap<br />
but the atmosphere is great with live<br />
music throughout the week and a live<br />
DJ every Monday.<br />
The library<br />
InterContinental Asiana Saigon, corner<br />
of Hai Ba Trung and Le Duan, D1<br />
Tel: 3520 9099<br />
dine@icasianasaigon.com<br />
Unwind with a glass of wine or a cup of<br />
tea. The Library provides a welcoming<br />
atmosphere for those in search of calm,<br />
comfort and personalized service.<br />
M52 Bar<br />
52 Ton That Thiep, D1 Tel: 3821 6726<br />
Sparsely-appointed venue with reasonably<br />
priced drinks noted for packing a<br />
punch. Owners Annie and Ms. Van are<br />
Beachside Nha Trang<br />
Asian & Western Cuisine<br />
Swimming Pool & Private Beach<br />
never too busy to check on their patrons,<br />
and the busy bartenders are quick with<br />
a smile.<br />
Park lounge<br />
Park Hyatt Hotel<br />
2 Lam Son Square, D1 Tel: 3824 1234<br />
Elegant lounge bar, with classic songs<br />
played every night by international musicians.<br />
The salubrious surroundings are<br />
matched by the range of the drinks, with<br />
vintage wines from USD $6 to $10 per<br />
glass. Tiger is $4.50 a bottle.<br />
Purple Jade<br />
InterContinental Asiana Saigon, corner<br />
of Hai Ba Trung and Le Duan, D1<br />
Tel: 3520 9099<br />
Chic lounge blends the stylistic influences<br />
of contemporary design and<br />
opium dens. Hosts live music and serves<br />
special drinks, including Shaoxing and<br />
Maotai rice wines and an exclusive selection<br />
of luxury spirits.<br />
Q Bar<br />
Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square, D1<br />
With low ceilings, intimate cubbyholes,<br />
colonial arches, gold paint, ultraviolet<br />
lighting and clubhouse beats, this is a<br />
bar that has a reputation for being a<br />
place to be seen. Great outdoor terrace<br />
and late-night indoor opening.<br />
QD Bar & lounge<br />
138 Ton That Dam, D1, Tel: 3821 5338<br />
Sophisticated lounge with New and<br />
Old World wines served by the bottle or<br />
glass, modern decor and floor-to-ceiling<br />
windows overlooking Ton That Thiep.<br />
Saigon Saigon Bar<br />
9th floor, Caravelle Hotel, 19 Lam Son<br />
Square, D1 Tel: 3823 4999<br />
Popular bar usually packed out with<br />
tourists and business travellers searching<br />
for some delicious cocktails and a great<br />
view of the city skyline. Cuban band<br />
Warapo plays every night except Monday<br />
from 8.30 pm until late.<br />
Samsara Club<br />
131 Dong Khoi, D1<br />
A laid-back cosmopolitan drinking and<br />
dance venue with comfy lounge chairs<br />
around low-lying tables and an island bar<br />
bedecked in extravagant white-feather<br />
decorations. Pink neon gives the joint a<br />
contemporary edge.<br />
Voodoo lounge<br />
92 Ho Tung Mau, D1<br />
Voodoo paintings adorn the white walls<br />
at this small, attractive bar south of Sunwah<br />
Tower. A daily happy hour, plenty<br />
of stool space and a pair of dartboards<br />
make it a good place to grab a drink.<br />
BREWHOUSES<br />
alderbrau<br />
98 Nguyen Du, D1<br />
Small brewhouse decorated with antique<br />
www.louisianebrewhouse.com.vn
ewing miscellanea, with an enclosed<br />
garden for outdoor swilling the small<br />
range of house brews and bottled imports.<br />
The kitchen dishes up sausages,<br />
German fare, and Vietnamese dishes.<br />
Gammer Czech Beer<br />
107 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3824 8619<br />
www.biatuoitiepvn.com<br />
Attractive, multi-story Czech beer hall<br />
furnished with heavy wood and outfitted<br />
with a few flat screen TVs tuned in to<br />
sports. Dark and blonde beers are available,<br />
as well as a full menu of Vietnamese<br />
food from mussels to rabbit.<br />
Hoa Vien<br />
28bis Mac Dinh Chi, D1 Tel: 3829 0585<br />
www.hoavien.vn<br />
Expansive beer hall serves up pilsner<br />
beer crafted from malt, hops and yeast<br />
from the Czech Republic. There’s also<br />
a large food menu and imported Pilsner<br />
Urquell.<br />
lion Brewery<br />
11C Lam Son Square, D1<br />
Tel: 3823 8514<br />
Microbrewery featuring traditional German<br />
brew technology and German fare<br />
like pork knuckle and wurst. Good spot<br />
to meet friends and enjoy a hearty meal<br />
and a whole lot of beer.<br />
NIGHTCLUBS<br />
fuse Bar<br />
3A Ton Duc Thang, D1<br />
A popular bar that plays primarily hiphop<br />
music. Every Tuesday Fuse hosts a ladies<br />
night where women drink for free and<br />
two bottles of wine can be purchased for<br />
2 million VND.<br />
lush<br />
2 Ly Tu Trong, D1 Tel: 3824 2496<br />
A large and lavishly decorated bar and<br />
club popular on weekends. Good DJs<br />
playing the latest in beat-based music<br />
and the city’s beautiful people add to<br />
the sights and sounds. It’s on-par with<br />
Western clubs in both ambience and<br />
drinks prices.<br />
Velvet Bar<br />
26 Ho Huan Nghiep, D1<br />
Hip-hop and Viet trance club with both<br />
bottle service and bottle beer that isn’t<br />
prohibitively expensive. Circular center<br />
bar is ringed with tables, and VIP areas<br />
and sofa seating line the walls.<br />
at home<br />
BAKERIES<br />
Crumbs<br />
54 Truong Dinh, D1 Tel: 3825 7199<br />
www.crumbs.com.vn<br />
info@crumbs.com.vn<br />
Eat-in bakery offering a wide range of<br />
muffins, whole-grain breads and pastries.<br />
Many of the breads are dairy-free, baked<br />
fresh daily with unbleached white flower,<br />
no added sugar.<br />
Harvest Baking<br />
30 Lam Son, Tan Binh Tel: 3547 0577<br />
harvestbaking@yahoo.com<br />
This authentic bakery offers a range<br />
of specialty baked goods for delivery.<br />
Offering bagels, scones, breads,<br />
desserts,cakes, tarts and more.<br />
Chocolate fudge cake and cinnamon<br />
rolls with cream cheese icing highly<br />
recommended.<br />
Pat a Chou<br />
65 Hai Ba Trung, D1<br />
25 Thao Dien, D2<br />
The home of the long and crusty<br />
baguette. Supplies many restaurants<br />
but also sells wholesale. The miniature<br />
patisseries such as crème brulée and<br />
cheesecake are worth a taste. Opens at<br />
6.30 am.<br />
Schneider’s finest<br />
27 Han Thuyen, D1<br />
Tel: 3829 1998<br />
www.schneiders-finest.com<br />
Traditional German bakery bakes 45 different<br />
kinds of breads, rolls and baguettes<br />
and a wide range of danishes, pastries<br />
and cakes. Catering available.<br />
Tous les Jours<br />
180 Hai Ba Trung, D3<br />
Part of the Korean bakery chain, Tous Le<br />
Jours stocks a superb range of freshly<br />
baked good from sugary treats like pain<br />
au chocolat to superior quality baguettes<br />
and loafs.<br />
Voelker<br />
17 A7 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
Tel: 7303 8799<br />
39 Thao Dien, An Phu, D2<br />
Tel: 6296 0066<br />
Small bakery turns out sweet and salted<br />
pies and mousses in addition to baguettes<br />
and a range of Western sweets.<br />
CATERING<br />
au Parc Catering Services<br />
23 Han Thuyen, D1 Tel: 3829 2772<br />
Catering services available every day of<br />
the year for birthday cakes, dinner parties,<br />
wine tastings and corporate events.<br />
For a custom-made quotation e-mail<br />
auparc@hcm.vnn.vn or call Quynh on<br />
0908 196261.<br />
Saigon Catering<br />
84 Xuan Thuy, D2 Tel: 6281 8388<br />
Provide services of catering, banquets,<br />
event planning, BBQ’s, daily deliveries<br />
and cocktail parties. For a custom-made<br />
quotation e-mail SaigonGG@gmail.com or<br />
call Huong on 0913 981128.<br />
The Caterers<br />
46D Vuon Lai, Tan Phu<br />
Tel: 3816 2901<br />
sales@thecaterersvietnam.com.vn<br />
www.thecaterersvietnam.com.vn<br />
Catering company offering extensive<br />
services from location sourcing, décor designing<br />
and food catering. All functions can<br />
be catered for, from low-key barbeques at<br />
home to full-blown weddings and parties.<br />
Xu Catering<br />
71-75 Hai Ba Trung, D1<br />
Tel: 3824 8468<br />
www.xusaigon.com<br />
From the brains behind Xu Restaurant<br />
and Lounge comes this new catering<br />
service, promising the highest standards in<br />
service. Everything from the menu to the<br />
comprehensive bar service and the staff is<br />
tailor-made to your specifications.<br />
COOKERY CLASSES<br />
Caravelle Hotel Cooking Classes<br />
Caravelle Hotel, 19 Lam Son Square, D1<br />
Tel: 3823 4999<br />
Full-day Vietnamese cooking classes for<br />
groups of up to 20 people. The classes<br />
include a visit to the market with the<br />
sous chef. Costs USD $45++ each for a<br />
minimum 10 people.<br />
Saigon Cooking Class by Hoa Tuc<br />
The Courtyard, 74/7 Hai Ba Trung, D1<br />
Tel: 3825 8485<br />
i.briosca@saigoncookingclass.com<br />
contact@saigoncookingclass.com<br />
Cooking classes available from Tuesday<br />
to Sunday 10 am-1 pm/2 pm-5 pm. Students<br />
make an entire meal that includes<br />
traditional dishes like pho and cha gio, as<br />
well as more creative fare. Conducted by<br />
Vietnamese chef in English, Japanese or<br />
French on request. Cost is $45. Market<br />
visit with the chef on request.<br />
Vietnam Cookery Centre<br />
362/8 Ung Van Khiem, Binh Thanh<br />
asialife HCMC 71
72 asialife HCMC<br />
47 Phan Chu Trinh St.<br />
Ben Thanh Ward D1 HCM City<br />
www.babyspoonvn.com<br />
Tel: 3512 1491<br />
Well-known Vietnamese cooking<br />
classes with half-day and more in-depth<br />
eight-day courses. Students work in a<br />
comfortable kitchen area with their own<br />
stove and workspace. Eight-day course<br />
costs USD $160.<br />
GROCERIES<br />
annam Gourmet Market<br />
16-18 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3822<br />
9332<br />
41A Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 2630<br />
SB2-1 My Khanh 4, Nguyen Duc Canh,<br />
D7 Tel: 5412 3263 / 64<br />
www.annam-gourmet.com<br />
Boutique grocer with wide selection of<br />
foreign foods; Annam-brand coffee, tea<br />
and spices; and household products.<br />
Wine and premium beer, full deli counter,<br />
produce, dairy-frozen and baked<br />
goods on second floor. Cosy café<br />
serves coffee, drinks and sandwiches.<br />
Classic fine foods<br />
17 Street 12, D2, Tel: 3740 7105<br />
www.classicfinefoods.com<br />
Luxury food primarily imports for wholesale,<br />
but also takes orders for its range<br />
of dry goods, cheese, meat, poultry and<br />
seafood from private clients.<br />
Gastro Home Delicatessen<br />
100 Xuan Thuy, Thao Dien, D2<br />
Tel: 6281 9830<br />
Deli filled with fresh French-inspired<br />
delights ranging from salads to fish and<br />
vegetarian, meat and poultry dishes.<br />
Open 7 days from 9.30 am to 9 pm.<br />
Kim Hai Butchery<br />
41 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, D1<br />
Tel: 3821 6057 or 3914 4376<br />
Excellent chilled imported beef, lamb,<br />
veal and other meats sold at reasonable<br />
prices.<br />
le Cochon D’Or<br />
32 Dong Du, D1 Tel: 3829 3856<br />
French-style charcuterie selling quality<br />
cold cuts, smoked sausage and a range<br />
of cheeses at very reasonable prices.<br />
la Dorée<br />
216 Ly Tu Trong, D1<br />
65 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3822 1718<br />
Reminiscent of a luxurious Parisian<br />
bakery, La Dorée prepares and serves<br />
a variety of colourful breads baked with<br />
green, beige and brown buckwheat<br />
seeds plus baguettes, fougasse, le<br />
dieppois sandwiches and le montagnard.<br />
Must-try desserts include tiramisu,<br />
chocolate mousse and Monté Carlo.<br />
Metro<br />
An Phu, D2 Tel: 3740 6677<br />
www.metro.com.vn<br />
Warehouse wholesaler located just off<br />
the Hanoi Highway in D2 between the<br />
Saigon Bridge and the tollbooths. Sells<br />
bulk food, fresh fruit and vegetables and<br />
meat, as well as paper products, cleaning<br />
supplies, housewares--basically<br />
everything.<br />
Organik<br />
11A Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 090 273 3841<br />
arlene@organikvn.com<br />
www.organikvn.com<br />
Online grocer based out of Dalat selling<br />
a range of organic vegetables and<br />
groceries, as well as imported all-natural<br />
products such as cereal, soymilk and<br />
tea. Operates a retail shop in An Phu.<br />
Phuong Ha<br />
58 Ham Nghi, D1 Tel: 3914 1318<br />
A mini-supermarket that sells an<br />
extensive assortment of imported packaged<br />
food, cheese, meat, fresh fruit,<br />
vegetables and fine wines.<br />
Veggy’s<br />
29A Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3823 8526<br />
Sky Garden<br />
Pham Van Nghi, Bac Khu Pho, D7<br />
Riverside Apartments<br />
53 Vo Truong Toan, Thao Dien, D2<br />
Popular expat market with a huge<br />
walk-in fridge area stocked with fresh<br />
fruit and vegetables, dairy products and<br />
a range of meats. Imported canned and<br />
dried foods, wines, beers, soft drinks,<br />
spirits and snacks also available.<br />
LIQUOR & WINE<br />
Bacchus Corner<br />
158D Pasteur, D1<br />
Reliable wine and liquor store owned<br />
by Tan Khoa Wines with a good range<br />
of spirits, whiskies, wines and more all<br />
at decent prices. English-speaking staff<br />
can help with selections.<br />
Connoisseur<br />
7 Lam Son Square, D1 Tel: 224 6324<br />
A decent range of wines from both old<br />
and new world vineyards lines the walls<br />
in this intimate store. Monthly offers on<br />
new arrivals are often a good deal. The<br />
staff are helpful, but little English.<br />
The Warehouse<br />
178 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3825 8826<br />
924 Tran Hung Dao, D5 Tel: 6261<br />
1525<br />
www.warehouse-asia.com<br />
One of the city’s premier wine distributors,<br />
The Warehouse is an aptly named,<br />
stylish wine store that stocks a full range<br />
of both New and Old World wines,<br />
sparkling wines, Champagne, spirits,<br />
imported beers and accessories.<br />
ViNe Cellar Door<br />
41 Hai Ba Trung, D1<br />
Tel: 3822 2284<br />
A popular wine stockist with a very<br />
wide selection of labels from around the<br />
world for those who are serious about<br />
their vino. A range of fine cigars also<br />
available.
listings<br />
culture<br />
CLASSES<br />
angelsBrush by Vin<br />
Tel: 0983377710<br />
Shyevin@mac.com<br />
Oil painting course gives learners the<br />
opportunity to work from the different<br />
objects; explore different mediums,<br />
materials and techniques; and interpret<br />
line, tone and colour. Instructor works<br />
with students on individual basis.<br />
Helen Kling Oil Painting<br />
189/C1 Nguyen Van Huong, Thao Dien,<br />
D2 Tel: 0903 955 780<br />
hk.painter@gmail.com/helenkling@<br />
yahoo.com<br />
www.helenkling.com<br />
Helene is a French painter who teaches<br />
beginners (children and adults) various<br />
techniques and the art of working with<br />
different mediums. She is also a fantastic<br />
tool for advanced artists who are looking<br />
to increase their creativity. Both day and<br />
night courses are available. Helene has a<br />
permanent exhibition at FLOW, located<br />
88 Ho Tung Mau, D1.<br />
Printmaking<br />
alphagallery@bluemail.ch<br />
Classes are held at Alpha Gallery taught<br />
by the gallery owner Bernadette Gruber,<br />
who offers the chance to learn monotype,<br />
intaglio and etching techniques.<br />
CINEMAS<br />
Bobby Brewer’s Movie lounge<br />
45 Bui Vien, D1 Tel: 3610 2220<br />
86 Pham Ngoc Thach<br />
info@bobbybrewers.com<br />
Popular top-floor home cinema showing<br />
movies five times a day on a large<br />
screen. Email for the latest schedule.<br />
Cinebox<br />
212 Ly Chinh Thang, D3 Tel: 3935<br />
0610<br />
240 3 Thang 2, D10 Tel: 3862 2425<br />
Cinebox cinemas show both original<br />
language films with Vietnamese subtitles<br />
and the dubbed versions.<br />
future Shorts<br />
futureshortsvietnam@gmail.com<br />
www.futureshorts.com/vn<br />
Vietnam branch of the international<br />
network screens foreign and local short<br />
films around town. Events often incorporate<br />
other media and elements, including<br />
live music, performances, installations<br />
and discussion. Submissions accepted.<br />
Galaxy Cinema<br />
116 Nguyen Du, D1 Tel: 3822 8533<br />
230 Nguyen Trai, D1 Tel: 3920 6688<br />
www.galaxycine.vn<br />
Large, modern cinema that shows the<br />
latest foreign releases in English (with<br />
Vietnamese subtitles).<br />
iDeCaf<br />
31 Thai Van Lung, D1 Tel: 3829 5451<br />
French cultural centre and cinema<br />
theatre. Showcases French movies with<br />
English and Vietnamese subtitles. Also<br />
hosts movies and documentaries from a<br />
number of overseas film festivals.<br />
lotte Cinema<br />
Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan, D1<br />
Tel: 3822 7897<br />
LotteMart, 469 Nguyen Huu Tho, D7<br />
Tel: 3775 2520<br />
www.lottecinemavn.com<br />
Modern cinema with four-way sound system.<br />
D7 location houses luxury theatre<br />
Charlotte with 32 seats and eight sofas.<br />
me phim<br />
HCM City-based film initiative that<br />
provides support to local filmmakers and<br />
hosts regular film screenings/discussions.<br />
Email dduukk@gmail.com for information<br />
or join the Facebook group.<br />
Megastar<br />
Hung Vuong Plaza, 126 Hung Vuong,<br />
D5 Tel: 08 2222 0388<br />
CT Plaza, 60A Truong Son, Tan Binh<br />
Tel: 6297 1981<br />
www.megastarmedia.net<br />
State-of-the-art cinema complex screening<br />
the lastest blockbusters with plush,<br />
reclining seats. All movies shown in original<br />
language with Vietnamese subtitles.<br />
GALLERIES<br />
a little blah blah<br />
OUT-2 STUDIO, L6 FAFILM Annex<br />
6 Thai Van Lung, D1<br />
albbsaigon-2010.blogspot.com<br />
Operates as an engine for contemporary<br />
art by organizing projects, exhibitions,<br />
screenings and talks. Runs one major<br />
art project each year and a reading room<br />
with more than 1,000 texts on art, design<br />
and creative culture. Free for everyone<br />
and open Tue to Sat 10 am to 6 pm.<br />
Blue Space Contemporary arts<br />
Center<br />
97A Pho Duc Chinh, D1<br />
Tel: 3821 3695<br />
bluespaceart@hcm.jpt.vn<br />
www.bluespacegallery.com<br />
Busy, working gallery with easels<br />
propped up outside situated in the<br />
grounds of the beautiful Fine Arts<br />
Museum. Holds regular exhibitions by<br />
local artists.<br />
Duc Minh Gallery<br />
31C Le Quy Don, D3 Tel: 3933 0498<br />
Housed in an opulent colonial mansion,<br />
private museum and art gallery showcases<br />
the private art collection of Vietnamese<br />
business tycoon Bui Quoc Chi.<br />
Containing more than 1,000 pieces that<br />
range from traditional to contemporary.<br />
Galerie Quynh<br />
65 De Tham, D1 Tel: 3836 8019<br />
www.galeriequynh.com<br />
The city’s only international standard<br />
gallery, housed in a modern, two-floor<br />
space. Organizes regular exhibitions<br />
featuring established, emerging local/<br />
international contemporary artists, publishes<br />
original catalogs in both English<br />
and Vietnamese.<br />
Ho Chi Minh City fine arts Museum<br />
97A Pho Duc Chinh, D1 Tel: 3829 4441<br />
btmthcm@hotmail.com<br />
Institution housing contemporary/traditional<br />
works by Vietnamese and foreign<br />
artists. Pieces date from as early as<br />
the 7th century. Includes Vietnamese<br />
antiques, art crafted by the Cham and<br />
Funan peoples.<br />
San art independent artist Space<br />
3 Me Linh, Binh Thanh Tel: 3840 0898<br />
hoa@san-art.org<br />
www.san-art.org<br />
Artist-run, non-profit exhibition space<br />
featuring contemporary work by young<br />
Vietnamese artists. San Art hosts guest<br />
lecturers and curators. A reading room<br />
of art books and magazines is open to<br />
the public.<br />
TuDo Gallery<br />
53 Ho Tung Mau, D1 Tel: 3821 0966<br />
www.tudogallery.com<br />
Hosting permanent exhibitions of works<br />
by the city’s artists, Tu Do deals in oils,<br />
silk paintings and lacquerware. More<br />
than 1,000 pieces on show.
listings<br />
sports &<br />
leisure<br />
Sport Street<br />
Huyen Tran Cong Chua, D1 between<br />
Nguyen Du and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai<br />
Services include mending and restringing<br />
broken tennis rackets. Products range<br />
from badminton birdies and rackets to<br />
basketball hoops, free weights, roller<br />
blades, scooters, soccer jerseys and all<br />
manner of balls.<br />
Trophies & Custom Signage Street<br />
Le Lai, D1 between Truong Dinh and<br />
Nguyen Thai Hoc<br />
Offers custom engraving on trophies and<br />
plaques made of plastic, wood, metal<br />
and glass.<br />
CRICKET<br />
Saigon Cricket assocation<br />
Social cricket league plays 25 overs<br />
a side matches Sunday mornings at<br />
RMIT’s District 7 pitch. Season runs November<br />
through May, with friendly games<br />
throughout the pre-season. Practice on<br />
Saturdays and Sunday afternoons.<br />
australian Cricket Club<br />
Terry Gordon<br />
terrygordoninasia@yahoo.com.au<br />
saigonaustraliancricketclub@yahoo.com<br />
www.saigoncricket.com<br />
english Cricket Club<br />
Richard Carrington<br />
Richard.carrington@pivotalvietnam.com<br />
info@eccsaigon.com<br />
www.eccsaigon.com<br />
indian Cricket Club<br />
Manish Sogani, manish@ambrij.com<br />
United Cricket Club<br />
Mr. Asif Ali, asif@promo-tex.net<br />
keshav.dayalani@rmit.edu.vn<br />
DANCING<br />
DanCenter<br />
46/2 Nguyen Cuu Van, Binh Thanh<br />
Tel: 3840 6974<br />
www.dancentervn.com<br />
Modern, centrally located studio with<br />
foreign trained dance instructors.<br />
Classes for kids age 5+ in jazz, ballet, hip<br />
hop and tap dance. Classes for adults in<br />
yoga, jazz, hip hop, salsa, belly, tap and<br />
capoeira.<br />
Salsa Dancing at la Habana<br />
6 Cao Ba Quat, D1<br />
www.salsaigon.com<br />
salsaigon@gmail.com<br />
Six-week salsa package at 350,000<br />
VND for single persons and 550,000 for<br />
a couple, run by Urko. Lessons every<br />
Tuesday (beginners L.A. style at 7.30<br />
pm; intermediate L.A style at 8.30 pm).<br />
Registration required.<br />
FITNESS & YOGA<br />
aiS Sports Centre<br />
36 Thao Dien, An Phu, D2<br />
Tel: 3744 6960, ext 126<br />
sportscentre@aisvietnam.com<br />
www.aissportscentre.com<br />
Features six-lane, 25-metre pool,<br />
basketball and netball courts, astroturf<br />
hockey/football area and outdoor gym<br />
equipment. Available for party hire, with<br />
BBQ included on request. Membership<br />
packages available. Kids swim club and<br />
adult masters programmes. Rainbow<br />
74 asialife HCMC<br />
Divers offers scuba diving courses for<br />
children and adults. Free morning yoga.<br />
California WOW Xperience<br />
Parkson Plaza, 126 Hung Vuong, D5<br />
28/30-32 Le Loi, D1 Tel: 6291 5999<br />
The world’s biggest fitness centre chain<br />
is one of Saigon’s most modern places<br />
to get your sweat on. Located in Hung<br />
Vuong Plaza, CWX offers a huge workout<br />
area and all kinds of classes including<br />
spinning, KickFit, yoga and more.<br />
Caravelle Club Spa<br />
19 Lam Son Square, D1<br />
Tel: 3823 4999<br />
Modern and stylish gym with lots of cardiovascular<br />
machines and free weights.<br />
The swimming pool is a great place for<br />
a dip, and the massage parlour, sauna,<br />
steam room and jacuzzi are there for<br />
winding down.<br />
Curves<br />
15 Trinh Van Can, D1 Tel: 3821 0319<br />
www.curvesvietnam.com<br />
Curves is a women’s only fitness<br />
franchise with over 10,000 locations and<br />
four million members. The centre offers<br />
a famous 30-minute total body workout<br />
that they say will burn up to 500 calories.<br />
Features training on ‘double positive’<br />
resistance equipment.<br />
Daphne Chua<br />
Tel: 012 6662 6467<br />
yogadaphne@gmail.com<br />
www.daphnechua.com<br />
Classes taught by a Yoga Alliance<br />
certified teacher from Singapore that<br />
focus on breathing and body awareness,<br />
combined with fluid movements to<br />
perfectly balance body and mind. Hatha,<br />
Restorative and Vinyasa classes are offered<br />
in group and private sessions.<br />
Diamond Way Buddhism Meditation<br />
Group<br />
Tel: 093 804 3753<br />
Email: SaigonGompa@gmail.com<br />
www.diamondway-teachings.org<br />
Meditation group using methods of<br />
Tibetan Buddhism. Diamond Way or<br />
Vajrayana Buddhism guides practitioners<br />
to experience the nature of their own<br />
mind to reach Enlightenment.<br />
equinox fitness & leisure Centre<br />
Equatorial Hotel, 242 Tran Binh Trong,<br />
D5 Tel: 3839 7777<br />
Decent-sized 3rd-floor gym with modern<br />
cardio and weights machines, sauna,<br />
steambath, jacuzzi, and large 4th floor<br />
pool great for swimming laps.<br />
Hollywood fitness World<br />
H3 Building, 384 Hoang Dieu, D4<br />
Tel: 3826 4639<br />
One of the latest & best workout environments<br />
in the city, suitable for all ages and<br />
fitness levels. Personal training is offered.<br />
erick Tony Varin, fitness and Swimming<br />
instructor<br />
Tel: 0939 026 540<br />
Erickforcearca@hotmail.com<br />
French instructor offers individual<br />
adapted programmes at home or at<br />
your gym, including weight loss, muscle<br />
gain, athletic training and post-traumatic<br />
treatment. Swimming and aqua aerobics<br />
classes for groups or individuals are also<br />
offered.<br />
K1 fitness and fight factory<br />
346 Ben Van Don, D4<br />
Tel: 0918 337 111<br />
www.teamminetti.com<br />
Fitness centre teaching English and<br />
Thai boxing, karate, Vietnamese martial<br />
arts, judo, fencing, grappling, and mixed<br />
martial arts with classes for both adults<br />
and children. All training conducted by a<br />
professional foreign instructor.<br />
l’apothiquaire fitness Centre<br />
64A Truong Dinh, D3 Tel: 3932 5181<br />
www.lapothiquaire.com<br />
Internationally-certified teachers offer<br />
daily classes in Sivananda, Iyengar,<br />
Power, Yoga, Abdo-Pilates, Taebo and<br />
Aqua-Aerobics. Peaceful swimming pool,<br />
sauna and steam room.<br />
la Cochinchine<br />
Rex Hotel, 146 Pastuer, D1<br />
Tel: 3825 1812 (ext 7477)<br />
New and affordable fitness centre<br />
located in the heart of the city. This gym<br />
has a wide range of weight machines, as<br />
well as many cardio machines, including<br />
treadmills, cross-trainers and bikes. A<br />
good variety of classes are available,<br />
including yoga and aerobic dance.<br />
legend Hotel fitness Centre<br />
2A-4A Ton Duc Thang, D1<br />
One of the best hotel fitness centres.<br />
Very well-equipped gym with cardiovascular<br />
and weight machines, along with<br />
a circular swimming pool and massage<br />
parlour. A three-month membership<br />
costs USD $400++.<br />
Nutrifort<br />
2B1 Chu Manh Trinh, D1<br />
Tel: 3825 8560<br />
news@nutrifort.com/www.nutrifort.com<br />
Comprehensive health and fitness centre<br />
offering customized exercise, nutritional<br />
counseling to members. Specializing in<br />
weight loss programs, core/body alignment<br />
training with Pilates equipment.<br />
Healthy snacks available.<br />
NTfQ2 Spa<br />
34 Nguyen Dang Giai, D2<br />
Tel: 3744 6672<br />
Therapeutic massage with a focus on<br />
sports massage to increase circulation,<br />
remove lactic acid build-up, restore flexibility<br />
and relieve back pain.<br />
Park Hyatt fitness Centre<br />
2 Lam Son Square, D1 Tel: 3824 1234<br />
Luxury health centre with the full range of<br />
facilities including swimming pool, steam<br />
room, jacuzzi and fitness centre. Threemonth<br />
peak membership costs USD<br />
$810++ and off-peak is $450++.<br />
Renaissance Hotel Health Club<br />
8-15 Ton Duc Thang, D1<br />
Tel: 3822 0033<br />
Stylish health club with gym, swimming<br />
pool, steam room, massage parlour,<br />
pool-side bar and an outstanding view<br />
of the city. Costs USD $140 a month, or<br />
$10 a day.<br />
Saigon fitness Club<br />
New World Hotel, 76 Le Lai, D1<br />
Tel: 3822 8888<br />
The modern Nautilus-equipped gym is<br />
staffed by highly-qualified instructors to<br />
cater for your fitness needs. Features a<br />
swimming pool, floodlit tennis court, golf<br />
driving range, jogging track, sauna, and<br />
massage rooms.<br />
Saigon Yoga<br />
Tel: 090 835 2265<br />
info@saigonyoga.com<br />
www.saigonyoga.com<br />
A yoga centre with highly qualified<br />
instructors offering hot yoga, Hatha Flow,<br />
restorative yoga, kids’ yoga, pre and<br />
postnatal yoga and injury rehabilitation.<br />
Also does corporate team building and<br />
yoga teacher training as well as organising<br />
yoga retreats.<br />
Sheraton fitness<br />
Level 5, Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers,<br />
88 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3827 2828<br />
sheraton.saigon@sheraton.com<br />
www.sheraton.com/saigon<br />
Sheraton Fitness features a team of<br />
trained professionals and new Technogym<br />
equipment. Members have full use<br />
of leisure facilities and receive discounts<br />
at hotel bars and restaurants and Aqua<br />
Day Spa.<br />
Soham Yoga Studio & Boutique<br />
84T/4 Tran Dinh Xu, D1 Tel: 3920 5813<br />
Soham offers Vinyasa Flow, Sivananda<br />
and Power yoga all taught by Yoga<br />
Alliance certified instructors. Soham's<br />
boutique stocks high-quality yoga products<br />
from Manduka and Jade as well<br />
as locally made yoga accessories and<br />
international yoga publications.<br />
Sofitel Saigon Plaza fitness Centre<br />
17 Le Duan, D1 Tel: 3824 1555<br />
Small but well-equipped gym with helpful<br />
staff and quality equipment. Membership<br />
costs USD $700++ for six months and<br />
$1,300++ for a year. Also runs a number<br />
of fitness classes including yoga.<br />
Yoga & Meditation Centre<br />
335 Dien Bien Phu, D3<br />
Tel: 3929 1706<br />
www.ymc.org<br />
Professional team of Western and local<br />
teachers show you how to practice a<br />
combination of yoga and meditation with<br />
a range of classes such as Hatha, Yin,<br />
Vikram, Ashtanga yoga and Pilates.<br />
Yoga living<br />
95 Pasteur, D1<br />
Tel: 098 880 4598<br />
info@yogaliving.com.vn<br />
www.yogaliving.com.vn<br />
Yoga studio offering hatha, vinyasa,<br />
power and ashtanga yoga. Schedule can<br />
be self-made by members.<br />
FOOTBALL & RUGBY<br />
australian Rules football<br />
Tel: 093 768 3230<br />
www.vietnamswans.com<br />
vietnamswans@gmail.com<br />
The Vietnam Swans play regular international<br />
footy matches around Asia. Training<br />
sessions are held weekly in HCM City<br />
(2.30 pm Saturday, RMIT D7) and Hanoi<br />
(midday, Saturday, UN International<br />
School, Ciputra). All skill levels and codes<br />
welcome.<br />
les Gaulois de Saigon<br />
www.gauloisdesaigon.com<br />
info@gauloisdesaigon.com<br />
A new team of French footballers, the<br />
side invites players and their families to<br />
come and join in their friendly training<br />
sessions, where everyone can get together<br />
and enjoy the sport while making<br />
new friends. Contact Sebastien on 0919<br />
691785 or Romain on 0908 060139.<br />
RMiT Vietnam<br />
sports.recreation@rmit.edu.vn<br />
A new player on the SIFL scene with<br />
a team made up of students from the<br />
University. They have their own football<br />
ground on-site consisting of two brand<br />
new pitches. Contact Landon Carnie.<br />
Saigon Raiders<br />
jon.hoff@saigonraiders.com<br />
Sociable football side who are always on<br />
the lookout for new talent for their weekly<br />
matches and training sessions. The team<br />
participates in the Saigon International<br />
Football League and also has regular<br />
fixtures against local teams in the outlying<br />
provinces and also participates in<br />
international tournaments.<br />
Saigon Rugby Club<br />
Tel: 0903 735 799<br />
www.saigonrfc.org<br />
saigonrugbyfootballclub@yahoo.com<br />
Social, mixed touch rugby played<br />
every Saturday afternoon for adults at<br />
RMIT from 4 pm until 6 pm. Regularly<br />
welcomes visiting teams and tours the<br />
region for men’s contact and women’s<br />
touch rugby tournaments. Beginners<br />
welcome.<br />
Saigon Saints<br />
chris@saigonsaints.com<br />
www.saigonsaints.com<br />
Expat football club of all ages, which has<br />
been running since 1995 and plays in the<br />
SIFL. Regularly venture on international<br />
tours especially to Bangkok and Manila<br />
and play in other local and international<br />
tournaments. The players train weekly,<br />
and new players are encouraged to join.
GOLF<br />
Dalat Palace Golf Club<br />
Phu Dong Thien Vuong, Dalat<br />
Tel: 063 3821 101<br />
dpgc@vietnamgolfresorts.com<br />
The most beautiful course in Vietnam,<br />
combining the crisp mountain air with<br />
an environment of stately pine trees.<br />
Overlooking Xuan Huong lake, the<br />
7,009-yard course is an enjoyable challenge<br />
for golfers of all levels.<br />
Dong Nai Golf Resort<br />
Trang Bom Town, Trang Bom<br />
Tel: 061 3866 288 / 3677 590<br />
www.dongnaigolf.com.vn<br />
Large golf resort with 27 holes, plus<br />
a villa complex, bar, sauna. jacuzzi<br />
and billiards. The resort sits on 160<br />
hectares of land in Dong Nai Province,<br />
about 50 kilometres from the city.<br />
Membership starts at USD $2,000 a<br />
year.<br />
Ocean Dunes Golf Club<br />
1 Ton Duc Thang, Phan Thiet<br />
Tel: 062 3821 995<br />
odgc@vietnamgolfresorts.com<br />
Designed by Nick Faldo, the 6,746yard<br />
par-72 course winds through<br />
seaside dunes, with the variable<br />
coastal breezes changing its character<br />
each day. An enjoyable and eminently<br />
playable course and has become a<br />
favourite venue for expatriate tournaments.<br />
Saigon South Golf<br />
Nguyen Van Linh, Tan Phu, D7<br />
Tel: 5411 2001<br />
sgs.golf@yahoo.com.vn<br />
Nine-hole mini golf course and driving<br />
range set amongst attractive gardens<br />
just behind FV Hospital. Membership<br />
starts from USD $700 for 6 months.<br />
Visitors’ greens fees for a round of golf<br />
are around USD $16 before 5 pm and<br />
$19 after. Club, shoe and umbrella hire<br />
is also available.<br />
SaigonSports academy league<br />
Tel: 093 215 3502<br />
greg@saigonsportsacademy.com<br />
www.saigonsportsacademy.com<br />
12-week, 5 a side community football<br />
league with Adult, U18, U14, U10 and<br />
U7 divisions. Matches held at Thao<br />
Dan Stadium in District 1. Corporate,<br />
local and expat teams compete in adult<br />
division with cash prize for champions.<br />
Song Be Golf Resort<br />
77 Binh Duong Blvd, Thuan An<br />
Tel: 0650 3756 660<br />
info@songbegolf.com<br />
www.songbegolf.com<br />
Located 22 kilometres from the city<br />
centre, the premier golf course in the<br />
area features an 18-hole, 6,384-metre<br />
course. Also has tennis courts, a swimming<br />
pool, and a gymnasium.<br />
Vietnam Golf and Country Club<br />
Long Thanh My Village, D9<br />
www.vietnamgolfcc.com<br />
This facility consists of two courses<br />
of 18 holes each, one of which is designed<br />
in a more traditional Asian style,<br />
and the other in international style. Has<br />
other attractions such as boating, tennis<br />
and a restaurant area.<br />
LEISURE<br />
Hash House Harriers<br />
www.saigonh3.com<br />
Running club that meets every Sunday<br />
at 2 pm at the Caravelle Hotel to go on<br />
a run in different locations out of town<br />
with their traditional balance of exercise<br />
and beer.<br />
Phun Runner<br />
info@phun-run.com<br />
Social running group that meets Saturdays<br />
at 7 am for a scenic run around<br />
Saigon before breakfast. Great way to<br />
explore the city, meet fellow runners<br />
and get fit for future events. Check<br />
website for rendezvous points.<br />
Rangers Baseball Club<br />
Isao Shimokawaji<br />
isao.shimokawaji@sapporobeer.co.jp<br />
A baseball club always looking for additional<br />
players of any age, race or experience<br />
level. Plays Saturdays or Sundays,<br />
often against Korean or Vietnamese<br />
teams.<br />
Saigon international Dart league<br />
www.thesidl.com<br />
A highly popular group in town, the darts<br />
club runs a competitive year-long league<br />
for 16 pub-based teams. There are some<br />
excellent players in this sociable and international<br />
group. See website for details<br />
of how to join and latest 180 scores.<br />
Saigon international Softball league<br />
sisl@saigonsoftball.info<br />
www.saigonsoftball.info<br />
The league plays slo-pitch softball every<br />
Sunday (usually at the Taiwanese School<br />
in Phu My Hung) and always welcomes<br />
newcomers.<br />
Saigon Pony Club<br />
Lane 42, Le Van Thinh, D2<br />
Tel: 0913 733 360<br />
A standout facility offering pony rides,<br />
riding lessons, horse clinics and pony<br />
rentals. Also hosts events and birthdays.<br />
Senior expat ChitChat<br />
Weekly “Coffee Talk” meetings among<br />
seniors at the Palace Hotel Café (56 – 66<br />
Nguyen Hue, D1) each Tuesday from 10<br />
to 11.30 am. The informal group is for<br />
local expatriates and English-speaking<br />
foreign travellers who meet to share<br />
experiences and make new friends. Call<br />
club organizer Sheldon Pruss at 0932<br />
031 837.<br />
Squash<br />
The Landmark, 5B Ton Duc Thang, D1<br />
Tel: 3822 2098 ext 176<br />
www.thelandmarkvietnam.com<br />
One of three squash courts in town.<br />
Membership is open to non-Landmark<br />
residents and drop-in players. Lessons<br />
and racquets are available for additional<br />
fees. Balls are provided. Book in advance<br />
or phone for further information.<br />
Ultimate frisbee<br />
RMIT, 702 Nguyen Van Linh, D7<br />
www.saigon-ultimate.com<br />
Join in this exciting popular sport every<br />
Sunday afternoon from 3pm to 5pm in<br />
Saigon South. Pan-Asian competitions<br />
also organised for the more experienced.<br />
Contact David Jensen at 0909458890<br />
Vietnam Hobby Brewers<br />
hobbybrewer.vietnam@gmail.com<br />
www.hobbybrewer-vietnam.de.tl<br />
Small group of beer enthusiasts gather<br />
bi-monthly at microbrewery to talk beer,<br />
share brewing tips and sample homemade<br />
suds. The group is keen on taking<br />
on new members with an interest in<br />
learning how to brew.<br />
Vietwings Paragliding<br />
info@vietwings-hpg.com<br />
Promoted by a local advertising executive<br />
turned test pilot, paragliding, hanggliding,<br />
trike plane can be performed<br />
in several locations across southern<br />
Vietnam including Dalat, Phan Thiet, Tay<br />
Ninh. Call Loco on 0903 825607 for more<br />
information.<br />
X-Rock Climbing<br />
Phan Dinh Phung Sport Centre<br />
75 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D3<br />
Tel: 6278 5794<br />
503A Nguyen Duy Trinh, D2<br />
Tel: 2210 9192<br />
www.xrockclimbing.com<br />
Offering safe and professional climbing for<br />
anyone aged 4 and up. Featuring mountain<br />
climbing routes rated from beginner<br />
to advanced, climbing and belay-safety<br />
courses and training, birthday parties,<br />
corporate team building. Excellent facilities<br />
for children and annual membership<br />
for kids.<br />
Certified by ISO 9001:2000<br />
GERMAN<br />
HIGH-TECH DENTAL CLINIC<br />
ACCADENT DENTAL CLINIC<br />
161 Dong Khoi 15 Le Loi St, Dist. 1<br />
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam<br />
Phone: +848 38 22 88 00<br />
Fax: +848 38 22 35 22<br />
email: info@accadent.com<br />
www.accadent.com<br />
O P E R A V I E W B U I L D I N G S A I G O N<br />
asialife HCMC 75
questions for the coiffeur<br />
By lloyd Morgan<br />
Q. Do clothing designers<br />
have much impact on the<br />
hair industry?<br />
A. I’ve always thought that<br />
fashion and hair complement<br />
each other. No great<br />
dress is complete without a<br />
great hair style. I’m sure hair<br />
stylists and fashion designers<br />
are influenced by each other<br />
to a point, and by working<br />
together they can come up<br />
with a complete look.<br />
A great deal depends on<br />
who’s wearing your creations,<br />
be it hair or clothing—a statement<br />
is made when people of<br />
importance start wearing your<br />
designs. And that includes a<br />
great do.<br />
Q. If you’re pregnant is it<br />
OK to chemically straighten<br />
your hair?<br />
A. Absolutely not. Ammoniabased<br />
chemicals are used<br />
in the straightening process<br />
and they must be left on the<br />
hair for an extended period<br />
of time—far too long to be<br />
considered safe during<br />
pregnancy. Inhalation of these<br />
vapours is potentially very<br />
dangerous.<br />
As for colouring, there’s no<br />
medical proof it is dangerous<br />
during pregnancy. I<br />
have given pregnant women<br />
76 asialife HCMC<br />
highlights and colours, but err<br />
on the side of caution by staying<br />
a couple of centimetres<br />
away from the roots. If you’re<br />
worried though, I would steer<br />
clear of chemicals all together<br />
while pregnant.<br />
Q. I had a dark colour put<br />
over my lightened hair and<br />
it seems to be going red.<br />
Why?<br />
A. It depends on how light<br />
you were before the darker<br />
colour was put over the light<br />
colour and if the colourist<br />
used any red-toned colour<br />
to warm up the dark-toned<br />
colour.<br />
Maybe the colour was not<br />
strong enough, lacking the<br />
required depth. If the peroxide<br />
was too strong, this could<br />
result in red tones coming<br />
through, as well. (It should<br />
be between three and six<br />
percent.)<br />
A consultation with a good<br />
colourist is advisable before<br />
you jump in for a complete<br />
colour overhaul.<br />
Lloyd Morgan runs the Lloyd<br />
Morgan International Hair<br />
Studio at 234 Nguyen Van<br />
Huong, Thao Dien, D2. Contact<br />
him at 0908 422 007 or<br />
lloydskate@hotmail.com.<br />
listings<br />
health &<br />
beauty<br />
ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE<br />
american Chiropractic Clinic<br />
8 Truong Dinh, D3 Tel: 3930 6667<br />
www.vietnamchiropractic.com<br />
A chiropractic, physiotherapy, foot<br />
care clinic staffed by American-trained<br />
chiropractors speaking French, English,<br />
Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean. Treats<br />
back pain, neck pain, knee pain, also<br />
specializing in sports injuries, manufacture<br />
of medical grade foot orthotics.<br />
Ciro Gargiulo<br />
CARE1 Executive Health Care Center<br />
The Manor, 91 Nguyen Huu Canh,<br />
Binh Thanh Tel: 3514 0757<br />
care1_reception@vietnammedicalpractice.com<br />
www.care1.com.vn<br />
A holistic approach is used by this<br />
acupuncturist and traditional medicine<br />
practitioner to rebalance the body’s<br />
energy fields. A wide range of ailments<br />
are treated including back pain, allergies<br />
and insomnia.<br />
institute of Traditional Medicine<br />
273-275 Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan<br />
Dr. Le Hung is the man to see at this<br />
well-established traditional hospital &<br />
training centre. He speaks good English<br />
and provides excellent treatments in a<br />
clean environment. The Institute also<br />
provides acupuncture lessons at USD<br />
$30 per day.<br />
Osteopathic Medicine/Physiotherapy<br />
– David Truong Tan<br />
Tel: 0903 09 81 24<br />
www.osteopathy-vietnam.com<br />
French-trained osteopath and physiotherapist<br />
specializing in the treatment of<br />
back pain and muscular, ligament and<br />
joint problems using a holistic approach<br />
and gentle manipulative techniques.<br />
Consultations available at International<br />
SOS in District 3 and Nutrifort in Districts<br />
1 and 2.<br />
Theta Healing<br />
– Jodie eastwood<br />
Tel: 091 859 1933<br />
www.thetahealing.com<br />
A unique energy healing technique for<br />
mind, body and spirit. Jodie is a UK<br />
qualified practitioner based in HCM City.<br />
Traditional Medicine Hospital<br />
197 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, D3<br />
Friendly staff speak little to no English<br />
at this well-known ad spotlessly clean<br />
hospital offering treatments that combine<br />
traditional Chinese medicine with modern<br />
knowledge and expertise.<br />
COSMETIC TREATMENT<br />
Cao Thang lasik & aesthetic Clinic<br />
135-135B Tran Binh Trong, D5<br />
Tel: 3923 4419<br />
A modern clinic offering a comprehensive<br />
range of optical services. Specializes in<br />
LASIK correctional procedures, costing<br />
from USD $700 to $1,100 for both eyes.<br />
English spoken. Open seven days a<br />
week.<br />
fV Hospital Cosmetic Surgery<br />
45 Vo Thi Sau, D1 Tel: 6290 6167<br />
6 Nguyen Luong Bang, D7<br />
Tel: 5411 3366<br />
www.fvhospital.com<br />
International-standard cosmetic procedures<br />
from simple dermabrasion and<br />
chemical peels to collagen injections,<br />
nose and eye shaping, liposuction, and<br />
breast enhancement. Procedures carried<br />
out by French and Vietnamese doctors<br />
using the latest equipment.<br />
Parkway Shenton international Clinic<br />
Suite 213-214, 37 Ton Duc Thang, D1<br />
Owned by the Singapore-based<br />
healthcare giant Parkway Holdings, this<br />
aesthetics clinic offers a range of both<br />
surgical and non-surgical treatments<br />
including dental reconstruction.<br />
DENTAL<br />
european Dental Clinic<br />
17 - 17A Le Van Mien, Thao Dien, D2<br />
Tel: 0918 749 204/08 3744 9744<br />
Expat English and French-speaking<br />
dentist. Performs full range of dental<br />
treatment including whitening, aesthetic<br />
fillings, porcelain crowns, full ceramics,<br />
veneer and orthodontic treatment. 24hour<br />
emergency line: 0909 551 916 or<br />
0916 352940.<br />
Koseikai Dental Clinic<br />
3rd floor, 21 Nguyen Trung Ngan, D1<br />
Tel: 3910 6255<br />
info@koseikai.com.vn<br />
www.koseikaidentist.com<br />
A member of Dental Clinic Vietnam,<br />
provide full range of dental services<br />
with the latest in technology, delivery of<br />
laboratory work and new technologies<br />
now available.<br />
Starlight Dental Clinic<br />
Dr. Philippe Guettier & International<br />
Team of Dentists<br />
2Bis Cong Truong Quoc Te, D1<br />
Tel: 3822 6222<br />
doe.linh@gmail.com<br />
With 14 years’ experience providing<br />
dental treatment to expat and<br />
Vietnamese patients, this well-known<br />
dental surgery is staffed by both foreign &<br />
local practitioners. Au fait with the latest<br />
treatments and techniques, the surgery<br />
prides themselves on their high standard<br />
of equipment & sterilization.<br />
Tu Xuong Dental Clinic<br />
51A Tu Xuong, D3<br />
Tel: 3932 2049/050<br />
drhung01@yahoo.com<br />
www.nhakhoatuxuong.com<br />
Provides general and cosmetic dental<br />
services at reasonable prices. Specialises<br />
in implants, orthodontic treatments and<br />
making crowns and bridges. Staff are<br />
professional and speak English.<br />
Westcoast international Dental Clinic<br />
Ben Thanh Clinic, 27 Nguyen Trung<br />
Truc, D1. Tel: 3825 6777<br />
The Practice: Level 1, 71-79 Dong Khoi,<br />
D1. Tel: 3825 6999<br />
info@westcoastinternational.com<br />
www.westcoastinternational.com<br />
Westcoast International Dental Clinic<br />
provides quality dental work, combining<br />
state-of-the-art techniques, a talented<br />
and highly skilled team and affordable<br />
prices.<br />
See Medical listings for hospitals with<br />
dental services.<br />
HAIR & SALON<br />
anthony George for london Hair &<br />
Beauty<br />
FIDECO Riverview Building<br />
14 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 6475<br />
www.aglondonsalon.com.vn<br />
Top British stylist George brings his<br />
unique flair to hair in District 2. The modern,<br />
stylish and professional salon is host<br />
to a staff of professionally trained beauty<br />
therapists. Uses Dermalogica, Schwarzkopf<br />
and L’Oreal products. Shampoo,<br />
cut and blow-dry starts at USD $26; mini<br />
facials from $12.<br />
Jasmine<br />
45 Ton That Thiep, D1 Tel: 3827 2737<br />
jasminespa@hcm.vnn.vn<br />
Friendly and efficient staff offers haircuts<br />
and a wide range of services including<br />
waxing, manicures, pedicures and other<br />
beauty treatments. Skin renewal facial,
salt or rice body scrub & deep tissue<br />
massage costs USD $98<br />
le Brian Salon<br />
201 Calmette, D1<br />
195 Nguyen Van Hoang, D2<br />
Vietnamese-American hairstylist with<br />
dual locations, offering a full range of hair<br />
services, as well as professional make-up<br />
application.<br />
lloyd Morgan international Hair<br />
Studio<br />
234 Nguyen Van Huong, Thao Dien, D2<br />
Tel: 090 8422 007<br />
International stylist Lloyd Morgan is one<br />
of the best in town. He’s been in the<br />
business for over 30 years and brings his<br />
expertise to this established, top-notch<br />
salon.<br />
Qi Spa<br />
151 Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan<br />
Tel: 3844 1719<br />
Caravelle Hotel Tel: 3824 7150<br />
Mövenpick Hotel Saigon,<br />
Tel: 3997 5437<br />
High-end salon and spa offers the<br />
standard range of services in a calming<br />
atmosphere with good service. Waxing,<br />
nail services, hair dressing as well as<br />
luxurious facial and massage treatments<br />
on offer.<br />
Souche<br />
2nd Floor, Saigon Trade Centre<br />
37 Ton Duc Thang, D1 Tel: 3910 0372<br />
A top-end beauty salon using the<br />
Dermatologica line of skincare products.<br />
Specialises in personalized facial care<br />
treatments from USD $30 and medicated<br />
acne treatments from $40. Waxing and<br />
other aesthetic services are also available<br />
in a pleasant atmosphere with excellent<br />
service.<br />
Sunji Matsuo Hair Studio<br />
Saigon Paragon, 3 Nguyen Luong Bang,<br />
D7 Tel: 5416 0378<br />
Celebrity hairstylist Sunji Matsuo’s Singapore-based<br />
hair salon has a variety of<br />
hair services including scalp treatments,<br />
rebonding and hair extensions.<br />
The Salon<br />
21-23 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1<br />
Tel: 3822 9660<br />
65 Le Loi, D1 Tel: 3821 6394<br />
Reliable haircuts from well-trained stylists<br />
at this local salon with multiple locations.<br />
A haircut starts at USD $28 for women<br />
and $22 for men.<br />
MEDICAL<br />
australian Clinic & Pathology<br />
Diagnostics (aCPD)<br />
273-275 Ly Thai To, D10<br />
Tel: 3834 9941<br />
www.australianclinic.com.vn<br />
Services include general outpatient<br />
healthcare, corporate / visa healthchecks,<br />
X-ray, full laboratory and in-house<br />
pharmacy including specialist medical<br />
services covering cardiology, paediatrics,<br />
obstetrics, gynecology, orthopedic and<br />
dermatology.<br />
CaRe1 executive Health Care Center<br />
The Manor, 91 Nguyen Huu Canh,<br />
Binh Thanh Tel: 3514 0757<br />
care1_reception@vietnammedicalpractice.com<br />
www.care1.com.vn<br />
Sister clinic of Family Medical Practice,<br />
CARE1 is an executive health care centre<br />
offering comprehensive preventative-care<br />
checkups in a modern and professional<br />
setting. State-of-the-art technology provides<br />
fast and accurate diagnoses.<br />
Centre Medical international (CMi)<br />
1 Han Thuyen, D1<br />
Tel: 3827 2366<br />
www.cmi-vietnam.com<br />
Located downtown next to the cathedral,<br />
the centre provides a high standard of<br />
medical care from qualified French and<br />
Vietnamese physicians. Its range of services<br />
include general and tropical medicine,<br />
cardiology, gynaecology, osteopathy,<br />
pediatrics, psychiatry, speech therapy and<br />
traditional Eastern medicine.<br />
Columbia asia Saigon Clinic<br />
8 Alexandre de Rhodes, D1<br />
Tel: 3823 8888<br />
Respected multi-specialty clinic with<br />
foreign and local physicians. Doctors on<br />
call 24 hours a day. Standard check-ups<br />
cost between 400,000 VND and 800,000<br />
VND.<br />
family Medical Practice HCMC<br />
Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan, D1<br />
Tel: 3822 7848<br />
www.vietnammedicalpractice.com<br />
Leading international primary healthcare<br />
provider, with a 24-hour state-of-the-art<br />
medical centre and highly-qualified multilingual<br />
foreign doctors. Extensive experience<br />
in worldwide medical evacuations<br />
with car and air ambulance on standby.<br />
Also in Hanoi and Danang.<br />
fV Hospital<br />
6 Nguyen Luong Bang, D7<br />
Tel: 5411 3333<br />
www.fvhospital.com<br />
A foreign-owned international-standard<br />
hospital with a mixture of French and<br />
Vietnamese physicians. Offers quality<br />
services, comprehensive patient care<br />
and is particularly well regarded for<br />
its maternity care. Full array of dental<br />
services from examination, cleaning and<br />
whitening to fillings, cosmetic procedures<br />
and implants. 24-hour emergency line:<br />
3411 3500.<br />
Hanh Phuc international Women &<br />
Children Hospital<br />
Binh Duong Boulevard, Thuan An, Binh<br />
Duong<br />
Tel: 650 363 6068<br />
www.hanhphuchospital.com<br />
Managed by Thomson Medical Singapore,<br />
Hanh Phuc hospital provides a<br />
comprehensive range of facilities and<br />
service for primary to tertiary healthcare,<br />
focus in Obstestrics & Gyneacology and<br />
Paediatric. Soft opening was on the 3rd<br />
January 2011.<br />
international SOS<br />
167A Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, D3<br />
Tel: 3829 8424<br />
www.internationalsos.com<br />
Globally-renowned provider of medical<br />
assistance and international healthcare.<br />
Specializes in offering medical transport<br />
and evacuation both within and outside of<br />
Vietnam for urgent medical cases. Foreign<br />
and Vietnamese dentists. Has multilingual<br />
staff.<br />
Victoria Healthcare international<br />
Clinic<br />
135A Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan<br />
Tel: 3997 4545<br />
79 Dien Bien Phu, D1 Tel: 39104545<br />
Well-regarded clinic offering general<br />
examinations and specializing in pediatrics,<br />
digestive diseases, cardiology and<br />
women's health. Offers a membership<br />
program and cooperates with most insurance<br />
companies in Vietnam and abroad.<br />
Open with doctors on call 24/7.<br />
New Pet Hospital<br />
53 Dang Dung St, D1<br />
Tel: 6269 3939<br />
This veterinary hospital is equipped with<br />
the state-of-the-art equipment including<br />
digital X-ray machine, color-ultrasound<br />
machine, inhalation anesthetic system<br />
and blood analyzer. It also provides<br />
boarding and grooming services.<br />
Saigon Pet<br />
33 Street 41, Thao Dien, D2<br />
Tel: 0909 063267<br />
A veterinary clinic run by a UK-trained vet.<br />
The clinic provides diagnostic surgical<br />
and laboratory services as well as per<br />
grooming. Saigon Pet is affiliated with<br />
A.R.C Vietnam, a volunteer organisation<br />
dedicated to preventing animal cruelty,<br />
which also rehabilitates and finds homes<br />
for abandoned animals.<br />
NAILS<br />
Nghia Beauty<br />
20 Phan Boi Chau, D1<br />
Tel: 3829 2688<br />
asialife HCMC 77
MONTESSORI<br />
Early Childhood Program<br />
International & Bilingual<br />
(English and Vietnamese/<br />
French/or French/or Mandarin)<br />
Infant & Toddler program: for children aged 6 to 17 months<br />
Kindergarten program: for children aged 1.5 to 6 years<br />
Half day and full day<br />
Outstanding indoor & outdoor facilities.<br />
After school activities for children 3-10 yrs: Music, PE, Art &<br />
language classes (English, French, Mandarin Chinese).<br />
www.montessori.edu.vn<br />
info@montessori.edu.vn<br />
Thao Dien Campus:<br />
42/1 Ngo Quang Huy, Dist.2,<br />
HCMC<br />
An Phu Campus:<br />
Ground oor, Block B, An<br />
Khang/Intresco Apartment<br />
(Behind Metro supermarket<br />
Dist.2, HCMC)<br />
Tel: 37442639 - 38783164<br />
0903 858659<br />
78 asialife HCMC<br />
Montessori<br />
International School<br />
of Vietnam<br />
Located next to the Ben Thanh Market,<br />
clean efficient and friendly staff service<br />
your hands and feet with a range of treatments<br />
while you relax in a comfortable<br />
atmosphere.<br />
Nail P.KH<br />
51 Nguyen Huu Cau, D1<br />
A well-known local place with a number<br />
of manicure stations and an extensive<br />
range of services. A mani-pedi with polish<br />
starts at 40,000 VND.<br />
OPI<br />
253 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, D3<br />
International brand of nail care offering a<br />
variety of treatments from standard manicures<br />
at 50,000 VND to the whole host<br />
nail services such as acrylics, powder gell,<br />
cuticle treatments and French polishing.<br />
Quang Qui’s Nails<br />
146 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
242 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
Locally popular spots with low prices and<br />
good service, offering anything you could<br />
possibly want for your nails.<br />
SKINCARE<br />
avon<br />
186A Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, D3<br />
Tel: 3930 4018<br />
www.vn.avon.com<br />
HCMC branch of the world’s largest direct<br />
seller of cosmetics occupies the ground<br />
floor of District 3 villa, selling brand names<br />
like Anew, Skin-So-Soft and Avon Natural.<br />
The Body Shop<br />
87 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 Tel: 3823 3683<br />
31 Nguyen Trai, D1<br />
www.thebodyshop.com<br />
Internatioanl cosmetics retailer with strong<br />
commitment to environment sources<br />
natural ingredients from small communities<br />
for its line of more than 600 products.<br />
Dermalogica<br />
Saigon Trade Center, 37 Ton Duc Thang,<br />
D1 Tel: 3910 0372<br />
www.dermalogica.com<br />
U.S. brand of cleansers popular among<br />
skin care professionals. The line of toners,<br />
exfoliants, moisturizers and masques are<br />
engineered by skin therapists to be free<br />
of common irritants, and the company is<br />
categorically opposed to animal testing.<br />
The face Shop<br />
294 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3820 2325<br />
598B Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D3<br />
Tel: 3832 2095<br />
94 Nguyen Trai, D5 Tel: 3923 9868<br />
Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
www.thefaceshop.com<br />
Local retailer for the South Korea-based<br />
international brand of natural body, bath<br />
and skincare products. The company<br />
pairs variety with value, offering hundreds<br />
of products for different skin types. Also<br />
has kiosks at Co.op Mart in Phu My<br />
Hung, Diamond Plaza and Zen Plaza.<br />
l’apothiquaire<br />
100 Mac Thi Buoi, D1<br />
Parkson Saigon Tourist Plaza<br />
Parkson Hung Vuong Plaza<br />
The Crescent, 103 Ton Dat Tien, D7<br />
64A Truong Dinh, D3<br />
07 Han Thuyen, D1<br />
Tel: 3932 5181/3932 5082<br />
www.lapothiquaire.com<br />
info@lapothiquaire.com<br />
French-made natural products for all<br />
types of skin. Also offers exclusive<br />
natural Italian skin, body and hair care<br />
from Erbario Toscano. Available at all<br />
L’Apothiquaire outlets.<br />
l’Occitane en Provence<br />
New World Hotel, 76 Le Lai, D1<br />
French cosmetics company with a 30year<br />
history offering a range of bath and<br />
massage oils, essential oils, body and<br />
hand care products are especially well<br />
known. Also has outlets in all the major<br />
downtown shopping malls.<br />
Marianna Medical laser Skincare<br />
149A Truong Dinh, D3 Tel:3526 4635<br />
www.en.marianna.com.vn<br />
Professional Laser Clinic in Ho Chi Minh<br />
City, Marianna owns the excellent experts<br />
in Aesthetic Medicine and the modern<br />
technologies such as Laser, Botox, Filler<br />
and all solutions can help you more<br />
beautiful and younger day by day.<br />
Sian Skincare laser Clinic<br />
71–77 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel:3827 6999<br />
info@sianclinic.com<br />
www.sianclinic.com<br />
Skincare laser clinic offering the latest<br />
in non-surgical esthetic treatments<br />
including Botox, laser, acne treatments,<br />
hair loss regrowth, hair removal, skin<br />
rejuvenation and anti-aging treatments.<br />
Led by Dr. Tran Ngoc Si, a leading<br />
esthetic dermatologist from the hospital<br />
of Dermatology of HCMC.<br />
Yves Rocher<br />
16-18 Hai Ba Trung Tel: 3824 8782<br />
www.yves-rocher.com<br />
Small centrally located boutique retailing<br />
in French brand of botanical fragrances,<br />
face and body care, cosmetics and antiaging<br />
solutions.<br />
SPAS<br />
aqua Day Spa<br />
Sheraton Saigon, 88 Dong Khoi, D1<br />
Tel: 3827 2828<br />
Recently revamped luxury eight-room<br />
spa with a holistic approach to treatment,<br />
using natural Harnn products plus hot<br />
stone therapy and seaweed treatments.<br />
Belissima Spa<br />
3rd Floor Saigon Center, 65 Le Loi, D1<br />
Tel: 3272 8682<br />
Well known in Hanoi and now available<br />
in HCMC, Belissima offers range of facial<br />
treatments, body therapies, and hand<br />
and foot treatments as well as special<br />
packages such as Coffee and Chocolate<br />
Body Toning Treatment.<br />
Jasmine Spa<br />
45 Ton That Thiep, D1<br />
Tel: 3827 2737<br />
jasminespa@hcm.vnn.vn<br />
Friendly and efficient staff offer haircuts<br />
and a wide range of services including<br />
waxing, manicures, pedicures and other<br />
beauty treatments. Skin renewal facials,<br />
salt or rice body scrub & deep tissue<br />
massages from USD $79.<br />
la Maison de l’apothiquaire<br />
64A Truong Dinh, D3<br />
Tel: 3932 5181/3932 5082<br />
info@lapothiquaire.com<br />
www.lapothiquaire.com<br />
Traditional French day spa in colonial villa<br />
with professional therapists and state-ofthe-art<br />
treatments. Complimentary use of<br />
swimming pool, sauna and steam bath.<br />
Has fitness centre and organic garden<br />
restaurant and offers gentlemen’s care.<br />
Winner of Guide Award 2005-2009. Also<br />
offers exclusive natural Italian skin, body<br />
and hair care from ErbarioToscano.<br />
NTfQ2 Spa<br />
34 Nguyen Dang Giai, D2<br />
Tel: 3744 6672<br />
Therapeutic massage with a focus on<br />
sports massage to increase circulation,<br />
remove lactic acid build-up, restore flexibility<br />
and relieve back pain. Also offering<br />
Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage to reduce<br />
tension and reiki treatments.<br />
Renaissance Riverside Spa<br />
8-15 Ton Duc Thang, D1<br />
Tel: 3822 0033<br />
No-frills Vietnamese, shiatsu and aromatherapy<br />
massages from USD $22 plus<br />
a room dedicated to foot massages from<br />
$18 at the atrium level. Also has sizable<br />
steam and sauna rooms at the club<br />
Xuan Spa<br />
Park Hyatt, 2 Lam Son Square, D1<br />
Tel: 3824 1234<br />
Beautiful spa with highly rated Swedish<br />
massage and water therapy including<br />
the unique 60 minutes Vichy shower to<br />
soften and smooth skin or the Indian Shirodhara<br />
with special oil for 45 minutes.<br />
Spa packages aimed at rejuvenation,<br />
calming, and hydrating are also available.
ask auntie emily<br />
Meddling In-Laws<br />
By emily Huckson<br />
Dear Auntie Em:<br />
My husband and I always<br />
look forward to visits from our<br />
parents. My in-laws visited us<br />
for a month and they get along<br />
with our three-year-old like a<br />
‘house on fire’. To him, they<br />
are the best toys in the house!<br />
It is wonderful for my son to<br />
have such a great relationship<br />
with his grandparents while<br />
living so far away. However,<br />
my mother-in-law is causing a<br />
problem. Although I appreciate<br />
her time and love that my son<br />
feels so connected to her, I<br />
don’t appreciate her contradicting<br />
me on discipline. When<br />
I give him a ‘time out’, she<br />
takes his side and asks me<br />
to give him a second chance,<br />
even when she’s witnessed<br />
bad behaviour that she knows<br />
I will not tolerate.<br />
- In-Law Interference<br />
Dear ILI: This is oh-so delicate,<br />
since you don’t want to offend<br />
her. Still, I can guess you<br />
have already talked about<br />
your ideas of child rearing<br />
as you say she knows about<br />
behaviour you will and will not<br />
tolerate, so you do need to<br />
address it. Talk to your spouse<br />
about what you have in mind<br />
and then either together, or on<br />
80 asialife HCMC<br />
your own, find a moment to<br />
discuss it with your mother-inlaw.<br />
You might say, “When you<br />
step in and take the kids’ side,<br />
I feel as though my authority is<br />
being questioned. And I think<br />
it’s confusing for our son. If<br />
you feel I’m not being fair with<br />
him, I’d prefer to talk about it<br />
privately with you. Can we try<br />
that?”<br />
In general, when it comes<br />
to friends and relatives with<br />
whom you spend a lot of<br />
family time, it’s good to share<br />
your beliefs about discipline<br />
do's and don’ts and, together,<br />
come up with an approach<br />
both sides can live with.<br />
And if you feel your in-laws<br />
understand and accept your<br />
methods, you can trust and<br />
respect the way they might<br />
discipline your children. You<br />
may even give her permission<br />
to discipline your kids when<br />
you’re right there in the room.<br />
For parents-in-law from<br />
either side, though, you are<br />
perfectly correct in standing<br />
your ground and saying, “You<br />
already raised your son, now<br />
let me raise mine!”<br />
Email your questions about<br />
childhood development to<br />
auntie-em@asialifehcmc.com<br />
listings<br />
family<br />
ACTIVITIES<br />
alpha Gallery<br />
10 Chu Manh Trinh, D1<br />
Printmaking classes for both adults and<br />
children run by Swiss artist Bernadette<br />
Gruber. Six-week courses start with the<br />
basics and swiftly move students towards<br />
producing proofs and final prints from<br />
copper plates they have created. Freedom<br />
of expression is encouraged and other<br />
mediums are also explored.<br />
Conservatory of Music<br />
112 Nguyen Du, D1<br />
The established training centre for professional<br />
musicians offers private piano and<br />
violin lessons to foreigners in the evenings.<br />
Helene Kling Painting<br />
helene_kling@yahoo.com<br />
Offers classes in oil painting to both<br />
children and adults for 150,000 VND and<br />
300,000 VND respectively. Classes are<br />
paced to suit each student.<br />
Rubba Duckies Swim School<br />
rubbaduckiesswim@hotmail.com<br />
Parent and infant water familiarisation<br />
classes in a group environment from six to<br />
48 months. Classes take place at Somerset<br />
Apts., D1; Riverside, D2; APSC, D2 or<br />
AI D2 and D3. Email for schedule.<br />
Saigon Movement<br />
An Phu Tel: 098 702 7722<br />
saigonmovement@gmail.com<br />
Sports and creative movement classes for<br />
kids 2 to 11. Classes improve children’s<br />
total body awareness through a variety of<br />
games and sports-based activities. Phu<br />
My Hung schedule starts in September.<br />
Saigon Pony Club<br />
Lane 42, Le Van Thinh, D2<br />
Tel: 0913 733 360<br />
Close to X-rock climbing centre, kids<br />
from three and upwards can ride one<br />
of the stable’s 16 ponies. Lessons with<br />
foriegn teachers last 45 minutes and cost<br />
350,000 VND for kids from age six.<br />
SaigonSports academy<br />
An Phu and Phu My Hung<br />
Tel: 0862 819 790<br />
info@saigonsportsacademy.com<br />
Sports academy founded by pro tennis<br />
coach currently offering tennis, football,<br />
basketball and swimming training to kids<br />
4 to 18. Professional coaches integrate<br />
international concepts and systems to<br />
draw out athletes’ natural abilities. Also<br />
operates a youth football league.<br />
The Performing arts academy<br />
19A Ngo Quang Huy, D2<br />
Tel: 090 339 0675<br />
info@paa.com.vn<br />
www.paa.com.vn<br />
Enrolling aspiring learners 6 and up for<br />
instruction in guitar, singing, piano, flute,<br />
clarinet, saxophone and drums. ABRSM<br />
qualified. Group dance and drama<br />
session also available. Offering Tiny Tots<br />
music enrichment & dance program for<br />
ages 3-5.<br />
Tae Kwondo<br />
BP Compound, 720 Thao Dien, D2 and<br />
Riverside Villa Compound, Vo Truong<br />
Toan, D2<br />
phucteacherkd@yahoo.com<br />
Private and group classes are run after<br />
school three times a week by the friendly<br />
Mr. Phuc. Anyone over the age of five is<br />
welcome to join in the course, which costs<br />
USD $50 for 12 classes/month with a $25<br />
fee for non-members. Contact Mr. Phuc<br />
directly on 0903 918 149.<br />
BABY EQUIPMENT<br />
Babyland<br />
Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi, D1<br />
Quality products including car seats,<br />
buggies, prams and travel cots and a<br />
good selection of baby toys. Carries Avent<br />
bottles and sterilizer sets, and a small<br />
range of educational books. Prices are<br />
higher than the other places, but so is<br />
the quality.<br />
Maman Bebe<br />
Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
Tel: 3825 8724<br />
www.mamanbebe.com.vn<br />
Stocks an assortment of modern strollers<br />
and car seats. Also sells various utensils<br />
and practical baby products. Small<br />
selection of clothing for ages newborn to<br />
14 years.<br />
Me & Be<br />
230 Vo Thi Sau, D3<br />
40 Ton That Tung, D1<br />
141D Phan Dang Luu, Phu Nhuan<br />
246 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D3<br />
101-103 Khanh Hoi, D4<br />
287A Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan<br />
The closest thing to Mothercare the city<br />
has to offer. Stocks a substantial range<br />
of apparel for babies including bottles<br />
and sterilizers, cots (including travel cots),<br />
clothing, toys, safety equipment and more,<br />
all at reasonable prices.<br />
Me Oi<br />
1B Ton That Tung, D1<br />
A small shop adjacent to the maternity<br />
hospital bursting at the seams with everything<br />
you need for your baby. Clothing,<br />
footwear, bottles, nappies, nappy bags<br />
and toys all at reasonable prices.<br />
New Parent Street<br />
Nguyen Thong Street, D3 between<br />
Ly Chinh Thang and Ky Dong Street.<br />
An interesting array of baby formula and<br />
hard liquor. A one stop shopping cluster<br />
for first time parents.<br />
EDUCATION<br />
aBC international School<br />
2,1E Street, KDC Trung Son, Binh Hung,<br />
Binh Chanh Tel: 5431 1833<br />
abcintschoolss@vnn.vn<br />
www.theabcis.com<br />
UK standards-based curriculum awards<br />
diploma with IGCSE’s & A Levels certified<br />
by Cambridge Universit examinations<br />
board. From playgroup to pre-university<br />
matriculation. Served by 80+ British teachers.<br />
Good facilities and extra-curricular<br />
activities.<br />
aCG international School<br />
East West Highway, An Phu, D2<br />
Tel: 3747 1234<br />
www.acgedu.com<br />
Part of the Academic Colleges Group’s<br />
international network of schools, ACG<br />
offers comprehensive education from<br />
kindergarten to senior high school and a<br />
range of extracurricular activities. International<br />
curricula (IB PYP and Cambridge<br />
International Examinations).<br />
australian international School<br />
Early Childhood - Primary Campus<br />
Cherry Blossom 1 & Lotus 1, APSC<br />
Compound, 36 Thao Dien, D2<br />
Tel: 3744 6960<br />
Middle & Senior Campus<br />
East - West Highway, D2<br />
Tel: 3822 4992<br />
enrolment@aisvietnam.com<br />
www.aisvietnam.com<br />
A leading co-educational day school<br />
with dedicated Early Childhood, Primary,<br />
Middle & Senior School campuses. IB<br />
World School, students follow the PYP<br />
and MYP Curriculum. Senior students follow<br />
the IGCSE – Cambridge A Levels. AIS<br />
is the only School in Vietnam authorised to<br />
deliver the University of New South Wales<br />
Foundation Studies GRADE 12 Curriculum
(UNSW). Focus on academic excellence,<br />
international student body, superb facilities<br />
in quiet residential settings, qualified expatriate<br />
staff, range of co-curricular sport,<br />
creative, academic and musical activities<br />
and languages. Scholarships available.<br />
British international School<br />
Primary Campus<br />
43 - 45 Tu Xuong, D3<br />
225 Nguyen Van Huong, D2<br />
Secondary Campus<br />
246 Nguyen Van Huong, D2<br />
Tel: 3744 2335<br />
www.bisvietnam.com<br />
With campuses all over the city and<br />
expansion underway, BIS offers a mixture<br />
of both English and International curriculabased<br />
education alongside excellent<br />
facilities and extra-curricular activities.<br />
Senior students follow the IGCSE and IB<br />
programmes.<br />
Canadian international School<br />
SC 39, Panorama Building, Nguyen Duc<br />
Canh, Phu My Hung, D7<br />
Tel: 5412 1549<br />
Residential Quarter 13C, Nguyen Van<br />
Linh, Phong Phu Commune, Binh Chanh<br />
www.cis.edu.vn<br />
cis@cis.edu.vn<br />
The first Canadian international school in<br />
Vietnam offers classes from kindergarten<br />
to grade 9 for local and foreign students.<br />
Teaches core Ontario curriculum and<br />
awards Ontario Secondary School Diploma<br />
(OSSD), recognized by universities<br />
worldwide. Vietnamese programme taught<br />
by local teachers.<br />
German international School<br />
257 Hoang Van Thu , Tan Binh<br />
Tel: 7300 7257<br />
info@giss.vn / www.giss.vn<br />
A bilingual school with native German and<br />
English teachers. The language program<br />
is followed in both German and English,<br />
alongside the German curriculum. Extra<br />
curricular activities are available for all<br />
primary school students.<br />
international School HCMC<br />
28 Vo Truong Toan, D2<br />
Tel: 3898 9100<br />
www.ishcmc.com<br />
One of 136 schools around the world<br />
to be accredited as an IB World School.<br />
Offers all three of the IB programmes from<br />
primary through to grade 12. The school<br />
is fully accredited by CIS and NEASC<br />
and has a strong focus on community<br />
spirit and fosters an awareness of other<br />
languages and cultures.<br />
international School Saigon Pearl<br />
92 Nguyen Huu Canh, Binh Thanh<br />
District Tel: 2220 1788/89<br />
www.issp.edu.vn<br />
Opening in August, 2011, the single<br />
purpose-built campus will cater for nursery<br />
through grade five. In the second year,<br />
sixth grade will be added. ISSP’s longterm<br />
strategic plan includes complete<br />
middle and high schools. In the spring of<br />
2011 ISSP will host the Western Association<br />
of Schools and Colleges (the largest<br />
American accreditation agency in Asia).<br />
Accreditation will allow children to easily<br />
transfer to schools abroad.<br />
The little Genius international Kindergarten<br />
102 My Kim, Phu My Hung, D7<br />
Tel: 5421 1052<br />
Kindergarten with U.S.-accredited curriculum,<br />
modern facilities and<br />
attractive school grounds.<br />
Montessori international School<br />
International Program<br />
42/1 Ngo Quang Huy, D2<br />
Tel: 3744 2639<br />
Bilingual Program<br />
28 Street 19, KP 5, An Phu, D2<br />
Tel: 6281 7675<br />
www.montessori.edu.vn<br />
Montessori utilizes an internationally recognized<br />
educational method which focuses<br />
on fostering the child’s natural desire to<br />
learn. The aim is to create an encouraging<br />
environment conducive to learning by<br />
asialife HCMC 81
www.acgedu.com<br />
27th June ~ 29th July<br />
Kindergarten Crèche / Primary / Secondary<br />
IELTS Preparation Programme<br />
Enrolments are open now (08) 3747 1234<br />
Please contact Reception for more information<br />
East - West Highway, An Phu Ward, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam<br />
Tel: (08) 3747 1234. Fax: (08) 3747 1235. Email: acgvn@acgedu.com
developing a sense of self and individuality.<br />
A wide array of curriculum/extra-curricular<br />
activities are on offer including Bilingual<br />
programs.<br />
Renaissance international School<br />
74 Nguyen Thi Thap, D7<br />
Tel: 3773 3171<br />
www.rissaigon.edu.vn<br />
IB World school, one of Vietnam’s international<br />
schools operating within the framework<br />
of the British system. RISS provide a<br />
high quality English medium education in<br />
a stimulating, challenging and supportive<br />
environment. The purpose built, modern<br />
campus has excellent facilities.<br />
RMiT<br />
702 Nguyen Van Linh, D7<br />
Tel: 3776 1369<br />
Australian university located in District 7,<br />
offers a highly regarded MBA and undergraduate<br />
courses in various fields.<br />
Saigon Kids Centre<br />
104A Tran Quoc Toan, D3<br />
Tel: 3932 5579<br />
saigonkidscentre@yahoo.com<br />
An international childcare centre for children<br />
aged between two and six years old.<br />
Offers a homely and warm environment for<br />
children to play and learn.<br />
Saigon South international School<br />
Nguyen Van Linh Parkway, D7<br />
Tel: 5413 0901<br />
www.ssis.edu.vn<br />
An International school environment offering<br />
an American/international program<br />
in a large, spacious campus, to children<br />
from age 3 to grade 12. Great facilities,<br />
extra-curricular activities and internationally<br />
trained teachers giving unique opportunities<br />
to learn.<br />
Saigon Star international School<br />
Residential Area No. 5, Thanh My Loi<br />
Ward, D2<br />
Tel: 3742 STAR Fax: 3742 3222<br />
enroll@saigonstarschool.edu.vn<br />
www.saigonstarschool.edu.vn<br />
Offers a British primary curriculum approved<br />
by Cambridge University and integrated<br />
Montessori programme for nursery<br />
and kindergarten. Qualified, experienced<br />
teachers and small class sizes cater to<br />
individual needs and abilities.<br />
Singapore international School (SiS)<br />
No.29, Road No.3, Trung Son Residential<br />
Area, Hamlet 4, Binh Hung Ward, Binh<br />
Chanh District<br />
Tel: 5431 7477<br />
44 Truong Dinh, D3<br />
Tel: 3932 2807<br />
Ground floor, Somerset Chancellor<br />
Court, 21 - 23 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai,<br />
D1. Tel: 3827 2464<br />
The Manor, 91 Nguyen Huu Canh, Binh<br />
Thanh. Tel: 3514 3036<br />
www.kinderworld.net<br />
Students play and learn in an environment<br />
where the best of Western and Eastern<br />
cultures amalgamate to prepare Kinder-<br />
World’s students for today’s challenging<br />
world drawn from both the Singapore and<br />
Australian curriculum. The school offers<br />
International Certifications such as the<br />
iPSLE, IGCSE and GAC.<br />
SmartKids<br />
1172 Thao Dien Compound, D2<br />
Tel: 3744 6076<br />
26 Street 10, D2<br />
Tel: 3898 9816<br />
www.smartkidsinfo.com<br />
An international childcare centre that<br />
provides kindergarten and pre-school<br />
education for children aged between 18<br />
months and 6 years. A fun and friendly<br />
environment, the school focuses on learning<br />
through play.<br />
Stamford Grammar<br />
214 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, D3<br />
Tel: 3930 7343<br />
4Bis Phung Khac Khoan, D1<br />
Tel: 3822 3339<br />
www.stamfordgrammar.com<br />
enquiry@stamfordgrammar.com<br />
International kindergarten following a<br />
asialife HCMC 83
Singapore curriculum for children from<br />
18 months to 6 years of age. Taught by<br />
Vietnamese and native English-speaking<br />
teachers. Outdoor play areas, swimming<br />
pool, music and art & craft rooms where<br />
students can play and learn in a safe<br />
environment.<br />
The American School<br />
172 - 180 Nguyen Van Huong, D2<br />
Tel: 3519 2223<br />
info@tasvietnam.edu.vn<br />
An independent and private collage preparatory<br />
school with a highly individualized<br />
and personalized program, The American<br />
School of Vietnam offers a strong, US<br />
based curriculum for Kindergarten through<br />
Grade 12.<br />
ENTERTAINMENT<br />
Diamond Plaza<br />
34 Le Duan, D1<br />
The top floor arcade and bowling alley is<br />
bound to keep your little ones entertained<br />
for hours with an impressive array of video<br />
games. Some child-friendly dining options<br />
too, with Pizza Hut on hand, a KFC<br />
and a New Zealand Natural ice cream<br />
concession.<br />
Gymboree Play & Music<br />
Somerset Chancellor Court<br />
21-23 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1<br />
Tel: 3827 7008<br />
www.gymboreeclasses.com.vn<br />
The Gymboree Play & Music offers<br />
children from newborn to 5 years old the<br />
opportunity to explore, learn and play in an<br />
innovative parent-child programmes.<br />
Parkson Plaza<br />
39-45 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
Arcade game after arcade game line the<br />
top floor here with a bowling alley and a<br />
decent food court thrown in on the floor<br />
below. A good place to take the kids after<br />
trawling through Parkson’s numerous<br />
concession stands.<br />
Vincom Center<br />
72 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3936 9999<br />
A six-storey shopping centre that houses<br />
the world’s most famous luxury brands<br />
plus more than 250 fashion retailers and<br />
various restaurants. Each level has a coffee<br />
corner to help weary shoppers recoup<br />
while looking over the city. Open daily from<br />
9 am to 10 pm.<br />
Vinpearl Games<br />
Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
Features fun and games for a wide range<br />
of ages. Air hockey, sports games and<br />
traditional arcade video games and a small<br />
children’s play place.<br />
PARTIES<br />
a2<br />
196 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, D3<br />
Well-known toy shop that also does a<br />
substantial line in fancy dress costumes<br />
and partywear. Also has a concession at<br />
An Phu Supermarket.<br />
Beatrice’s Party Shop<br />
235 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
A lovely little shop selling everything you<br />
need to throw your little ones a good<br />
party. A catalogue of entertainers showcases<br />
a number of party favourites such<br />
as magicians, circuses and more.<br />
Nguyen Ngoc Diem Phuong<br />
131C Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1<br />
A curious shop stocking a range of handmade<br />
fancy dress costumes such as<br />
masks, superman outfits and much more.<br />
The stock changes seasonally, so this is<br />
a good place to stock up on Halloween,<br />
Christmas and other holiday-specific party<br />
costumes. Prices are also on the cheap.<br />
The Balloon Man<br />
Tel: 3990 3560<br />
Does exactly as his name suggests – balloons.<br />
Great service has earned this chap<br />
a reputation around town for turning up<br />
almost instantly with a superb selection of<br />
balloons. Also provides helium balloons.<br />
84 asialife HCMC<br />
listings finance<br />
living<br />
BUSINESS GROUPS<br />
amCham<br />
New World Hotel, 76 Le Lai, D1<br />
Business Centre, Room 323<br />
Tel: 3824 3562<br />
www.amchamvietnam.com<br />
ausCham<br />
TV Building, Suite 1A, 31A Nguyen<br />
Dinh Chieu, D1 Tel: 3911 0272 / 73<br />
/ 74<br />
www.auschamvn.org<br />
British Business Group of Vietnam<br />
25 Le Duan, D1 Tel: 3829 8430<br />
execmgr@bbgv.org<br />
www.bbgv.org<br />
Citibank<br />
Sun Wah Tower, 115 Nguyen Hue<br />
Boulevard, D1, HCMC<br />
Tel: 3824 2118<br />
International Center, 17 Ngo Quyen,<br />
Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi<br />
Tel: 3825 1950<br />
Citibank Vietnam offers a wide range<br />
of banking services to both consumer<br />
and corporate clients. Services include<br />
corporate and investment banking,<br />
global transaction services, and consumer<br />
banking. In Vietnam for 15 years,<br />
Citibank has a presence in both HCMC<br />
and Hanoi.<br />
eurocham<br />
257 Hoang Van Thu, Tan Binh<br />
Tel: 3845 5528<br />
www.eurochamvn.org<br />
German Business Group<br />
21-23 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1<br />
www.gba-vietnam.org<br />
Singapore Business Group<br />
Unit 1B2, 21-23 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai,<br />
D1 Tel: 3823 3046<br />
www.sbghcmc.org<br />
CAMERAS<br />
le Duc<br />
5B Huynh Tinh Cua, D3<br />
A shop for all your professional accessory<br />
needs. From lighting equipment to<br />
tripods and reflectors, the shop offers<br />
the best equipment and service in HCM<br />
City.<br />
Pham The<br />
11 Le Cong Kieu, D1<br />
An authorized service centre for Nikon<br />
camera that also specializes in repairing<br />
all camera makes. Measurement equipment<br />
and spare parts also available.<br />
Shop 46<br />
46 Nguyen Hue, D1<br />
Small shop run by photographer and<br />
collector. The owner’s more collectible<br />
pieces are pricey, but entry-level manual<br />
focus SLRs from the 70s and 80s are<br />
affordable.<br />
COMPUTERS<br />
Computer Street<br />
Luong Huu Khanh, D1 between<br />
Nguyen Thi Minh Khai and Nguyen Trai<br />
This stretch of District 1 is literally wall to<br />
wall with small shops selling computers,<br />
printers, monitors and everything<br />
computer related, more so toward the<br />
NTMK end of the drag.<br />
The 6300 Percent Miracle<br />
By Paul Mclardie<br />
From a low point of under US<br />
$0.50 a share to its recent<br />
price near $30, US company<br />
Human Genome Sciences<br />
(Nasdaq HGSI) rose a very<br />
impressive 6300 percent in<br />
the past two years. To find<br />
out what you could have<br />
done to be on that train you<br />
first need to find out how this<br />
meteoric rise took place.<br />
Human Genome Sciences<br />
made a Lupus drug called<br />
Benlysta. Many people did<br />
not give it a chance. The naysayers<br />
doubted that the drug<br />
would test well or be passed<br />
by the Food and Drug Association.<br />
It did both.<br />
This is not a case of, “If<br />
only I had bought Google<br />
or Casio when I had the<br />
chance”, of things looking<br />
clearer with hindsight. In fact,<br />
the possibilities of individual<br />
investors having shares in<br />
HGSI are slim.These will have<br />
been taken by large institutional<br />
investors and specialist<br />
speculators.<br />
Moreover, the share price<br />
will not stay that high, as<br />
there have already been<br />
concerns about the usage of<br />
the drug for certain people,<br />
and other large Biotech com-<br />
panies such as AstraZeneca<br />
are already at stage two of<br />
development of drugs that<br />
will compete with Benlysta.<br />
So what do you do as the<br />
personal investor? Get on the<br />
next band wagon? First of<br />
all, you need to understand<br />
the first rule of this type of<br />
high-risk speculation: You will<br />
lose. Only use money that<br />
you can afford to lose. It is<br />
much better to leave this type<br />
of dealing to the large institutions<br />
that have the backing<br />
of billions of dollars or to<br />
specialist investors that know<br />
a specific part of one industry<br />
inside out.<br />
Take it on the chin. The<br />
vast majority of people will<br />
never be able to take this<br />
much risk. It is much better<br />
to congratulate people who<br />
have. It is the same as winning<br />
the lottery. We all know<br />
people that play the lottery,<br />
and some people have won<br />
small prizes. But do you<br />
know anyone that has hit the<br />
jackpot?<br />
Paul McLardie is a partner<br />
at Total Wealth Management.<br />
Contact him at Paul.<br />
mclardie@t-wm.com
future World<br />
240 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D3<br />
Authorized reseller of Apple computers<br />
and products, as well as some off-brand<br />
items like headphones. Excellent service<br />
and English-speaking staff. Accepts<br />
credit cards.<br />
Phong Vu Computer<br />
264C Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1<br />
Tel: 3933 0762<br />
www.vitinhphongvu.com<br />
The biggest and busiest of the PC<br />
stores in town. Known for good, efficient<br />
service, in-house maintenance and aftersales<br />
repair on the second floor.<br />
CONSULTING<br />
Concetti<br />
33 Dinh Tien Hoang, D1 Tel: 3911 1480<br />
www.concetti-vn.com<br />
Consulting and research company for<br />
technology transfer and investment.<br />
embers-asia ltd.<br />
Level 9, Nam Giao Building, 80-8 Phan<br />
Xich Long, Phu Nhuan Tel: 3995 9163<br />
www.embers-asia.com<br />
With a focus on experiential learning,<br />
Embers-Asia has been creating and<br />
delivering high-performance training and<br />
development solutions for<br />
corporations, embassies, international<br />
schools and NGOs throughout Southeast<br />
Asia since 2002.<br />
ernst & Young<br />
Saigon Riverside Office Center, 2A-4A<br />
Ton Duc Thang, D1 Tel: 3824 5252<br />
www.ey.com<br />
Professional service firm specializing in<br />
advisory, assurance, tax, transactions<br />
and strategic growth markets.<br />
Grant Thornton<br />
Saigon Trade Centre, 37 Ton Duc<br />
Thang, D1 Tel: 3910 9100<br />
www.gt.com.vn<br />
International business advisors specializing<br />
in auditing, management consulting,<br />
corporate finance, risk management and<br />
information technology.<br />
if Consulting<br />
IBC Building, 3rd Floor<br />
1A Me Linh Square, D1<br />
4th Floor, 5 Ba Trieu<br />
Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi<br />
Tel: 3827 7362 Fax: 3827 7361<br />
Email: pascal@insuranceinvietnam.com<br />
Private insurance and finance.<br />
indochine Councel<br />
Han Nam Building, 65 Nguyen Du, D1<br />
Tel: 3823 9640<br />
www.indochinecounsel.com<br />
Business law firm specializing in legal<br />
services to corporate clients in relation<br />
to their business and investment in<br />
Vietnam.<br />
international Management initiative<br />
for Vietnam (iMiV)<br />
info@imiv.org<br />
www.imiv.org<br />
The International Management Initiative<br />
for Vietnam (IMIV), a non-profit initiative<br />
within VinaCapital Foundation that<br />
promotes excellence in business leadership<br />
and management by bringing to<br />
Vietnam proven international executive<br />
education and professional development<br />
programmes.<br />
Phuong Nguyen Consulting<br />
TPC Business Center, 92-96 Nguyen<br />
Hue, D1 Tel: 3829 2391<br />
www.pnp-consulting.com<br />
Specializing in business facilitation,<br />
conferences, education counselling,<br />
market-entry research and IT/business<br />
consulting.<br />
Prism information Technology<br />
Services<br />
Level 4, YOCO Building, 41 Nguyen Thi<br />
Minh Khai, D1 Tel: 3829 6416<br />
info@prism.com.vn<br />
A foreign-owned information and com-<br />
munications technology company that<br />
offers value-added IT solutions. Enables<br />
local businesses to attain and maintain<br />
international IT standards to be more<br />
competitive in the marketplace.<br />
Rouse & Co. international<br />
Abacus Tower, 58 Nguyen Dinh Chieu,<br />
D1 Tel: 3823 6770<br />
www.iprights.com<br />
Global intellectual property firm providing<br />
a full range of IP services including patent<br />
and trade mark agency services.<br />
Total Wealth Management<br />
66/11 Pham Ngoc Thach, D3<br />
Tel: 3820 0623<br />
www.t-wm.com<br />
Specialists in selecting and arranging<br />
tax-efficient savings and pension plans<br />
for expatriates. Offers councel on private<br />
banking services, wealth protection in<br />
offshore jurisdictions, currency risks and<br />
hedging strategies.<br />
Towers Watson Vietnam (formerly<br />
Watson Wyatt and SMaRT HR)<br />
Sun Wah Tower, 115 Nguyen Hue,<br />
Suite 808, D1<br />
Tel: 3821 9488<br />
Global HR consulting firm specializing in<br />
executive compensation, talent management,<br />
employee rewards and surveys,<br />
HR effectiveness and technology, data<br />
services and total rewards surveys.<br />
DECOR<br />
Aquarium Street<br />
Nguyen Thong Street, D3 between Vo<br />
Thi Sau and Ly Chinh Thang<br />
Dedicated street has everything one<br />
needs to display fish: tanks, decor, feed,<br />
filters and the fish themselves.<br />
Decosy<br />
112 Xuan Thuy, D2 Tel: 6281 9917<br />
Producer of a large selection of European<br />
styled furniture and interior fittings,<br />
specializing in wrought iron and patine<br />
(distressed) wood finishes. Also stocks<br />
a wide-range of decorative accessories,<br />
crockery and fixtures. Custom design<br />
services available upon request.<br />
Dogma<br />
175 De Tham, D1 Tel: 3836 0488<br />
www.dogmavietnam.com<br />
Located upstairs from Saigon Kitsch, this<br />
art gallery deals in Vietnamese propaganda<br />
posters, apparel, accessories and<br />
random paraphernalia. Large prints are<br />
sold at USD $60 each and small prints<br />
cost $25.<br />
Vietnam-Quilts<br />
64 Ngo Duc Ke, D1 Tel: 3914 2119<br />
www.mekong-quilts.org<br />
NGO enterprise specializes in quilts and<br />
sells a range of appealing handmade<br />
products created by underprivileged<br />
women in Binh Thuan Province.<br />
ELECTRONICS<br />
Hi end audio<br />
84 Ho Tung Mau, D1<br />
A standout that stocks the very latest<br />
and greatest in home entertainment.<br />
Retails in everything from giant plasmascreen<br />
TVs to audio equipment. Most<br />
top brands are available.<br />
Nguyen Kim Shopping Centre<br />
63-65 Tran Hung Dao, D1<br />
Tel: 3821 1211<br />
www.nguyenkim.com<br />
Stocks DVD/CD players, cameras,<br />
TVs, hi-fis and more from Sony, Sanyo,<br />
Panasonic, Philips and other major<br />
manufacturers. Also a good place to<br />
pick up electronic kitchen supplies like<br />
coffee makers and rice cookers, as well<br />
as large and small appliances, from hot<br />
water heaters to regrigerators.<br />
Savico<br />
117 Ho Tung Mau, D1 Tel: 3821 7993<br />
One-stop electronics and home appliance<br />
superstore. All products have a<br />
one to three-year warranty.<br />
Under new ownership<br />
& management<br />
asialife HCMC 85
people matter<br />
Staff and the Big Picture<br />
By Gary Woollacott<br />
Recently I was meeting a<br />
friend for lunch at a five-star<br />
hotel. He wanted to make<br />
sure he was in the right place<br />
and asked the receptionist to<br />
call me. The phone rang as I<br />
was approaching reception,<br />
so I said, “Don't worry, I’m<br />
right behind you. Hang up”.<br />
We were about to leave<br />
when the receptionist asked<br />
for $1.75. “Don't worry,” I<br />
said, “we are eating here”.<br />
She insisted we pay, even<br />
though I argued about the<br />
cost of the call to them, and<br />
that we planned to spend<br />
money. My friend told me to<br />
stop complaining; he would<br />
pay. I was annoyed, so when<br />
he paid (and got a receipt!) I<br />
said we could eat anywhere in<br />
the city but not at that hotel.<br />
I was still steaming later,<br />
so I called the expat GM,<br />
thinking that he could use it<br />
as a training opportunity. The<br />
$1.75 they received led to<br />
them losing out on us spending<br />
around $100, plus all<br />
my other visits in the normal<br />
course of a month or three—<br />
including a corporate visitor<br />
for two nights. Small stuff in<br />
the scheme of things, yes, but<br />
there's a principle involved.<br />
The GM (I know him well)<br />
was in a meeting and his PA<br />
took my message: a complaint<br />
and a training opportu-<br />
86 asialife HCMC<br />
nity. He didn’t call back, and<br />
that was three months ago.<br />
I haven’t been there since<br />
then. And I’m telling everyone<br />
this story. We all know<br />
that not every message gets<br />
delivered; the PA may have<br />
lost it, or forgot. I called again<br />
and was told the message<br />
had been passed to the HR<br />
director. She rang back a few<br />
days later, and they have also<br />
very kindly sent me a lunch<br />
voucher for two.<br />
My point—and it’s taking<br />
a while to make—is that<br />
it’s important to train staff,<br />
to empower them to make<br />
decisions based on the<br />
overall benefit to you and your<br />
business. Don't train them to<br />
follow a procedures manual<br />
that ends up alienating your<br />
customers. This isn’t an easy<br />
thing to do, but if your business<br />
is to succeed then you<br />
have to.<br />
As usual, let me know if<br />
you have any particular topic<br />
you would like to see covered<br />
here.<br />
Gary Woollacott is the Chief<br />
Representative for Opus<br />
executive search in Vietnam<br />
and Thailand. He can<br />
be reached at +84 8 3827<br />
8209 or via gary@opusasia.<br />
net. Opus is an associate of<br />
Horton International.<br />
Tech Street<br />
Huynh Thuc Khang Street between<br />
Ton That Dam and Nguyen Hue, D1<br />
Sells compact discs, DVDs, electronic<br />
money counters, video games and<br />
systems, Discmans, mp3 players and<br />
portable DVD players.<br />
FURNITURE<br />
appeal<br />
41 Ton That Thiep, D1 Tel: 3821 5258<br />
A small, upscale shop that offers modern<br />
accents for the sleek dining room.<br />
The colours of the over-sized vases and<br />
fruit bowls are either glistening red or<br />
lacquered black.<br />
austinHome<br />
20 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3519 0023<br />
Outstanding quality and style for your<br />
home. The shop says its products are<br />
hand-picked by an American furniture<br />
expert from the best factories in Vietnam.<br />
Upholstery, accessories, antiques<br />
and more.<br />
Decosy<br />
112 Xuan Thuy, D2 Tel: 6281 9917<br />
Producer of a large selection of European<br />
styled furniture and interior fittings,<br />
specializing in wrought iron and patine<br />
(distressed) wood finishes. Also stocks<br />
a wide-range of decorative accessories,<br />
crockery and fixtures. Custom design<br />
services available upon request.<br />
esthetic<br />
11 Nguyen Huu Canh, Binh Thanh<br />
Tel: 3514 7371/7372<br />
Fax: 3514 7370<br />
esthetic@vnn.vn<br />
www.estheticfurnishing.com.vn<br />
Design and manufacture as order<br />
with a mixture of antique and modern<br />
furniture. Friendly staff speak excellent<br />
English.<br />
Gaya<br />
1 Nguyen Van Trang, D1<br />
Tel: 3925 1495<br />
www.gayavietnam.com<br />
Four-floor store featuring the work of<br />
foreign designers: home accessories<br />
and outdoor furniture by Lawson Johnston,<br />
linens by Corinne Leveilley-Dadda,<br />
furniture and lighting by Quasar Khanh,<br />
laquerware decor by Michele De Albert<br />
and furniture and decor by vivekkevin.<br />
linh’s White<br />
37 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 6281 9863<br />
Furniture shop that focuses on solid<br />
wood furniture and decorative items<br />
ranging from pillows and lamps to<br />
bedding. Also offers kids’ furniture and<br />
custom pieces.<br />
Tran Duc Homes<br />
33 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D1<br />
Tel: 7300 0777<br />
Level 5, Wonderbuy Center, 27b<br />
Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D1<br />
Tel: 6291 8485<br />
B2-25, Vincom Center, 70-72 Le<br />
Thanh Ton, D1<br />
Tel: 3993 9700<br />
Wood solutions partner for high-end<br />
residential and resort projects. Experienced<br />
in manufacturing and installing<br />
wooden modular housing, interior<br />
fittings and contemporary indoor and<br />
outdoor furniture.<br />
LEGAL<br />
frasers international<br />
Unit 1501, 15th Floor, The Metropolitan,<br />
235 Dong Khoi, D1<br />
Tel: 3824 2733<br />
www.frasersvn.com<br />
Full service commercial law firm providing<br />
international and Vietnamese legal<br />
advice to both foreign and local clients<br />
specializing in transactions in Vietnam.<br />
limcharoen, Hughes and Glanville<br />
Havana Tower, 132 Ham Nghi, D1<br />
Tel: 6291 7000<br />
www.limcharoen.com<br />
Full service international law firm with<br />
head office in Thailand. Main focus on<br />
real estate in Asia.<br />
Phillips fox<br />
Saigon Tower, 29 Le Duan, D1<br />
Tel: 3822 1717<br />
Full service law firm providing legal<br />
services in healthcare, education, crime,<br />
banking and hospitality among others.<br />
Pricewaterhousecoopers legal<br />
Saigon Tower, 29 Le Duan, D1<br />
Tel: 3823 0796<br />
www.pwc.com/vn<br />
Part of a network of international legal<br />
and financial advisors, PWC gives both<br />
specialist and general legal advice with a<br />
focus on mutli-territory projects.<br />
Rödl & Partner<br />
Somerset Chancellor Court<br />
21-23 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1<br />
Tel: 3824 4225<br />
www.roedl.com<br />
European legal firm assisting foreign<br />
investors with structuring/establishing<br />
companies, investment projects, and<br />
mergers & acquistions.<br />
LIGHTING<br />
light House<br />
92 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, D1<br />
Tel: 3914 2662<br />
Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton,<br />
D1<br />
Small retail shop is packed with ceiling<br />
and wall light fixtures, and a good<br />
selection of desk and ceiling lamps.<br />
Most of the stock is decidedlly modern<br />
and sleak.<br />
luxury light<br />
1483 My Toan 1, Nguyen Van Linh,<br />
Phu My Hung, D7<br />
For those who really want to bring a<br />
touch of luxury to their homes, this place<br />
deals with Italian imported lighting from<br />
the ultra - modern to the traditional<br />
Murano style chandeliers. Extremely<br />
expensive reflecting the quality of the<br />
design and workmanship.<br />
Mosaique<br />
98 Mac Thi Buoi, D1<br />
One of the best and most diverse selections<br />
of lamps in town with everything<br />
from the ordinary decorative lotus silk<br />
lamp to more inventive and original<br />
designs in lacquer and silk.<br />
MOTORBIKES<br />
Automotive Street<br />
Ly Thai To Street, D10 starting at Dien<br />
Bien Phu and running southeast<br />
Services include mending motorbike<br />
seats and sound system installation.<br />
Products range from zebra print motorbike<br />
seat covers to car and motorbike<br />
tyres, hubcaps, rims, subwoofers and<br />
sound systems by Xplode.<br />
Bike City<br />
480D Nguyen Thi Thap, D7<br />
Luxury motorcycle shop carries a range<br />
of accessories, including apparel. Sells<br />
Vemar helmets, a brand that passes<br />
rigorous European Union standards.<br />
Protec Helmets<br />
18bis/3A Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1<br />
248C Phan Dinh Phung, Phu Nhuan<br />
417B Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D3<br />
American nonprofit manufacturer makes<br />
helmets with densely compressed polystyrene<br />
shell with ABS, PVC or fiberglass<br />
exterior, available with polycarbonate<br />
shatter-proof shield. Lots of options for<br />
kids.<br />
REAL ESTATE<br />
CB Richard ellis<br />
Me Linh Point Tower, 2 Ngo Duc Ke, D1<br />
Tel: 3824 6125<br />
www.cbre.com<br />
International property consultants and<br />
developers with both commercial and<br />
private properties for sale, lease and<br />
rent.
interContinental asiana Saigon<br />
Residences<br />
Corner of Hai Ba Trung & Nguyen Du,<br />
D1 Tel: 3520 8888<br />
saigon@interconti.com<br />
www.intercontinental.com/saigonres<br />
Contemporary residential space in the<br />
heart of the major business and cultural<br />
area in District 1. There are 260 one, two<br />
or three-bedroom units plus health club<br />
and outdoor swimming pool.<br />
Namhouse Corporation<br />
24 Xuan Thuy, Thao Dien, D2<br />
Tel: 0989 007 700, 0989 115 511<br />
11 Nguyen Huu Canh, Ward 19, Binh Thanh Dist, HCMC<br />
Website: www.estheticfurnishing.com - Email: esthetic@vnn.vn<br />
88 asialife HCMC<br />
www.namhouse.com.vn<br />
Provides rental properties, construction<br />
services and interior decorating.<br />
Supports professional services and<br />
after-sales.<br />
Savills Viet Nam<br />
Level 18, Fideco Tower, 81-85 Ham<br />
Nghi, D1 Tel: 823 9205<br />
www.savills.com.vn<br />
Savills Viet Nam is a property service<br />
provider that has been established in<br />
Vietnam since 1995 offering research,<br />
advisory services, residential sales, commercial<br />
leasing, asset management, retail<br />
advisory, valuation, investment advisory<br />
and more.<br />
Sherwood Residence<br />
127 Pasteur St., D3<br />
Tel: 3823 2288<br />
Fax: 3823 9880<br />
Hotline: 0917470058<br />
leasing@sherwoodresidence.com<br />
www.sherwoodresidence.com<br />
Sherwood Residence is a luxury serviced<br />
apartment property and the first property<br />
certified by the Vietnam National Administration<br />
of Tourism. Modern living spaces<br />
meet prime location, comfort and class<br />
with 5-star facilities and service.<br />
Snap<br />
Tel: 0989 816 676<br />
www.snap.com.vn<br />
Online Real Estate service providing<br />
information on rental properties exclusively<br />
in District 2. Full listings online.<br />
RECRUITMENT<br />
first alliances<br />
#609, Saigon Trade Center<br />
37 Ton Duc Thang, D1<br />
Tel: 3910 2080 Fax: 3910 2079<br />
www.firstalliances.net<br />
cv@firstalliances.net<br />
As Vietnam’s most established recruitment<br />
consultancy, First Alliances operates<br />
across all major industry sectors and at<br />
all levels of seniority. Also providing HR<br />
outsourcing solutions for staffing and<br />
payroll,overseas employment and education<br />
services.<br />
HR2B / Talent Recruitment JSC<br />
Thien Son Building, 5 Nguyen Gia Thieu,<br />
D3 Tel: 3930 8800<br />
www.hr2b.com<br />
HR consulting advises businesses on<br />
how to improve employee productivity.<br />
The search team specializes in matching<br />
senior level Vietnamese professionals and<br />
managers to top level opportunities in<br />
both major cities.<br />
Navigos Group<br />
130 Suong Nguyet Anh, D1<br />
Tel: 3825 5000<br />
www.navigosgroup.com<br />
Recruitment agency offering a complete<br />
portfolio of HR services including<br />
executive search, HR advisory, training,<br />
online recruitment, and print recruitment<br />
advertising.<br />
Opus Vietnam<br />
2A Rolanno Offices, 128 Nguyen Phi<br />
Khanh, D1 Tel: 3827 8209<br />
www.opusasia.net<br />
Established since 2001<br />
Established in HCMC in 2005, Opus services<br />
local and multinational companies<br />
seeking to recruit high quality personnel.<br />
An Associate of Horton International, one<br />
of the world’s leading search groups with<br />
over 30 offices worldwide. For more info<br />
contact info@opusasia.net.<br />
Vietnamworks.com<br />
130 Suong Nguyet Anh, D1<br />
Tel: 5404 1373<br />
www.vietnamworks.com<br />
Excellent section on advice for jobseekers<br />
focusing on topics such as resume<br />
writing, cover letters, interview technique<br />
and more.<br />
RELOCATION AGENTS<br />
allied Pickfords<br />
Satra Building, Room 202, 58 Dong<br />
Khoi, D1 Tel: 3823 3454<br />
kevin.hamilton@alliedpickfords.com.vn<br />
www.alliedpickfords.com<br />
With more than 800 offices in 45 countries,<br />
Allied Pickfords is one of the leaders<br />
in worldwide removal services. In Vietnam<br />
services include overseas relocation,<br />
domestic and office moves and storage.<br />
Crown Worldwide Movers<br />
48A Huynh Man Dat, Binh Thanh<br />
Tel: 3823 4127<br />
www.crownrelo.com<br />
International moving company serving<br />
diplomats and private customers, employees<br />
and expats, providing domestic and<br />
iternational transportation of household,<br />
office and industrial goods.<br />
Santa fe Relocation Services<br />
Thien Son Building, 5 Nguyen Gia Thieu,<br />
D3 Tel: 3933 0065<br />
www.santaferelo.com<br />
Provides a range of services including<br />
home/school search, language/cultural<br />
training, tenancy management and immigration/visa<br />
support.<br />
STATIONERY<br />
Custom Signage Street<br />
Le Lai, D1 between Truong Dinh and<br />
Nguyen Thai Hoc<br />
Offers custom-designed signs and custom<br />
engraving on trophies and plaques<br />
made of plastic, wood, metal and glass.<br />
Fahasa<br />
40 Nguyen Hue, D1 Tel: 3822 5796<br />
Bookstore chain carries an expansive<br />
stock of office and home stationary; a<br />
one-stop shop for basic needs.<br />
Design, Interior/External Decorations of High Quality Wood Products<br />
Manufacturing for Export, Construction Projects, Retails,...<br />
Copy-Antique Productions, Modern Designs and Made to order<br />
More than 10 years experience<br />
Devoted premium services/after sales services, every time, every where<br />
Tel: (84 8) 3514 7371/7372 - Fax: (84 8) 3514 7370 - Hotline: Ms Nhat Thu (Director) 0903 849 232
listings<br />
fashion<br />
ACCESSORIES<br />
accessorize<br />
48 Dong Du, D1, Tel: 3822 1081<br />
Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
www.monsoon.co.uk/icat/accessorize<br />
Fashion-forward accessories including<br />
necklaces, handbags, wallets, flip-flops,<br />
sunglasses, hair accessories, belts and<br />
more.<br />
alfred Dunhill<br />
Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan, D1<br />
A timeless style in male luxury providing<br />
formal and casual mens accesories<br />
tailored for the discerning man. Also<br />
stocking handcrafted leather goods.<br />
anupa Boutique<br />
17/27 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3825 7307<br />
anupaboutiquevietnam@anupa.net<br />
The ever-changing boutique retails in<br />
the elegant design of anupa accessories<br />
made from high-quality leather. Collections<br />
available range from men, women,<br />
executive, travel, spa, yoga, board<br />
games, boxes and semi-precious stone<br />
jewellery. Collection changes on weekly<br />
basis. Also carries childrens wear, toys,<br />
furniture and homewares.<br />
Bally<br />
Rex Hotel, 141 Nguyen Hue, D1<br />
Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan, D1<br />
www.experience.bally.com<br />
Flagship store in the Rex Hotel providing<br />
luxury Italian-made accessories for men.<br />
Among these are shoes, belts, wallets<br />
and a collection of male jewellery.<br />
Banana<br />
128 Ly Tu Trong, D1<br />
Women’s accessories and more, from<br />
bags, clutches and belts to clothes and<br />
jewellery, all at reasonable prices.<br />
Cartier<br />
Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan<br />
This well-known designer brand displays<br />
a wide range of accessories for men. Famous<br />
for its watches, Cartier also stocks<br />
pens, key rings, belts and sunglasses.<br />
Cincinati<br />
177P Dong Khoi, D1<br />
www.cincinati.vn<br />
info@cincinati.vn<br />
Vietnamese brand of genuine leather<br />
bags, shoes, accessories and personal<br />
goods for men and women such as<br />
notebooks for a classic vagabond look.<br />
Quality leather from crocodile, horse,<br />
snake and fish made with excellent local<br />
craftsmanship.<br />
Cleo-Pearls<br />
30 Nguyen Dang Giai, An Phu, D2<br />
Tel: 091 3587 690<br />
Jewellery designer Birgit Maier operates<br />
Cleo-Pearls from her home, specializing<br />
in necklaces, bracelets, earrings, key<br />
holders and bag accessories. All pieces<br />
created with gemstones, fresh water<br />
pearls and beads.<br />
Coconut<br />
100 Mac Thi Buoi, D1<br />
Bags of all shapes and sizes rule the<br />
roost in this small shop. Made of silk and<br />
embroidered to the brim, these unique<br />
bags start at about USD $30, and many<br />
are suitable for both day and night.<br />
Creation<br />
105 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3829 5429<br />
A two-storey shop selling scarves,<br />
intricate handbags (from USD $30), tailormade<br />
silk dresses and tops. Has a wide<br />
range of materials on the second floor.<br />
Prices start from $65 for an ao dai with<br />
simple embroidery.<br />
Gucci<br />
88 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3827 6688<br />
Located on the main shopping street in<br />
HCMC, this flagship store brings Florentine<br />
fashion to an array of luxury leather<br />
goods such as briefcases, luggage and<br />
a selection of men’s shoes for office or<br />
more casual occasions.<br />
ipa-Nima<br />
85 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3824 3652<br />
New World Hotel, 76 Le Lai<br />
Well-known Hanoi-based fashion brand.<br />
Founder Christina Yu is a former lawyer<br />
turned designer who produces eclectic<br />
and eye-catching handbags. Also stocks<br />
costume jewellery and shoes.<br />
J. Silver<br />
803 Nguyen Van Linh Parkway, D7<br />
Tel: 5411 1188<br />
Make a statement without being ostentatious<br />
with handcrafted silver jewellery<br />
from the boutique store. Expect big,<br />
interesting pieces that are simple yet<br />
glamorous.<br />
laura V Signature<br />
11 Dong Du, D1<br />
Tel: 7304 4126<br />
www.laurav.net<br />
Vintage designs aplenty with everything<br />
from jewellery and hair accessories to<br />
funky styled sunglasses, umbrellas and<br />
colourful maxi dresses.<br />
louis Vuitton<br />
Opera View, corner of Dong Khoi and Le<br />
Loi Tel: 3827 6318<br />
Designer brand name housing traditional<br />
craftsmanship of luxury leather goods for<br />
men and women. An array of bags, wallets,<br />
cuff links and watches are available.<br />
Mai O Mai<br />
4C Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3829 4007<br />
A superb little place with beautiful jewellery<br />
and accessories to suit all budgets.<br />
Silver necklaces, bracelets, rings and<br />
more in both classic and imaginative<br />
designs, as well as gorgeous handembroidered<br />
bags.<br />
Mont Blanc<br />
Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan<br />
Notable for fine writing instruments, Mont<br />
Blanc also houses cuff links and other<br />
male accessories<br />
Scorpion<br />
Vincom Center B1, 70 - 72 Le Thanh<br />
Ton, D1 Tel: 3993 9889<br />
www.scorpionbag.com<br />
Selling high-end leather products for<br />
both men and women, including shoes,<br />
handbags, belts and other accessories.<br />
Features a variety of leather in bright<br />
colors and styles.<br />
Tic Tac Watch Shop<br />
72 Dong Khoi Tel: 0838 293519<br />
www.tictacwatch.com<br />
Elegant show room displaying some<br />
of the world’s most recognized Swiss<br />
brands such as Rolex, Tag Huer, Baume<br />
& Marcer, Omega and Hirsch. On-site<br />
watch repair service and complementary<br />
watch evaluation available. Also carries a<br />
small collection of vintage Rolexes.<br />
Tombo<br />
145 Dong Khoi, D1<br />
Of all the embroidered and sequined<br />
bags, shoes and tidbits (or “Zakka”<br />
shops) that can be found in Dong Khoi,<br />
this shop’s has products that are prettier<br />
than most. Shoes can be custom-made<br />
and the sales staff is friendly.<br />
Tumi<br />
Rex Hotel, 151 Nguyen Hue
femme fashion<br />
Summer Style<br />
By adrian Nguyen<br />
Summer is here again; you<br />
know it when you hear Fantasia<br />
singing her summertime<br />
hit on the radio repeatedly.<br />
And for a fashionista, another<br />
season means another update<br />
for the wardrobe. I don’t<br />
know about you, but I’m loving<br />
the trends this season and<br />
can’t wait to rock them.<br />
Cocktail<br />
Not your regular strawberry<br />
mojito, darling. This season,<br />
designers are bringing all<br />
kinds of flower and fruit prints<br />
into the world. Fashion never<br />
looked so delicious! At the top<br />
of my list are the citrus prints<br />
from Stella McCartney and<br />
Moschino, and the cactus<br />
prints from Jean Paul Gautier.<br />
Colour clash<br />
No more dark and wintery<br />
colors for this time of the year,<br />
so get out there and find the<br />
brightest, most in-your-face<br />
colours and mix them all up<br />
together in one outfit. Clash<br />
them to the max, and don't<br />
be afraid to go crazy. You<br />
can’t do this all the time, so<br />
you might as well go for it<br />
while you can. In fact, we love<br />
this trend so much that we’ve<br />
made a whole collection out<br />
of it. So, you can come to<br />
our store and go crazy mixing<br />
and matching there—while<br />
stocks lasts of course. These<br />
coloured babies are flying off<br />
the shelves.<br />
Like a virgin<br />
Colour is not your thing and<br />
afraid you can’t pull it off?<br />
You’re in luck this season<br />
because white is still so very<br />
in, too. Top-to-toe white, offwhite,<br />
lace, cotton, silk, short,<br />
long, corset, bikini—anything<br />
90 asialife HCMC<br />
goes. Put them together with<br />
some silver accessories and,<br />
out of nowhere, you’re the<br />
trendiest person in Mekong<br />
Merchant for Sunday brunch.<br />
Even though I have to say it’s<br />
not so hard to be the trendiest<br />
person there on any given<br />
day. If you don't know what<br />
I’m talking about, check out<br />
Dolce & Gabbana—they have<br />
an all white collection this<br />
time around.<br />
Visual effects<br />
I know, you’re thinking, “White<br />
is boring”. Well, rock this<br />
season’s stripy trend then.<br />
Unlike last year’s navy-onwhite<br />
stripe, this year it’s all<br />
about mixing things up: big<br />
with small, thick with thin, and<br />
even vertical with horizontal.<br />
Prada, Sonia Rykiel and<br />
Celine are my favourites, so<br />
check them out for reference.<br />
Made in Asia<br />
Now you must feel like you’re<br />
in heaven, living in Asia while<br />
“all things Asia” is one of the<br />
major trends. Louis Vuitton<br />
was heavily injected with an<br />
Asian feel, while John Galliano<br />
and Philosophie have some<br />
of the best Chinese collar<br />
dresses around.<br />
There are more things to<br />
say but my space here is limited,<br />
so go get a copy of Elle<br />
Vietnam this month; they have<br />
a wonderful extra book filled<br />
with local designers’ takes on<br />
trends as well as addresses<br />
for you to go wild for the<br />
weeks to come.<br />
Adrian Nguyen is a designer<br />
and the owner of the<br />
Valenciani brand. Email your<br />
fashion questions to adrian.<br />
ngn@gmail.com<br />
www.intl.tumi.com<br />
Tumi houses an opulent selection of<br />
Italian-made luggage geared towards<br />
men. Briefcases, messenger bags and<br />
backpacks are among those on display.<br />
Umbrella<br />
35 Ly Tu Trong, D1 and 4 Le Loi, D1<br />
Tel: 6276 2730<br />
www.umbrella-fashion.com<br />
Sophisticated boutique showcasing<br />
a diverse range of imported women’s<br />
accessories. Also houses women’s garments<br />
from office wear to cocktail and<br />
party creations.<br />
luggage Street<br />
Le Lai Street, D1 between Ben Thanh<br />
Market and Truong Dinh.<br />
Duffle bags, backpacks, messenger bags<br />
and carry-on suitcases are all available on<br />
this stretch of District 1.<br />
ACTIVE WEAR<br />
China Beach Surf Club<br />
Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan, D1<br />
Stocks famous surf and surf-inspired<br />
brands like Reef, Rip Curl and men’s wear<br />
from Volcom. It has everything you’d need<br />
for a visit to the beach and more. There<br />
are string bikinis, tees, board shorts, caps<br />
and thongs, just to name a few.<br />
Pinko<br />
Rex Hotel, 146-148-150 Pasteur, D1<br />
Tel: 3827 2240<br />
Spacious and simple store displaying<br />
women’s sportswear imported from<br />
Hong Kong and China. Body lotion and<br />
perfume imported from America.<br />
Roxy and Quiksilver<br />
Parkson Plaza, 39-45 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
The original active living and extreme<br />
sports brands, Roxy and Quiksilver products<br />
combine form and function. Choose<br />
from outdoor gear to cool indoor clothes.<br />
TBS Sports Centre<br />
102 Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan<br />
This store stocks a range of good sports<br />
clothes and equipment from big name<br />
brands such as Puma, Adidas, Ecco,<br />
Nike and Converse.<br />
Volcom<br />
Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan, D1<br />
Chic and funky ladies’ apparel brand from<br />
America. Lots of tank tops, minis and<br />
shorts for day tripping with girlfriends or<br />
lazing on the beach.<br />
READY TO WEAR<br />
unisex<br />
2bling<br />
246 Huynh Van Banh, Phu Nhuan<br />
Specializes in urban streetwear, with<br />
a range of t-shirts, sneakers, baseball<br />
caps, hoodies and more. Tees are both<br />
imported from around Asia and designed<br />
in-house.<br />
BAM Skate Shop<br />
174 Bui Vien, D1 Tel: 0903 641 826<br />
In addition to a range of decks, wheels<br />
and trucks, this small shop is stocked<br />
with bookbags, skate sneakers, track<br />
jackets and t-shirts emblazoned with your<br />
skateboard company of choice.<br />
Bo Sua local Streetwear<br />
Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
Tel: 3993 9599<br />
www.bosua.vn<br />
An offshoot of the Boo street-style skater<br />
fashion brand made popular in Hanoi, this<br />
brand translated as “Cow Milk” features<br />
fun colourful t-shirts, women’s casual<br />
wear and sneakers that celebrate the<br />
quirky street life of Vietnam.<br />
“ello<br />
263 Huynh Van Banh, Phu Nhuan<br />
This tiny little shop on Phu Nhuan’s hipster<br />
fashion strip is stocked with some of<br />
the coolest trend items in HCMC. Carries<br />
a frequently refreshed selection of T-shirts,<br />
skinny pants and women’s tops.<br />
FCUK<br />
127 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan, D1<br />
Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi, D1<br />
Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
Tel: 3914 7740<br />
www.frenchconnection.com<br />
Trendy UK brand with a selection of<br />
fashion-forward dresses for women and<br />
smart workwear and funky casual wear<br />
for men, all at middle-market prices.<br />
levi’s flagship Store<br />
19–21 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3500 1501<br />
The 320-square-metre retail space<br />
spread over three levels offers the city’s<br />
largest and most exclusive collection of<br />
Levi’s bottoms, tops and accessories.<br />
l’Usine<br />
151/1 Dong Khoi, D1<br />
Lifestyle store and cafe housed in a<br />
period building restored to evoke the aesthetic<br />
of an early 20th-century garment<br />
factory. Carries an exclusive, frequently<br />
refreshed line of imported men’s and<br />
women’s fashion, including T-shirts and<br />
footwear, and a range of unique accessories.<br />
Entrance via the street-level Art<br />
Arcade.<br />
lu.Xu.Bu<br />
320 Huynh Van Banh, Phu Nhuan<br />
Well known among the HCMC hipsterati,<br />
this trendy shop is mostly given over to<br />
T-shirts (many by young, Bangkok-based<br />
designers), but also carries jeans, button<br />
shirts and more.<br />
Orange<br />
238 Pasteur, D3<br />
Funky little boutique carries unique accessory<br />
pieces a good selection of T-shirts<br />
with quirky, unique graphics for very<br />
reasonable prices. A smaller outpost is<br />
located at the corner of Pasteur and Le<br />
Thanh Ton in District 1.<br />
Rok factory<br />
382 Huynh Van Banh, Phu Nhuan<br />
www.rokexchange.com<br />
Small shop founded by local artist/<br />
photographer carries streetwear for the<br />
rock-oriented lifestyle, including T-shirts,<br />
hoodies, socks and accessories.<br />
Replay<br />
Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
116 Nguyen Trai, D1<br />
187 Hai Ba Trung, D3<br />
Tel: 3925 0252<br />
Wide variety of shoes, clothing, denim<br />
for teens and university-age men and<br />
women. Carries boots, sandals, pumps<br />
and sneakers at mid-range prices.<br />
Runway<br />
Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
Tel: 3993 9988<br />
runway.sg@global-fashion.vn<br />
Massive and minimalist design-led interior<br />
lets ultra high-end designer garments<br />
stand out. Carries men's, women's and<br />
children’s clothing, swimwear, shoes, accessories<br />
along with home décor. Brands<br />
include Chloe, Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga,<br />
Sergio Rossi and Eres.<br />
Versace<br />
26 Dong Khoi<br />
Designer brand in men’s formal wear.<br />
Houses suit jackets and trousers, shirts<br />
as well as an array of men’s accessories.<br />
Also stocks womens clothing and shoes.<br />
VOV<br />
Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi, D1<br />
403 Huynh Van Banh, Phu Nhuan<br />
www.vovietchung.com<br />
Retail base for Vo Viet Chung, one of<br />
Vietnam’s best-known designers. VOV is<br />
known for blending traditional form with<br />
contemporary cuts, colours and textures.<br />
men
lucas<br />
69A Ly Tu Trong, D1 Tel: 3827 9670<br />
Fashion store housing contemporary<br />
designs in casual, office and evening<br />
wear imported from Hong Kong.<br />
Massimo ferrari<br />
42-A1 Tran Quoc Thao, D3<br />
Tel: 3930 6212<br />
Bespoke menswear shop also boasts<br />
its own brand of contemporary preppy<br />
attire tailored for the tropics. Carries a<br />
line of European-quality shoes, bags and<br />
accessories designed in-house, as well<br />
as exclusive Orobianco unisex bags,<br />
designer fragrances and eyewear.<br />
Mattre<br />
19 Nguyen Trai, D1 Tel: 3925 3412<br />
This local men’s clothes shop has some<br />
funky tops and jeans for more fashionforward<br />
males. Apparel in sizes that fit<br />
the typical Western man’s frame are often<br />
available. Another store is located on Hai<br />
Ba Trung and Ly Tu Trong<br />
Milano<br />
Sheraton Hotel, 88 Dong Khoi<br />
www.milanogoods.com<br />
A conjoining shop with D&G offering a<br />
selection of men’s shoes and accessories<br />
with a sideline in women’s clothing.<br />
D&G provides a collection of menswear,<br />
from casual jeans and T-shirts to uniquely<br />
designed suit jackets.<br />
Mizada<br />
150 Ly Tu Trong, D1 Tel: 3822 2508<br />
mizada07@yahoo.com<br />
An A-to-Z collection of men’s clothing<br />
with an influx of new fashion arriving on<br />
the racks regularly. Carries smart, casual<br />
shirts, trousers, jeans and jackets, as well<br />
as bags and scarves.<br />
New Urban Male<br />
226 Ly Tu Trong, D1 Tel: 3824 4416<br />
www.newurbanmale.com<br />
Caters to a wide range of consumer<br />
tastes from beach duds to streetwear.<br />
The goods include international men’s<br />
brands such as Havaianas, C-IN2, Jabs<br />
Waterboys, Rebel Jeans and aussieBum.<br />
Also carries men’s grooming products.<br />
Timberland<br />
Parkson Plaza, 39-45 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
Sells everything the brand is known<br />
for, from heavy-duty boots to tops and<br />
trousers that are both smart and casual.<br />
The emphasis is on muted tones and<br />
unobtrusive logos for men who don’t like<br />
to show off.<br />
women<br />
axara<br />
Vincom Center B1, 70 - 72 Le Thanh<br />
Ton, D1<br />
Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi, D1<br />
21 Nguyen Trai, D1<br />
Tel: 3993 9399<br />
www.axara.com<br />
Carries women’s clothing suitable for<br />
work, weekends or evening. Luxurious<br />
fabrics and simple cuts and styles all at<br />
reasonable prices. Also carries handbags<br />
and accessories.<br />
Balenciaga<br />
Rex Hotel, 155 Nguyen Hue<br />
Tel: 6291 3572<br />
Sporting modern shapes and elegant<br />
items crafted from natural, raw and<br />
artificial materials.<br />
BCBGMAXAZRIA<br />
Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
American brand sells women’s day<br />
dresses and tops, evening gowns and<br />
wear-to-work attire in many prints and<br />
colours. Also carries a small selection of<br />
accessories, sunglasses and watches.<br />
Bebe<br />
Saigon Center, 65 Le Loi, D1<br />
Tel: 3914 4011<br />
www.bebe.com<br />
An international brand that specializes<br />
in contemporary, modern tees and sexy,<br />
elegant dresse, tops and party attire.<br />
Bon Mua Boutique<br />
Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
Tel: 3993 9888<br />
www.itamoda.com.vn<br />
Luxury women’s clothing store with racks<br />
organized by designer. Carries small<br />
collection of unique pieces from designers<br />
such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Alberta<br />
Ferretti, Blumarine, Valentino, Philosophy<br />
and Brunello Cucinelli.<br />
Caro<br />
Zen Plaza, 54-56 Nguyen Trai, D1<br />
Local designs and tailoring of elegant<br />
tops and dresses with a distinctly Eastern<br />
influence. Provides a range of attire<br />
for both the office and a night out. The<br />
friendly staff is eager to help find an outfit<br />
for any occassion.<br />
Chloe<br />
Rex Hotel, 155 Nguyen Hue, D1<br />
Tel: 6291 3582<br />
Parisian-influenced fashion house<br />
specializes in simple, traditional designs<br />
with a feminine and fashionable twist.<br />
Jeans, satin dresses and a wide array of<br />
accessories are on display.<br />
Dieu Thanh<br />
Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
140 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3824 5851<br />
www.dieuthanh.com<br />
Experienced tailor shop also carries its<br />
own line of clothing. Once specialized in<br />
swimwear and cotton clothing but has<br />
expanded to sell business suits, evening<br />
dresses, luxury fabrics and accessories.<br />
eR-Couture Boutique<br />
43 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 2411 www.<br />
er-couture.com<br />
erolskov@er-couture.com<br />
Exclusive Scandinavian brand offering<br />
designer garments. Versatile fashion for<br />
women in European sizes 34-44. Each<br />
style is released in limited quantities and<br />
can be tailored to individual taste.<br />
esprit<br />
58 Dong Khoi, D1<br />
Outpost for the international brand of<br />
colourful, preppy men’s and women’s<br />
casual wear.<br />
etam<br />
188 Hai Ba Trung, D1<br />
Famous all over the world for their French<br />
style. There’s a large range of shirts,<br />
T-shirts, dresses and more. Also available<br />
in Zen Plaza and Diamond Plaza.<br />
Gaya<br />
1 Nguyen Van Trang, D1 Tel: 3925 1495<br />
Carries a range of couture and pret-aporter<br />
garments and silk and organza<br />
dresses in vibrant colours created by<br />
Cambodia-based designer Romyda<br />
Keth.<br />
Geisha Boutique<br />
85 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3829 4004<br />
This Australian fashion label offers a<br />
contemporary range of casual and<br />
evening wear, with an exotic Asian<br />
influence. Styles, using natural fabrics,<br />
include printed t-shirts, singlets, scarves,<br />
silk camisoles and maxi dresses.More<br />
than just a clothing store...upstairs is a<br />
quaint café with comfy sofas and more.<br />
Open 8am – 10pm daily.<br />
Kookai<br />
Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi<br />
French brand stocking classic, feminine,<br />
styles with a twist. Gypsy day dresses<br />
and classic little black dresses at mid- to<br />
high-range prices are perfect for twentyand<br />
thirty-something women.<br />
la Senza<br />
47B–47C Nguyen Trai, D1<br />
Tel: 3925 1700<br />
65 Le Loi, Saigon Centre, D1<br />
Tel: 3914 4328<br />
www.lasenza.com<br />
Mekong Creations specialises in unique locally produced household and gift<br />
items, including papier mache, silk, bamboo, and water hyacinth products.<br />
Mekong Creations also produces items for luxury French brand Terre d’Oc<br />
and has permission to sell these designs locally.<br />
Mekong Creations is a project of parent NGO Mekong Plus, that supports<br />
community development programmes in remote villiages in Vietnam and<br />
Cambodia. The key objective is to generate employment for<br />
women. All prots from products sold are returned to the<br />
villages. Mekong Creations focus is to provide rewarding<br />
employment, increase family incomes and improve<br />
conditions for children in these remote communities.<br />
Our producers are trained in production techniques<br />
for their eld and supported in design and marketing<br />
by Mekong Plus. All products are made in the villages<br />
allowing more time to be spent with families.<br />
asialife HCMC 91
Houses & Villas<br />
For rent in Dist.2, HCM: An Phu,<br />
Thao Dien, & Tran Nao<br />
92 asialife HCMC<br />
Save time:<br />
See all pictures<br />
& details online.<br />
Updated daily.<br />
www.snap.com.vn<br />
Boutique carrying a wide range of bras,<br />
panties, pyjamas, accessories and lounge<br />
wear.<br />
labella<br />
87 Pasteur, D1<br />
This three-storey shop will take care of all<br />
your wardrobe needs: affordable clothes,<br />
shoes, bags and lingerie, all well made<br />
and fashionable.<br />
le Samedi<br />
21 Nguyen Trai, D1 Tel: 3925 5013<br />
Boutique retailing in clothes imported<br />
mainly from Italy and France, from cocktail<br />
dresses to chiffon skirts.<br />
Lulu Lacy<br />
www.lululacy.com<br />
Boutique label featuring retro designs in<br />
high-quality fabrics. Website frequently<br />
refreshed with latest offerings, including<br />
maxi-dresses, tailored blouses and shorts.<br />
Shop online or request a party at your<br />
house.<br />
Mai lam<br />
132-134 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3827 2733<br />
www.mailam.com.vn<br />
Boutique store housing an eclectic mix of<br />
vintage designer clothes and accessories<br />
made in Vietnam. Specializing in handsewn,<br />
multi-dimensional embroidery, the<br />
re-design of the traditional ao dai and an<br />
army vintage collection.<br />
Mango<br />
96 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 Tel: 3824 6624<br />
Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi, D1<br />
Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
A favourite with fashion-conscious<br />
women, this mid-range store stocks<br />
clothes from simple tees and jeans to<br />
evening wear.<br />
Marc Jacobs<br />
Rex Hotel, 155 Nguyen Hue , D1<br />
Tel: 6291 3580<br />
This spacious shop with high-ceilings carries<br />
up-market clothes, shoes and accessories<br />
from the internationally recognized<br />
designer brand.<br />
Muse Boutique<br />
Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi, D1<br />
Boutique store carries well-known international<br />
brands like Miss Sixty, BCBG, Rock<br />
Republic, True Religion, Tbags and Killah.<br />
Nang Boutique<br />
181 Dong Khoi, Room 209, D1<br />
iheartnang@gmail.com<br />
Houses an assortment of mix-and-match<br />
skirts, floral dresses, chiffon lace-trimmed<br />
gowns and accessories, such as hats,<br />
shoes, bags, scarves and jewellery.<br />
Nino Max<br />
189B Hai Ba Trung, D1<br />
A local popular brand of active-casualwear<br />
t-shirts, jeans and khakis. Local pricing.<br />
You can also find their other outlets in<br />
Zen Plaza and Diamond Plaza.<br />
Peacock<br />
35 Ton That Thiep Tel: 3829 7045<br />
Moulin Rouge-themed boutique housing<br />
an interesting selection of women’s clothes<br />
designed and produced in Vietnam,<br />
including dresses, shirts and t-shirts, as<br />
well as jewellery.<br />
Rana abodeely<br />
Villa Anupa, 17/27 Le Thanh Ton, District<br />
1, Tel:3825 7307<br />
Luxury resort wear in soft, feminine styles.<br />
Made with 100% Vietnamese silk with<br />
signature glass bead detailing. Comfort,<br />
ease and elegance are the main forms of<br />
the collection.<br />
Shae<br />
101-103 Nguyen Trai, D1<br />
www.shaeny.com<br />
New York brand housing streetwear<br />
such as cardigans, dresses, shorts and<br />
accessories.<br />
Song<br />
Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi, D1<br />
76D Le Thanh Ton<br />
Offers women’s fashion designs by Valerie<br />
Gregori McKenzie, including evening<br />
dress, tops and hats.<br />
Valenciani<br />
Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi, D1<br />
Tel: 3821 2788<br />
66-68 Nguyen Trai, D1 Tel: 7302 4688<br />
valenciani.sg@gmail.com<br />
www.valenciani.com<br />
Homegrown luxury boutique carries silk<br />
dresses, velvet corsets, chiffon shawls<br />
and a range of accessories, all designed<br />
in-house.<br />
CHILDREN<br />
Debenhams<br />
Vincom Center, 70 - 72 Le Thanh Ton,<br />
District 1<br />
A superb range of unique and beautiful<br />
clothing for young children (from newborns<br />
to 12 years old) imported brand from UK.<br />
High to mid-range prices.<br />
DlS Paris<br />
17/5 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan, D1<br />
Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi, D1<br />
Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
A superb range of unique and beautiful<br />
clothing for young children (from newborns<br />
to pre-school age) at high to mid-range<br />
prices. The quality compensates for the<br />
price. Bedding, baby equipment and<br />
furniture and organic and natural supplies<br />
also kept in stock.<br />
little anh – em<br />
41 Thao Dien, D2<br />
A French brand made in Vietnam offering<br />
a wide selection of colourful, simply packaged<br />
and thoughtfully collated “sets” of<br />
garments for girls and boys from newborn<br />
to 10 years old. Lifestyle pieces also<br />
available include sleeping bags, bedroom<br />
accessories and bags.<br />
112 Xuan Thuy<br />
Ward Thao Dien<br />
District 2<br />
Ho Chi Minh City<br />
Tel/Fax. (+84) 8 62.819.917<br />
shop-hcm@decosy.biz
Ninh Khuong<br />
44 Le Loi, D1 Tel: 3824 7456<br />
83 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3827 9079<br />
220 De Tham, D1 Tel: 3920 3224<br />
222 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D3<br />
Tel: 3930 9183<br />
www.ninhkhuong.vn<br />
Well-known hand-embroidered children’s<br />
clothing brand using 100% cotton. Newborn<br />
to 10 years old (girl) and fourteen<br />
years old (boy). Also stocking home<br />
linens. Prices are reasonable.<br />
REVE<br />
Villa Anupa, 17/27 Le Thanh Ton,<br />
District 1, Tel: 3825 7307<br />
High-end cashmere, lace, and cotton<br />
clothes designed by a French mother/<br />
daughter team. All pieces are handmade<br />
and tailored for infants to kids 2 years<br />
of age.<br />
Small is Beautiful<br />
227 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
Tel: 38 23 87 54<br />
contact@smallisb.com<br />
www.smallisb.com<br />
This newly opened boutique aims to be<br />
the chic shop for kids in the city. There<br />
is a selection of brand name clothing,<br />
accessories and creative toys. Clothing<br />
comes from international designers such<br />
as Baby Dior, Sonia Rykiel and DKNY.<br />
Tuti Bella<br />
Vincom Center, 70 - 72 Le Thanh Ton,<br />
District 1<br />
75 Mac Thi Buoi, D1<br />
49A Nguyen Trai, D1<br />
Tel: 3993 9088<br />
www.tutibella.net<br />
Self-described as a “chic and trendy<br />
children boutique.” Carries high-end<br />
causal clothes, formal wear, shoes and<br />
accessories for ages 1 to 12 years.<br />
SHOES<br />
Catwalk<br />
80 Pham Hong Thai<br />
Tel: 3829 6819<br />
www.catwalkshoes.com<br />
Carries a unique range of Spanish shoes<br />
and bags.<br />
Charles & Keith<br />
10 Mac Thi Buoi, 18-20 Nguyen Trai<br />
Tel: 3925 1132<br />
Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton,<br />
D1<br />
www.charleskeith.com<br />
Singapore brand housing youthful and<br />
trendy shoes of a contemporary, high<br />
fashion design.<br />
Converse<br />
186 Hai Ba Trung, D1<br />
148 Nguyen Trai, D1<br />
122 Ba Thang Hai, D10<br />
Tel: 3827 5584<br />
www.converse.com.vn<br />
Sells iconic Chuck Taylor, Jack Purcell<br />
and All-Star sneakers and Converse<br />
brand clothing and accessories. Also at<br />
department stores around HCMC.<br />
Dr. Marten’s<br />
173 Hai Ba Trung, D3 Tel: 3822 4710<br />
Air Wair sandals and shoes here feature<br />
the classic yellow stitching and chunky<br />
rubber soles. Also stocked with clothes<br />
and accessories by Replay and Kappa<br />
tracksuit tops.<br />
Nine West<br />
Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi, D1<br />
Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
Stocks an extensive range of designer<br />
footwear for women. Handpicked by a<br />
global community of independent trendsetters<br />
and stylists.<br />
Sergio Rossi<br />
146AB Pasteur, D1<br />
Rex Hotel, 141 Nguyen Hue, D1<br />
World-renowned Italian brand stocks a<br />
diverse European-style collection of upmarket<br />
shoes and bags made of quality<br />
materials, from crocodile and python<br />
skin laterals to garnishings of Swarovski<br />
crystals and colourful beads.<br />
TAILORS<br />
Dieu Thanh<br />
140 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3824 5851<br />
www.dieuthanh.com<br />
Experienced tailor shop specializes in<br />
swimwear and cotton clothing, as well as<br />
business suits, evening dresses, luxury<br />
fabrics and accessories.<br />
Dzung<br />
221 Le Thanh Ton, D1<br />
One of the most reliable and respected<br />
men’s tailors in town with prices and<br />
production time to reflect the quality of the<br />
workmanship. Shirts start from US $30.<br />
fair fahion<br />
69/20 Duong D2, Binh Thanh<br />
Tel: 3899 4198<br />
www.fairfashionvn.org<br />
A non-profit retail store offering ready-towear<br />
and custom-made fashion. Dresses<br />
and formal gowns for women, suits and<br />
shirts for men, made by highly skilled<br />
former sex trade workers trained to haute<br />
couture sewing levels.<br />
Massimo ferrari<br />
42-A1 Tran Quoc Thao, D3<br />
Tel: 3930 6212<br />
Traditional Italian sartorial techniques are<br />
employed to offer a full wardrobing service<br />
and custom tailoring for men. Stocked<br />
with imported fabrics primarily from Italy.<br />
In-office and workplace fittings available.<br />
Uyen<br />
13 Nguyen Thiep, D1<br />
An excellent option with English-speaking<br />
staff and a good selection of fabrics<br />
(although the price takes a dip if you bring<br />
your own) and some off-the-rack staples<br />
to copy. Reasonable prices.<br />
LINH‘S WHITE<br />
PLEASANT LIVING MINIMALISM<br />
37 THAO DIEN<br />
(OPPOSITE AN PHU SUPERMARKET)<br />
67 XUAN THUY - DISTRICT 2<br />
PHONE: (84) - 62819863<br />
- 62818488<br />
E : linhnguyen@hbdecor.com.vn - www.linhfurniture.com<br />
asialife HCMC 93
Photos by Fred Wissink.<br />
94 asialife HCMC<br />
Battle of the Bands
365 days communications'<br />
Sixth Anniversary Party<br />
asialife HCMC 95
Street Guide<br />
3 Thang 2 D1<br />
Alexandre de Rhodes C4<br />
Ba Huyen Thanh Quan C1, C2, D2, D3<br />
Ban Co D1<br />
Ben Chuong Duong E4<br />
Ben Van Don E4, E5<br />
Bui Thi Xuan D3<br />
Bui Vien E3<br />
Cach Mang Thang Tam C1, D2, D3<br />
Calmette E4<br />
Cao Ba Nha E3<br />
Cao Thang D1, D2, E2<br />
Chu Manh Trinh C4, C5<br />
Co Bac E3<br />
Co Giang E3<br />
De Tham E3<br />
Dien Bien Phu B4, C3, C2, D1, D2<br />
Dinh Cong Trang B3<br />
Dinh Tien Hoang B3, B4, C4<br />
Do Quang Dau E3<br />
Do Thanh D1<br />
Doan Nhu Hai E5<br />
Doan Van Bo E4, E5<br />
Dong Du D5<br />
Dong Khoi C4, D4, D5<br />
Hai Cua B5<br />
Huynh Tinh Cua B2<br />
Huynh Van Banh B1<br />
Khanh Hoi E4<br />
Ky Con B3, C3, C4, D5<br />
Hai Trieu C5<br />
Ham Nghi D4, C5<br />
Han Thuyen C4<br />
Ho Hao Hon E3<br />
Ho Huan Nghiep D5<br />
Ho Tung Mau D4, D5<br />
Ho Xuan Huong C3, D2<br />
Hoa Hung B1<br />
Hoang Dieu E4, E5<br />
Hung Vuong E1<br />
Huyen Tran Cong Chua D3<br />
Huynh Man Dat B5<br />
Huynh Thuc Khang D4<br />
Ky Dong C1, C2<br />
Le Cong Kieu D4<br />
Le Duan C4, C5<br />
Le Hong Phong D1<br />
Le Lai C3, C4, D3<br />
Le Loi D4<br />
Le Quoc Hung E4, E5<br />
Le Quy Don C3<br />
Le Thanh Ton C4, C5, D3, D4<br />
Le Thi Hong Gam D4, E3, E4<br />
Le Thi Rieng D3<br />
Le Van Phuc B3<br />
Le Van Sy C1, C2<br />
Luong Huu Khanh D2, E2<br />
Luu Van Lang D4<br />
Ly Chinh Thang B2, C2<br />
Ly Thai To E1<br />
Ly Tu Trong C4, C5, D4, D5<br />
Mac Dinh Chi B3, C4<br />
Mac Thi Buoi D5<br />
Mai Thi Luu B4<br />
Mai Van Ngoc B1<br />
Me Linh B5<br />
Nam Ky Khoi Nghia B2, C2, C3, D4, E4<br />
Ngo Duc Ke D5<br />
Ngo Thoi Nhiem C2, D2<br />
Ngo Van Nam C5<br />
Nguyen Binh Khiem B4, B5, C5<br />
Nguyen Cong Tru E4<br />
Nguyen Cu Trinh E2, E3<br />
Nguyen Dinh Chieu B4, C3, C4, D1, D2, D3<br />
Nguyen Dinh Chinh B1<br />
96 asialife HCMC<br />
Nguyen Du C4, D3, D4<br />
Nguyen Hai Tu B4<br />
Nguyen Hue D4, D5<br />
Nguyen Huu Canh B2<br />
Nguyen Huu Canh C5<br />
Nguyen Huu Cau B3<br />
Nguyen Khac Nhu E3<br />
Nguyen Khoai F3<br />
Nguyen Ngoc Phuong B5<br />
Nguyen Phi Khanh B3<br />
Nguyen Sieu C5, D5<br />
Nguyen Son Ha D2<br />
Nguyen Tat Thanh E5<br />
Nguyen Thai Binh D4, E4<br />
Nguyen Thai Hoc D3, E3, E4<br />
Nguyen Thi Dieu D2, D3<br />
Nguyen Thien Thuat D1, E1, E2<br />
Nguyen Thong C1, C2, D2<br />
Nguyen Thuong Hien D2<br />
Nguyen Trai D3, E2<br />
Nguyen Trung Ngan C5<br />
Nguyen Trung Truc D4<br />
Nguyen Truong To E4, E5<br />
Nguyen Van Cu E2<br />
Nguyen Van Hai B3<br />
Nguyen Van Lac B5<br />
Nguyen Van Thu B4, C3, C4<br />
Nguyen Van Troi B1<br />
Pasteur C2, C3, C4, D4<br />
Pham Hong Thai D2, D3<br />
Pham Ngoc Thach C3<br />
Pham Ngu Lao D3, D4, E3<br />
Pham Viet Chanh B5<br />
Pham Viet Chanh E2<br />
Phan Dinh Phung B2<br />
Phan Ke Binh B4<br />
Phan Van Han B4, B5<br />
Pho Duc Chinh D4, E4<br />
Phung Khac Khoan C3, C4<br />
Suong Nguyet Anh D2, D3<br />
Tan Vinh E4<br />
Thach Thi Thanh B3<br />
Thai Van Lung C5<br />
Thi Sach C5<br />
Thu Khoa Huan D4<br />
Ton Duc Thang C5, D4, D5, E4<br />
Ton That Dam D4<br />
Ton That Thiep D4<br />
Ton That Tung D2, D3<br />
Tran Binh Trong E1<br />
Tran Canh Chan E2<br />
Tran Cao Van C4<br />
Tran Dinh Xu E2, E3<br />
Tran Hung Dao D4, E2, E3<br />
Tran Khac Chan B3<br />
Tran Khanh Du B2, B3<br />
Tran Minh Quyen D1<br />
Tran Minh Quyen C1<br />
Tran Nhan Ton E1<br />
Tran Nhat Duat B3<br />
Tran Phu E1<br />
Tran Quang Dieu B1, B2<br />
Tran Quang Khai B3, B2<br />
Tran Quoc Thao C2, C3<br />
Tran Quoc Toan B2, B3, B2<br />
Tran Van Dang C1, C2<br />
Truong Chinh C3<br />
Truong Dinh C2, D3<br />
Tu Xuong C2, C3, D2<br />
Vinh Khanh E4, E5<br />
Vo Thi Sau B3, C2, C3<br />
Vo Van Tan C3, D2, D3<br />
Vuon Chuoi D2<br />
Xo Viet Nghe Tinh B4, B5<br />
Yersin E4<br />
A<br />
Airport<br />
3km<br />
B<br />
Tran Van Dang<br />
C<br />
Tan Binh<br />
0.5km<br />
Hoa Hung<br />
District 11<br />
2km<br />
Tran Minh Quyen<br />
Tran Nhan Ton<br />
Huynh Van Banh<br />
Tran Minh Quyen<br />
Dien Bien Phu<br />
Le Hong Phong<br />
Saigon<br />
Train Station<br />
Lan Anh<br />
Sports &<br />
Leisure Club<br />
Ly Thai To<br />
Tran Quang Dieu<br />
Tran Quang Dieu<br />
Hung Vuong<br />
Nguyen Van Troi<br />
Cach Mang Thang Tam<br />
3 Thang 2<br />
Ban Co<br />
Nguyen Th ong<br />
Nguyen Thien Thuat<br />
Tran Binh Trong<br />
Ng Dinh Chinh<br />
Tran Phu<br />
Le Van Sy<br />
Tran Minh Quyen<br />
DISTRICT 10<br />
D<br />
E<br />
1<br />
PHU NHUAN<br />
An Duong Vuong<br />
Tran Van Dang<br />
Cao Thang<br />
Do Thanh<br />
DISTRICT 5<br />
Huyn h Van Banh<br />
Ky Dong<br />
University<br />
of Natural<br />
Sciences<br />
Ng. Thuong<br />
V. Chuoi<br />
Nguyen Van Cu<br />
Teacher<br />
Training<br />
University<br />
Ly Chinh T hang<br />
Hien<br />
Vuon<br />
Chuoi<br />
Market<br />
Nguyen Trai<br />
2<br />
Phan Dinh Phung<br />
Truong Dinh<br />
Tu Xuong<br />
Nam Ky Kh<br />
Vo Thi Sau<br />
Nguyen Son Ha<br />
Dien B<br />
Nguyen Thi Minh K<br />
Pham Viet Chanh<br />
Nguyen Tho<br />
Nguyen Dinh<br />
V<br />
DISTR
Tran Quoc Toan Tran Quoc Toan<br />
Ky Khoi Nghia Nam Ky Khoi Nghia<br />
Sau Vo Thi Sau<br />
Dien Bien Phu<br />
yen Thong<br />
en Dinh Chieu<br />
Minh Khai<br />
Canh<br />
Huu<br />
Nguyen Trai<br />
Tran Khanh Du<br />
Huynh Tinh Cua<br />
Ba Huyen Thanh Quan<br />
Ngo Thoi Nhiem<br />
Luong Huu Khanh<br />
Suong Nguyet Anh<br />
Ton That Tung<br />
Thai Binh<br />
Market<br />
Cong Quynh<br />
Tran Dinh Xu<br />
War<br />
Remnants<br />
Museum<br />
Cultural Park<br />
Cach Mang Thang Tam<br />
Cao Ba Nha<br />
Ng. Huu Cau<br />
Le Thi Rieng<br />
Nguyen Trai<br />
Do Q. Dau<br />
Le Lai<br />
Thach Thi Thanh<br />
D. C. Trang<br />
Vo Van Tan Vo Van Tan<br />
Cao Thang<br />
Ngu yen<br />
N. V. Hai<br />
Ho Xuan Huong<br />
RICT 1<br />
4th Floor ONG&ONG Building<br />
159 Phan Xich Long St<br />
Ward 7, Phu Nhuan District<br />
Cu Lao<br />
Tran Nhat Duat<br />
Nguyen Thi Dieu<br />
Hai Ba Trung<br />
Tran Quoc Thao<br />
Bui Thi Xuan<br />
Nguyen Cu Trinh<br />
Tran Khac Chan<br />
DISTRICT 3<br />
Nguyen Gia Thieu<br />
Le Quy Don<br />
Pham Ngu Lao<br />
Ho H. Hon<br />
3<br />
Phan Xich Long<br />
Truong Quyen<br />
Bui Vien<br />
Tran Quang Khai<br />
Le Van Tam<br />
Park<br />
Pham Ngoc Thach<br />
Pasteur<br />
Truong Dinh<br />
Vo Huy Tan<br />
Re-unication<br />
Palace<br />
Nguyen Thai Hoc<br />
De Tham<br />
Co Bac Ng Kh Nhu<br />
Ng. Phi Khanh<br />
L. V. Phuc<br />
Huyen Tran Cong Chua<br />
Co Giang<br />
Thu Kh Huan<br />
Pham Hong Thai<br />
De Tham<br />
Tran Hung Dao Tran Hung Dao<br />
Dinh Tien Hoang<br />
Ly Tu Trong<br />
Gia Dinh<br />
Hospital<br />
Ng Hai Tu<br />
Nguyen Van Thu<br />
Alexandre De Rhodes<br />
Nguyen Du<br />
Nguyen An Ninh<br />
Le Thi Hong Gam<br />
Mac Dinh Chi<br />
Nguyen Dinh Chieu<br />
Tran Cao Van<br />
Ben<br />
Thanh<br />
Market<br />
Bus<br />
Station<br />
Central<br />
Post Ofce<br />
Le Loi<br />
Nguyen Binh Khiem<br />
Hoa Lu<br />
Stadium<br />
Dinh Tien Hoang<br />
Hai Ba Trung<br />
Town Hall<br />
HTV<br />
television<br />
Le Duan Le Duan<br />
Pasteur<br />
Nguyen Trung Truc<br />
Ky Con<br />
Mai Thi Luu<br />
Phan Ke Binh<br />
Dong Khoi<br />
Nguyen Thai Binh Pho Duc Chinh<br />
Yersin<br />
Han Thuyen<br />
L. V. Lang<br />
Ng. Cong Tru<br />
4<br />
Le Cong Kieu<br />
Calmette<br />
Ben Van Don<br />
BINH THANH<br />
Nguyen Du<br />
Hoang Sa<br />
Ham Nghi<br />
Le Loi<br />
Ton Th at Thiep<br />
T. T. Dam<br />
Xo Viet Nghe Tinh<br />
Chu Manh Trinh<br />
Ly Tu Trong<br />
Nguyen Hue<br />
Ton Duc Thang<br />
Thi Sach<br />
Le Quoc Hung<br />
Mac<br />
Thai Van Lung<br />
Dong Du<br />
Ngo<br />
Ng Sieu<br />
Cao Ba Quat<br />
Pham Van Han<br />
Le Thanh Ton Le Thanh Ton<br />
Pasteur<br />
Truong Sa<br />
DISTRICT 1<br />
Huynh Thuc Khang<br />
Vinh Khanh<br />
Hoang Dieu<br />
Ho Tung Mau<br />
Ng. Cong Tru<br />
Nguyen<br />
Trung Ngan<br />
Ng Truong To<br />
Hai Trieu<br />
Zoo & Botanical<br />
Gardens<br />
Nguyen Binh Khiem<br />
Thi Buoi<br />
H.H.<br />
Phan Van Dat<br />
Nghiep<br />
Duc Ke<br />
Doan Nhu Hai<br />
Doan Van Bo<br />
DISTRICT 4<br />
Ngo Van Nam<br />
Nguyen Tat Thanh<br />
5<br />
Nguyen Cuu Van<br />
Nguyen Ngoc Phuong<br />
Nguyen Huu Canh<br />
Ton Duc<br />
Thang Museum<br />
Thu Thiem<br />
Ferry Port<br />
(for District 2)<br />
HCM City<br />
Boat Quay<br />
(for Vung Tau)<br />
asialife HCMC 97<br />
Huynh Tinh Cua<br />
Huynh Man Dat<br />
Saigon Bridge<br />
& Highway 1<br />
3km<br />
Cat Lai Ferry<br />
9km<br />
District 7<br />
& Nha Be<br />
Nguyen Van Lac<br />
Me Linh<br />
Vung Tau
oxoffice<br />
Rio (3D) Source Code Hop<br />
The Roommate<br />
If the voices behind a movie<br />
are enough to ensure a hit, this<br />
movie can’t be missed. From<br />
the makers of Ice Age comes a<br />
comedy adventure about taking<br />
a walk on the wild side. Blu<br />
(Jesse Eisenberg), a domesticated<br />
Macaw living in Minnesota,<br />
is believed to be the last of his<br />
kind. But, when scientists learn<br />
of a female macaw, they send<br />
him to Rio de Janeiro to meet<br />
her. Here he confronts his fear<br />
of flying in order to win Jewel’s<br />
(Anne Hathaway) heart. Blu<br />
and Jewel survive a kidnapping<br />
with the help of a group<br />
of wise-cracking city animals<br />
(George Lopez, Tracy Morgan,<br />
will.i.am, Wanda Sykes, and<br />
Jamie Foxx.)<br />
Opening Dates<br />
CINEMAS<br />
G: Galaxy<br />
www.galaxycine.vn<br />
M: Megastar<br />
www.megastarmedia.net<br />
T: Thang Long<br />
www.giaitrithanglong.com/cinema<br />
98 asialife HCMC<br />
Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal)<br />
wakes up on a train, not<br />
knowing whose body he’s in<br />
or why he’s there. He suspects<br />
foul play and panics, just as a<br />
bomb goes off, killing Stevens<br />
and everyone on board. When<br />
he wakes up, he learns he's part<br />
of a government experiment<br />
that enables him to cross over<br />
into another man's identity in<br />
the last eight minutes of his life.<br />
Colter re-lives the incident over<br />
and over again, gathering clues<br />
each time, until he discovers<br />
who is behind the bombs to<br />
prevent the next attack. Filled<br />
with mind-boggling twists<br />
and heart-pounding suspense,<br />
Source Code is a smart actionthriller<br />
directed by Duncan<br />
Jones.<br />
The Roommate (April 8)<br />
Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (April 22)<br />
Rio (3D) (April 8)<br />
Source Code (April 29)<br />
Hop (April 1)<br />
Rio (3D) (April 8)<br />
From the makers of Despicable<br />
Me comes Hop, a comedy about<br />
EB (British comedian Russell<br />
Brand), the teenage son of the<br />
Easter Bunny. Instead of taking<br />
over the family business, EB<br />
leaves for Hollywood to pursue<br />
his dream of becoming a drummer<br />
in a rock band. He encounters<br />
Fred (James Marsden), an<br />
out-of-work slacker with his<br />
own lofty goals, who accidentally<br />
hits EB with his car. Feigning<br />
injury, EB manipulates Fred<br />
into providing him with a place<br />
to live. As Fred struggles with<br />
the world’s worst houseguest,<br />
both will learn what it takes to<br />
finally grow up.<br />
For anyone who has been to<br />
college and gone through the<br />
random roommate selection<br />
process, this movie might hit<br />
a little close to the dorm—or<br />
home. Initially, though they<br />
may not have a lot in common,<br />
it seems that Sara (Minka<br />
Kelly) and her new roommate<br />
Rebecca (Leighton Meester)<br />
could be best friends. That is,<br />
until Rebecca begins to overstep<br />
all social boundaries. She<br />
develops an eerie attachment to<br />
Sara— wearing her dead sister’s<br />
necklace and impersonating her<br />
to alienate Sara’s friends and<br />
professors. Throw in some crazy<br />
frat parties and some blood, and<br />
this thriller might make you<br />
think twice next time you are<br />
looking for a new roommate.<br />
The information on this page was<br />
correct at the time of printing. Check<br />
cinema websites for screenings.
ookshelf<br />
Blood, Bones<br />
and Butter<br />
Gabrielle Hamilton<br />
Random House<br />
Combining a lifetime of experience in kitchens with an MFA<br />
in creative writing, Gabrielle Hamilton offers us Blood, Bones,<br />
and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef,<br />
a gritty and passionate memoir that has Anthony Bourdain<br />
swooning. She recalls the comfort of her parents’ kitchen as<br />
a child and lets us follow as her family dissolves and she ends<br />
up in New York using drugs and eating ketchup to stave off<br />
hunger. Her years wandering, often aimlessly, through kitchens<br />
across the world, culminate in the opening of Prune, her<br />
acclaimed restaurant in New York’s East Side.<br />
The Millionaire<br />
Messenger<br />
Brendon Burchard<br />
Morgan James Publishing<br />
We may not realise it, but our life stories and experiences are<br />
socially and financially valuable. Though there are hundreds<br />
of books out there about making money, Brendon Burchard,<br />
founder of Experts Academy, takes a different approach, showing<br />
us in ten practical steps how to use the lessons learned and<br />
expertise gained, in any area of life, to serve others and have<br />
a fulfilling career. In this quick read, you choose your topic and<br />
Burchard will teach you how to share it with the world through<br />
websites, books, speeches, seminars, coaching, consulting,<br />
and online programs.<br />
Moonwalking<br />
with Einstein<br />
Joshua Foer<br />
The Penguin Press HC<br />
Do you have a bad memory? Feel like there isn’t a chance for<br />
improvement? Joshua Foer, a scientific journalist, set out to<br />
cover the US Memory Championship, and then, after a year of<br />
training under some of the world’s best memorisers, returned<br />
as a competitor. He studies the mind of a man who can<br />
memorise 1,528 random numbers in a row, and that of a man<br />
who can’t remember his last thought. In a time when books,<br />
smartphones, and computers have all but made our memories<br />
obsolete, he learns methods, like connecting absurd<br />
visual imagery (Einstein moonwalking) to lists and numbers,<br />
that give the rest of us hope.<br />
The Paris Wife<br />
Paula McLain<br />
Ballantine Books<br />
Paula McLain sorts through the love letters between Ernest<br />
Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley Richardson, to deliver an<br />
enchanting tale of one of history’s greatest romances. Until she<br />
meets Ernest, Hadley, at 28, is practically a spinster who has all<br />
but given up on love. Like so many of us, she falls for his charm<br />
and passionate sincerity and moves with him to Paris where<br />
they live through the intoxicating Jazz Age with the likes of<br />
Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.<br />
In his memoir, A Moveable Feast, Hemingway writes of Hadley,<br />
“I wished I had died before I ever loved anyone but her”.<br />
asialife HCMC 99
soundfix<br />
album review by Mai Lynn Miller Nguyen<br />
lykkE li<br />
Wounded Rhymes<br />
When Buraka Som Sistema<br />
remixed Lykke Li’s 2008 single,<br />
“Dance, Dance, Dance”, we got<br />
our first hint of how her bubblegum<br />
voice could fare when<br />
paired with some tribal beats.<br />
With “Get Some”, the addictive<br />
lead single off her second<br />
album, Wounded Rhymes, that’s<br />
just the sound she captures—<br />
this time on her own. “I’m your<br />
prostitute/You gon’ get some”<br />
she announces with some sass.<br />
The slight Swedish blonde can<br />
charm listeners with an edgy<br />
side just as much as she did<br />
with her innocent act. Throughout<br />
this album, Lykke Li proves<br />
she is unafraid to experiment—<br />
with the retro-sounding “I<br />
Follow Rivers”, she lets her<br />
voice drop sultrily, with “Love<br />
Out of Lost”, she’s earnest and<br />
ethereal, and with “Love is<br />
Unrequited”, she even channels<br />
Loretta Lynn. Arrangements<br />
from her first album are barely<br />
memorable, yet the additions<br />
of sonic flourishes and vocal effects<br />
make for more exhilirating<br />
trimmings this time.<br />
100 asialife HCMC<br />
ThE sTrokEs<br />
Angles<br />
“I’ve been out around this<br />
town/Everybody’s singing the<br />
same song for 10 years”, croons<br />
Julian Casablancas on “Under<br />
the Cover of Darkness”, the lead<br />
single from Angles. If anyone<br />
would know, it’s this band; nearly<br />
10 years have passed since<br />
they released Is This It, spawning<br />
untold numbers of shaggy<br />
haired, skinny jean-wearing,<br />
guitar-wielding wannabes. Time<br />
doesn’t wait for anyone and so<br />
the question music fans have<br />
been left wondering is, are The<br />
Strokes still relevant? There is<br />
plenty on Angles to leave listeners<br />
answering that in affirmative,<br />
from the ‘80s reggae-synth<br />
“Machu Piccu” to the bopping<br />
“Gratisfaction”. While the heart<br />
of The Strokes remains intact,<br />
it’s clear that this is a band grappling<br />
with the question themselves<br />
(for the first time, they<br />
split up writing duties, rather<br />
than give Casablancas complete<br />
creative control). Rather than<br />
make us think about where<br />
they’ve been, Angles gives you<br />
a reason to focus on where The<br />
Strokes are going.<br />
GEnEraTionals<br />
Actor-Caster<br />
Neither heartbreak nor empty<br />
bank accounts can keep Generationals<br />
down. On the New<br />
Orleans duo’s sophomore album,<br />
Actor-Caster, they plow through<br />
laments on modern-day afflictions<br />
with jaunty guitar lines and<br />
plucky piano notes, despite lines<br />
like, “It won’t get better until<br />
you leave me alone” and “I give<br />
you one more chance to make<br />
it better/But you don’t seem<br />
to care”. For a band that’s been<br />
together for just three years and<br />
two albums, Generationals are<br />
remarkably talented; they write<br />
effortlessly catchy indie rock<br />
songs like they’ve been doing it<br />
for a lifetime. It helps that Ted<br />
Joyner and Grant Widmer (who<br />
share both singing and instrument<br />
duties) have known each<br />
other since they were 13—as<br />
does their knack for taking<br />
inspiration from bands as varied<br />
as the Smiths, Vampire Weekend<br />
and the New Pornographers, and<br />
making it all fit into one surprisingly<br />
cohesive album.<br />
ThosE Darlins<br />
Screws Get Loose<br />
In the four years since Those<br />
Darlins first started playing<br />
twangy garage rock, they’ve<br />
popped pills, met boys, and lost<br />
their minds—at least, they do on<br />
their sophomore release, Screws<br />
Get Loose. “I should have took<br />
my meds, man/All these dirty<br />
kids, man/Pushing each other<br />
around,” drawls lead singer<br />
Jessi Darlin on the album’s<br />
opener and title track. The<br />
album spins out from there, tapping<br />
everything from the honky<br />
tonks to dirty dive bars for sonic<br />
inspiration, but the sentiment<br />
never changes: Rock’n’roll isn’t<br />
for the weak of heart. But that<br />
doesn’t mean this Tennessee<br />
four-piece (comprised of the<br />
three Darlins—Jessi, Nikki, and<br />
Kelley—and drummer Linwood<br />
Regensburg) is an unhappy lot.<br />
In fact, they seem quite content<br />
with all the mayhem, noting<br />
during the chorus to “Screws<br />
Get Loose”, “Can’t blame me<br />
for what I choose/Screws get<br />
loose/Can’t change me after all<br />
these years”.
Official xonefM Vietnam Top 10<br />
this last title artist<br />
week week<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
4<br />
5<br />
6<br />
7<br />
8<br />
9<br />
10<br />
1<br />
New<br />
2<br />
8<br />
9<br />
5<br />
6<br />
10<br />
Reentry<br />
7<br />
Born This Way<br />
21st Century Girl<br />
What The Hell<br />
Price Tag<br />
Rocketeer<br />
Grenade<br />
Need You<br />
Last Dance<br />
I’m In Here<br />
Kidz<br />
US Top 10<br />
this last title artist<br />
week week<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
4<br />
5<br />
6<br />
7<br />
8<br />
9<br />
10<br />
1<br />
2<br />
8<br />
3<br />
5<br />
4<br />
6<br />
9<br />
20<br />
7<br />
Born This Way<br />
F**k You (Forget You)<br />
E.T.<br />
S&M<br />
On The Floor<br />
F**kin' Perfect<br />
Grenade<br />
Tonight (I'm Lovin'<br />
You)<br />
Till The World Ends<br />
Blow<br />
australia Top 10<br />
this last title artist<br />
week week<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
4<br />
5<br />
6<br />
7<br />
8<br />
9<br />
10<br />
xoneFM top ten<br />
New<br />
1<br />
New<br />
2<br />
3<br />
5<br />
4<br />
9<br />
11<br />
New<br />
Don't Hold Your<br />
Breath<br />
Someone Like You<br />
Gold Forever<br />
Price Tag<br />
S&M<br />
Black And Yellow<br />
Born This Way<br />
Rolling In The Deep<br />
I Need A Doctor<br />
Louder<br />
Lady Gaga<br />
Willow Smith<br />
Avril Lavigne<br />
Jessie J feat. BOB<br />
Fareast Movement feat.<br />
Ryan Tedder<br />
Bruno Mars<br />
Travis McCoy<br />
Clare Maguire<br />
Sia<br />
Take That<br />
Lady Gaga<br />
Cee Lo Green<br />
Katy Perry feat. Kanye<br />
West<br />
Rihanna<br />
Jennifer Lopez feat.<br />
Pitbull<br />
P!nk<br />
Bruno Mars<br />
Enrique Iglesias feat.<br />
Ludacris & DJ Frank E<br />
Britney Spears<br />
Ke$ha<br />
Nicole Scherzinger<br />
Adele<br />
Wanted<br />
Jessie J feat. Bob<br />
Rihanna<br />
Wiz Khalifa<br />
Lady Gaga<br />
Adele<br />
Dr Dre feat. Eminem &<br />
Skylar Grey<br />
Parade<br />
endorsed<br />
Burma VJ<br />
By Nora lindstrom<br />
Academy Award Nominee for<br />
Best Documentary Feature,<br />
Burma VJ packs a punch.<br />
It’s one of those films that<br />
may make you question what<br />
you’re doing with your life,<br />
and whether you shouldn’t<br />
be doing something more<br />
worthwhile.<br />
Very current in the aftermath<br />
of the November 7 mock-elections,<br />
the film follows 27-yearold<br />
“Joshua”, an undercover<br />
video journalist who, together<br />
with a group of others, documents<br />
the reality of life in the<br />
junta-led country.<br />
Shooting at great personal<br />
risk using handheld video<br />
cameras, the VJs cover events<br />
in the streets of Yangon,<br />
producing footage which is<br />
then smuggled out of the<br />
country and broadcast back<br />
into Myanmar via satellite.<br />
The material is also offered to<br />
international media, making<br />
it some of the only real news<br />
coming out of the police state.<br />
The documentary, made by<br />
filmmaker Anders Ostergaard,<br />
strings together footage by<br />
Joshua and his friends with<br />
a focus on the historical and<br />
dramatic days of September<br />
2007, when the Buddhist<br />
monks started marching.<br />
Hiding amongst the crowds<br />
and doing their best to evade<br />
the police and state intelligence,<br />
the VJs document the<br />
uprising. Without their tireless<br />
efforts, this show of defiance<br />
against their despotic rulers<br />
may have gone largely unnoticed.<br />
This, without question, is<br />
important journalism.<br />
Burma VJ is not without its<br />
parallels in Cambodia. Recent<br />
crackdowns on the freedom<br />
of speech, including the<br />
imprisonment of journalists on<br />
charges of disinformation, raise<br />
concerns about the future of<br />
the freedom of expression in<br />
Myanmar’s neighbour, too.<br />
Yet, at the same time, Cambodian<br />
VJs are making their<br />
debut. Students are embracing<br />
social media and film, while<br />
monks and ordinary villagers<br />
are using video cameras<br />
to document human rights<br />
abuses taking place around<br />
the country. Screened almost<br />
every month at Meta House,<br />
Burma VJ could be a source of<br />
inspiration for more Cambodians<br />
to start exercising their<br />
freedom of speech.<br />
The documentary is, however,<br />
also a reminder that, in<br />
dictatorships, freedom often<br />
comes at a cost. At least five<br />
VJs and individual activists<br />
who took part in the film are<br />
currently incarcerated for their<br />
roles in the Saffron Revolution.<br />
In the film itself, Joshua has to<br />
flee the country and the VJs’<br />
office is raided.<br />
Nevertheless, their inspirational<br />
work continues. The<br />
outlet for the Burmese VJs’<br />
footage, the Democratic Voice<br />
of Burma, covered the recent<br />
elections, providing a vital<br />
window into the country at a<br />
time when international observers<br />
and foreign journalists were<br />
banned by the junta. We can<br />
only hope these brave freedom<br />
fighters have the courage to<br />
continue.<br />
asialife HCMC 101
adar<br />
102 asialife HCMC<br />
The Art of Idling<br />
idler.co.uk<br />
The Idler campaigns wholeheartedly against the work ethic and asks for dignity<br />
to be returned to the art of loafing. A hardcopy is published annually, but the<br />
website provides a comprehensive overview of how to best live an idle lifestyle.<br />
One article even gives a step-by-step guide to being made redundant (Tips: act<br />
depressed and be incompetent).<br />
And the just-opened London-based Idler Academy will help would-bemoochers<br />
perfect their craft. The bookshop/coffeehouse and school offers<br />
seemingly useless courses in Latin, embroidery and ukulele playing; for there’s<br />
nothing wrong with indulging idle pleasures.<br />
Metal Charted<br />
mapofmetal.com<br />
Map of Metal takes users on an interactive musical journey. The genre is<br />
broken down across a denim-clad background into sub-categories like avantgarde<br />
metal, industrial metal, folk metal, melodic power metal and traditional<br />
doom metal. It would seem metal is surprisingly complex.<br />
An explanation is then given, which describes in detail the era that particular<br />
style of metal was popular, what it signified and the artists who made it famous.<br />
A selection of songs that match the style can be chosen from an adjacent<br />
playlist—so metal enthusiasts can listen while they learn.<br />
Packing Light<br />
onebag.com<br />
Go-Light guru Doug Dyment began One Bag more than a decade ago to share<br />
the travel tips he’d garnered from years of business trips. He asserts that a<br />
lighter load equals less hassle and a far more enjoyable journey, whatever the<br />
purpose.<br />
He’s uploaded his own packing list, which can be adapted for personal use<br />
and cautions, “If it’s not on your list, it shouldn’t be in your bag”. Packing techniques<br />
are also outlined, including advice on how to avoid wrinkled clothing.<br />
Adhere to the instructions and Doug says all you’ll ever need to travel anywhere<br />
is a single carry-on-sized bag.
Matt<br />
I was working in Singapore and<br />
got a call from someone who<br />
said they had heard I was smart<br />
enough to run an agency and<br />
dumb enough to move to Vietnam.<br />
So I came here in 2004 and<br />
recently started my own agency.<br />
Laurent and I met about six<br />
years ago through a work friend.<br />
It was actually when we used<br />
to sneak into the old District 1<br />
RMIT campus to play basketball<br />
on a Sunday afternoon.<br />
There was more of a community<br />
of us back then. A bunch<br />
of people trying to figure out a<br />
place that made no sense at all.<br />
Things sort of changed about<br />
three years ago, a lot of friends<br />
left.<br />
Laurent has come and gone<br />
from Vietnam a few times since<br />
then. He has a going away party<br />
every time he crosses the street.<br />
But he is one of the few people<br />
I know who can be witty in a<br />
104 asialife HCMC<br />
THE TWO OF US<br />
Public relations consultant Matt Underwood and music producer Laurent<br />
Jaccoux have mastered the fine art of banter over the last six years.<br />
They tell the story of their friendship to Brett Davis. Photo by Fred Wissink.<br />
Laurent Jaccoux (left) and Matt Underwood.<br />
second language.<br />
He’s very good at making<br />
things up and having people<br />
believe them. He recently told<br />
a girl his job was to dig lakes,<br />
focusing particularly on the key<br />
markets of Europe and Dalat. He<br />
doesn’t do it in a mean way, but<br />
just to amuse himself.<br />
Once we were at a place called<br />
the Berlin Bar and we met this<br />
girl. When she said she studied<br />
music, Laurent told her he was a<br />
music producer and had studied<br />
the dan bau for 11 years. And that<br />
he was a racecar driver, but only<br />
in Europe, and that he was an<br />
astronaut and was the first man<br />
to play the dan bau on the moon.<br />
I think she believed him up until<br />
the bit about playing the dan bau<br />
on the moon.<br />
I do like to wind him up a bit.<br />
He always feels compelled to defend<br />
France. He’s like Napoleon,<br />
only taller.<br />
Laurent<br />
I came to Saigon for the first time<br />
in September 2004 with a Danish<br />
guy who wanted me to work at<br />
a studio he had set up here. The<br />
guy owned a furniture business<br />
here so he wanted to work in<br />
Vietnam but it could just as well<br />
have been South Africa or anywhere,<br />
I would have gone there.<br />
So it was just coincidence I came<br />
here and Matt and I met.<br />
Originally I only planned to<br />
stay here for six months. I have<br />
been back to France about maybe<br />
10 times since then but I’m very<br />
comfortable here. For going out<br />
it is a very good town. Basketball<br />
doesn’t really bring people<br />
together like drinking does.<br />
I’m not really living in Saigon<br />
at the moment so I am crashing<br />
at Matt’s house. So he is forced to<br />
see me every day. Even though<br />
I’m not living here anymore, it<br />
doesn’t change things.<br />
When you are first here there<br />
is more that feeling of excitement<br />
and you are more willing to meet<br />
people, tell them your story. As<br />
time goes on that feeling fades<br />
and you focus on a core group of<br />
friends.<br />
You meet a lot of people here<br />
but the ones you want to keep in<br />
touch with you could count on<br />
two hands.<br />
Why are Matt and me friends?<br />
It’s hard to say. Sometimes you<br />
just click with people. It is also<br />
going through the same period<br />
of life in the same place. You see<br />
with the same eyes and have<br />
the same experiences. Here in<br />
Vietnam it is very much like your<br />
friends become your family.<br />
I moved back to Paris last<br />
summer, but we keep in touch<br />
and get on very well. The French<br />
are also sarcastic and have a<br />
very dry sense of humour. So we<br />
have the same humour, the same<br />
bullshit.
Photo by Jennifer Watson.<br />
Dearest Saigon,<br />
It’s been just over a year now<br />
since we went our separate<br />
ways. I think of you often, but I<br />
do believe our split was for the<br />
best. It wasn’t you. It was me. I<br />
just needed more time before we<br />
settled down for good.<br />
It was great. I still love you,<br />
very much. It was timing. Yes,<br />
the timing. The timing was off.<br />
I’ve got a new city now:<br />
London. He’s got some similar<br />
characteristics to you; he’s big,<br />
he’s noisy, he’s great for travel,<br />
he’s bustling and boisterous and<br />
he’s fun to be around. We share<br />
so many of the same interests.<br />
He’s full of art and design, film,<br />
theatre, music and fashion. I fell<br />
head over heels with London<br />
and we’re still going steady.<br />
But, it goes without saying,<br />
London isn’t you.<br />
I miss how you cooked for<br />
me. Every single day, without<br />
fail, there’d be something fresh<br />
and exotic waiting for me at<br />
midday and in the evening.<br />
The freshest vegetables, herbs<br />
and seasonings. Smells wafting<br />
down alleyways, from little<br />
carts trundling down the street,<br />
from your pop-up, plastic take<br />
on al fresco. And you never,<br />
ever tried to charge me too<br />
much.<br />
London offered me bun thit<br />
nuong in Shoreditch last week,<br />
but it just wasn’t the same. The<br />
Saigon beer, brewed in France,<br />
came in tiny, clean bottles from<br />
a dainty wee fridge, not a dirty,<br />
green crate. The vegetable salad<br />
and herb flavours were great,<br />
but just didn’t seem as fresh or<br />
satisfying. The nuoc cham wasn’t<br />
nearly as amazing or authentic<br />
tasting. And then the price was<br />
ridiculous. You would shudder<br />
if you knew.<br />
I miss all the pampering you<br />
did for me. You were really<br />
good at that. I was treated like<br />
a queen. I got so used to the<br />
weekly massages, the regular<br />
pedicures and manicures, the<br />
facials and the hair treatments.<br />
I radiated when I was with<br />
you. Now my hair is dark and<br />
lifeless, my skin is dull, my toes<br />
aren’t pretty and my fingernails<br />
look sad.<br />
I miss your smile. You always<br />
had one on every street corner,<br />
in every market stall, on every<br />
motorbike. You were always so<br />
friendly and welcoming to me;<br />
you took me in, you looked after<br />
me and we had some amazing<br />
experiences. Sure, we had a bad<br />
patch here and there, everyone<br />
does, but, oh, your smile. It was<br />
always there to cheer me up and<br />
make my day. London is full of<br />
grumpy frowns and furrowed<br />
brows, pushy commuters and<br />
slow-moving queues.<br />
I guess what it all really<br />
comes down to is this: I just<br />
miss you. London and I talked<br />
about it, and thought it best to<br />
write and let you know.<br />
I’m hoping our paths may<br />
cross again soon and we can<br />
pick up where we left off. Stay<br />
beautiful, Saigon.<br />
Love you long time.<br />
asialife HCMC 105
pub quiz<br />
Drink Origins<br />
1) Which country produces Stella<br />
Artois?<br />
2) Madeira wine is a product of<br />
which country?<br />
3) Where is the home of Red<br />
Stripe lager beer?<br />
4) What started being produced<br />
in Amsterdam in 1864?<br />
5) Where does Kahlúa, the<br />
coffee-flavoured liqueur, call<br />
home?<br />
Spices<br />
6) Which spice gives curry its<br />
colour?<br />
7) With which spice is Hungarian<br />
Goulash traditionally<br />
flavoured?<br />
8) What is the most traded spice<br />
globally, with Vietnam currently<br />
the largest producer?<br />
9) What spice is derived from the<br />
pods of a climbing orchid?<br />
10) How many spices are mixed<br />
in allspice?<br />
Grand!<br />
11) The river which forms part<br />
of the border between Texas<br />
and Mexico is called the Rio<br />
Grande by the Americans;<br />
what do the Mexicans call it?<br />
12) Which fruit gives the drink<br />
Grand Marnier its distinctive<br />
flavour?<br />
13) In which year was the<br />
running of the Grand National<br />
declared void after Esha Ness<br />
was first past the post?<br />
14) How many pedals does a<br />
concert grand piano have?<br />
15) Who is Queen Elizabeth II's<br />
eldest grandchild?<br />
Around The World<br />
16) Which Italian city, famous for<br />
its art and architecture, is the<br />
capital of Tuscany?<br />
17) Which city, 2500ft above sea<br />
level, is the largest in area in<br />
the Southern Hemisphere?<br />
18) Which area of France is<br />
known for the breeding of<br />
white horses and black bulls?<br />
19) Which European country<br />
has four official languages:<br />
German, Italian, French and<br />
Romansch?<br />
20) Which is the largest island in<br />
the West Indies?<br />
Way Out West<br />
21) What is the most westerly point<br />
of England?<br />
22) Which rifle was nicknamed<br />
"The Gun That Won The West"?<br />
106 asialife HCMC<br />
23) In mainland Europe which<br />
country contains the most<br />
westerly point?<br />
24) Which landmark stands<br />
at the western end of the<br />
Champs Elysees in Paris?<br />
25) "Go West" is a song by the<br />
Village People. The song<br />
eventually found greater<br />
success when it was covered<br />
in 1993 by which group?<br />
26)<br />
27)<br />
28)<br />
29)<br />
30)<br />
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1) Belgium 2) Portugal 3) Jamaica 4) Heineken 5) Mexico 6) Turmeric 7) Paprika<br />
8) (Black) Pepper 9) Vanilla 10) None are mixed - it's a single spice 11) Rio<br />
Bravo 12) Orange 13) 1993 14) Three15) Peter Phillips (b. 1977) 16) Florence<br />
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Pub Quiz Answers
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