issue 51 - AsiaLIFE Magazine

A truly international 

learning environment 

with over 40 nationalities, 

and Ho Chi Minh City's 

only school with an IB 

program for ALL students 

aged 2 to 18 years. 

Wishing all of our students 

a safe and wonderful holiday! 

Fostering Individual Ability 

28 Vo Truong Toan, An Phu Ward, D2, Ho Chi Minh City 

Tel: (84-8) 3898 9100 

Email: admissions@ishcmc.edu.vn 

www.Facebook.com/ISHCMC 

www.ishcmc.com

AsiaLIFE volume 51 

www.asialifehcmc.com 

22 

4 asialife HCMC 

front 

on the cover 

storyboard 

getaways 

08 News & Events 

12 Dispatches 

13 Street Smart: Nguyen Trai 

16 Q&A with Edge Pamute 

18 Photo Essay: Streets of 

Jerusalem 

22 The Burgeoning Business of 

International Schools 

28 The Snake Charmer 

30 Have Ring, Will Travel 

32 Bad Medicine 

34 Saigon Underground 

36 The Maharaja's Palace 

38 A Country Idyll 

Cover 

Art Direction 

Johnny Murphy 

Photography 

Fred Wissink 

food 

style & design 

back 

34 

40 Sterling's Saigon 

41 Stix 

42 Willy Woo's Chicken 

and Waffles 

43 Blue Crab 

44 Luxury Reimagined 

46 Summer Stylin' 

50 Connoisseur: Christian 

Louboutin 

52 The List 

78 Spotlight 

80 Street Guide 

88 Odd One Out 

89 The Two of Us 

90 Pub Quiz 

41

asialife HCMC 5


note from the editor 

Brett Davis 

Making the right choices for your children’s education is one 

of the most important decisions any parent has to make. 

As an expatriate here in Vietnam those choices can be even 

more of a challenge. 

While there are undoubted benefits for kids growing up and 

going to schools in an international environment – exposure 

to different cultures and nationalities, a broad spectrum of 

curriculums – there are also possible drawbacks such as the 

possibility of relocating due to the often transient nature of 

expat life. There is also the question of meeting the comparatively 

higher fees in international schools than many schools 

back home. 

Like much else in Vietnam, the international education 

sector is growing and changing rapidly. A little more than a 

decade ago there were only a couple of schools servicing this 

market. Now, international schools seem to be proliferating all 

around the city. Much of this new growth is also being driven 

by an increasingly affluent Vietnamese middle class that 

wants an international standard education for their children 

and all the subsequent opportunities that come with it. 

As with any industry experiencing rapid expansion, there 

are some growing pains and obstacles to overcome. Maintaining 

teaching standards, finding adequate space for facilities 

in an increasingly crowded city, and managing the needs 

and expectations of both students and their parents can be a 

difficult job. 

In our cover story this month we take a look at the state of 

play in the international school industry, and talk to educators 

and parents about how schools are meeting these and other 

challenges in the Vietnam of the 21st century. 

I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce 

AsiaLIFE’s new columnist Dana Filek-Gibson, who will be taking 

over where Tabitha Carvan left off, and providing readers 

with her own unique take on the trials, tribulations and (small) 

triumphs of expat life in Vietnam. 

Finally, there are some exciting developments in the works 

at AsiaLIFE. In the coming months we look forward to unveiling 

new ways you can connect with the magazine and get 

more out of your experience here in Vietnam and further 

afield, while still enjoying informative and engaging writing. 

Watch this space. 

contributors 

www.asialifeguide.com 

Nancy Pappas 

Being of mixed Congolese, Greek, 

and American heritage, Nancy Pappas 

is all kinds of mixed up. From 

Zanzibar to Seattle, Nancy has spent 

the last few years traveling, working 

odd jobs and meeting odd people. 

Her decision to pick up and move to 

Vietnam stemmed from an interest in 

the far East plus a need to finish the 

second half of her degree which she 

had been avoiding like the plague 

for nearly half a decade. She attends 

RMIT University and loves living in 

Vietnam. Two of Us, pg 89. 

Alice Tran 

Truc Tran has been working in 

marketing since 2006. However, two 

years ago she discovered her passion 

for photography and fashion. 

She began reading books and 

magazines to develop her knowledge 

and skills and has now styled 

and shot numerous fashion spreads. 

Tran only does a limited number 

of projects so she can maintain a 

high degree of quality in her work. 

While she still keeps up her day job, 

she believes fashion is in her blood. 

Summer Stylin' Pg 46. 

062012 

ISSUE66 

Next time you're across the 

border, check out the latest 

issue of AsiaLIFE Cambodia 

or download it from 

www.asialifeguide.com. 

Find AsiaLIFE articles on

NEWS EVENTS 

Khai Silk Resort Opens 

Tamajsago, a luxury boutique 

resort inspired by India’s Taj Mahal, 

opened last month in District 7. 

The resort is a Khai Silk-branded 

property, the brand’s ninth in 

HCMC and its first luxury boutique 

resort. Set on the bank of the 

Crescent in Phu My Hung, the 

resort includes 15-luxuriously 

appointed guest suites, a cinema, 

library, a private viewing room, 

a spa and gym with outdoor 

swimming pool. 

Restaurant Bobby Chinn 

Officially Opens in Saigon 

Celebrity Chef Bobby Chinn officially 

opened his flagship restaurant 

in the heart of District 1 on 5 

May. This is the second restaurant 

in Vietnam for the renowned chef 

and the opening has been highly 

anticipated from both local and 

international diners. Chinn has 

become a household name across 

the globe with his successful show 

on Discovery TLC. His TV career 

was met with critical and com- 

mercial success making it one of 

the top rated shows across Asia, 

which has earned him several 

awards. Chinn’s cuisine displays 

classic Vietnamese aspects as well 

as North African and North and 

South American elements, allowing 

customers to revel in unusual 

flavour combina tions. The restaurant 

is located in the Kumho Plaza 

at 39 Le Duan Street, District 1. 

Gartenstadt German 

Restaurants Celebrates 

20 Years 

In May, the Gartenstadt German 

Restaurant celebrated its 20th Anniversary 

in Ho Chi Minh City. The 

event was held on the first floor of 

Gartenstadt and included games, 

authentic German cuisine, and 

imported German beer. Mr Tran 

Chi Vinh, Restaurant Manager, 

kicked-off the event with a toast 

and opening message showing his 

appreciation to the loyal customers 

of Saigon’s oldest German Restaurant. 

All guests were treated to 

a meal of seven sausages types, 

from bratwurst to white sausages. 

These traditional dishes represent 

the authentic flavours that have 

been served every day since 1992. 

Gartenstadt also offered free flow 

imported Krombacher draught 

beer, which strictly follows the German 

purity law. 

AIS Opens Second 

Childhood Centre 

The Australian International School 

has opened its second Early 

Childhood Centre at Xi Riverview 

in Thao Dien. Xi Early Childhood 

Centre is a new, purpose-built 

kindergarten with five spacious 

classrooms, shaded outdoor 

areas, playgrounds and a swimming 

pool. On Saturday 16 June 

the school will host ‘Open Day’, 

where there will be lots of activities 

for children and parents have the 

oppurtunity to meet the teachers 

and watch some demonstration 

classes to see the teaching quality 

at AIS. For information please 

contact thanh.do@aisvietnam.com 

or call (08) 37446960 Ext 106. 

Flash Mob for World 

Environment Day 

In anticipation of World Environment 

Day, a flash mob of up to 

100 dancers from the Caravelle 

Hotel is scheduled for 3 June 

at the front of the Saigon Opera 

House. After the mob, the group 

will disperse to take part in a 

cleanup of the Opera House surrounds 

and front yard. This is the 

second year that the Caravelle 

has undertaken a beautification 

project in Lam Son Square for 

World Environment Day. In 2010, 

the hotel’s staff planted more 

than 1,200 flowering bushes 

and spread 100 bags of soil and 

fertilizer around the Opera House 

gardens. This year, in addition to 

its clean up efforts, the Caravelle 

is staging the flash mob in a bid 

to encourage the public. 

Greg Norman at Saigon 

Golf Course 

Fans and fellow golfers had 

the opportunity last month to 

breakfast with legendary golfer

Service Improvement Workshop with Ron Kaufman 

Ron Kaufman, one of the 

world’s most sought-after 

educators, consultants, and 

thought-leaders in achieving 

Greg Norman at the construction 

site of Saigon Golf, Country 

Club and Residences in District 

2. Norman, who designed the 

golf course for SGCCR, is also 

the principal behind the exclusive 

branded real estate ‘Reflections 

by Greg Norman’. The event 

highlighted the most exclusive 

superior service and uplifting 

service cultures, will hold a 

workshop on 29 June at the 

Sheraton Saigon Hotel & 

Towers. The energizing and 

entertaining presentation will 

highlight the key principles 

that everyone in every company 

and organisation should 

apply to deliver superior service. 

This high-content workshop 

clears the fog, giving an 

understanding and concrete 

steps needed for immediate 

service improvement. 

The price of the workshop is 

VND 12 million per person. 

Call (08) 62 9292 88 or email 

sponsorship@erci.edu.vn for 

more details. 

Residences at SGCCR – 52 

unique villas branded with Norman’s 

signature brand, which 

is applied only to very high-end 

products and his first signature 

residences in Asia. Located on a 

private island parcel overlooking 

the 18-hole Greg Norman Signature 

championship golf course, 

Baby and Child Massage Course 

On 6, 13 and 20 June, L’Apothiquaire Artisan Beaute will host 

a massage course for parents that will benefit both parent and 

child. The course will be instructed by Karen Spencer-Harty, 

a British midwife and infant massage certified birth educator 

working at Family Medical Practice. The course will cost VND 

2.8 million for three hours over three weeks. For more information 

contact Karen@vietnammedicalpractice.com. 

‘Reflection by Greg Norman’ will 

be one of the most prestigious, 

exclusive and luxurious addresses 

in Vietnam. SGCCR 

will be the first development in 

Vietnam to offer a combination 

of golf, resort lifestyle and family 

entertainment in one location just 

minutes from the city centre. 

Cannes Predictions 

2012 

Leo Burnett Vietnam will present 

its annual predictions on 14 June 

at the Reunification Palace for 

the Cannes Lions International 

Festival of Creativity, the global 

advertising industry's most prestigious 

event. The predictions 

Ho Chi Minh City: 

161 Dong Khoi street, District 1 

( Unit 1C, 1st Floor) 

Tel: 3.822 5034 

Fax: 3.832 6941 

email: 

hotline@rimowavietnam.com 

www.rimowa.com 

asialife HCMC 9

Al Fresco’s 

Au Parc 

Baan Thai 

Bernie’s Bar & Grill 

Black Cat 

Blanchy’s Tash 

Boat House 

Boomarang Bistro 

Bouchon de Saigon 

Hog’s Breath 

Kim Hai 

Kita Coffee 

Latin Café 


La Restaurant 

Rainbow Divers 

Mia Nhatrang 

Le Pub 

L’usine 

Mekong Merchant 

Pacharan 

Phattys 

Refinery 

Sheridan’s 

The Coffee 

Bean & Tea Leaf 

The Deck 

The Tavern 

Tourist Information 

Center 

ZanZBar 

Mia Muine 

reel is culled from award-winning 

commercials and campaigns 

from the top advertising award 

shows. For over two decades, 

the reel has been prescient in 

Winners of Hoa Sen Short Story 

Writing Competition 

identifying and highlighting some 

of the best new work produced 

by the global marketing industry. 

For more information, visit www. 

cannespredictions.vn. 

Audi Q3 2.0 TFSI Quattro Comes to Vietnam 

The new Audi Q3 2.0 TFSI quattro, a sporty premium compact 

SUV, is scheduled to be delivered to Audi dealerships in Vietnam 

this month. The design of the Q3 is classic Audi: its coupe-like 

styling is one-of-a-kind among SUVs and symbolizes its sporty 

identity. Distinctive lights add a striking touch and the very flatset 

rear window emphasize the sporty nature of the Audi Q3. 

Customers can opt to supplement the standard specifications 

with the optional package designed for Vietnam, which includes 

numerous options straight from the luxury class like adaptive 

light technology in the xenon plus headlights to illuminate the 

road ahead including in corners. As usual with Audi in Vietnam, 

the warranty has unlimited mileage for two years. 

The winners of Australian International School’s 4th consecutive 

Hoa Sen Short Story Writing have been announced. The 1st 

place prize winners were: 

Category One: Jenna Delinicolas (9yo) 

Category Two: Pham Phuong Thuy Linh (12yo) 

Category Three: Alishia Mary Binh Healey (13yo) 

Category Four: Hoang Anh Nguyen Huynh (17yo) 

Outstanding Achievement Award: Alishia Mary Binh Healey (13yo) 

The Prize Giving Ceremony was a tribute to all the creative stories 

from the young authors of HCMC.In a fitting speech, Mr Nick 

Holland, deputy principal of AIS, spoke of the importance of using 

your imagination.

asialife HCMC 11

dispatches 

Travel news from around the region and beyond 

Shopping Colonial Style 

Apart from a number of five-star hotels and the odd seafood restaurant, the area 

around the Chao Praya river in Bangkok never held much appeal. All of this 

has now changed with the opening of Asiatique the Riverfront, a massive new 

shopping and lifestyle complex packed with stores, bars and restaurants. The 

new entertainment includes the longest waterfront promenade in Thailand and 

also houses a traditional puppet theatre and famed ladyboy cabaret Calypso. The 

design was inspired by Bangkok’s illustrious history as a riverside trading post 

during King Rama V's reign (1868-1910), with shops set in storefronts made to 

resemble warehouses. Some of the outlets visitors may recognize from Suan Lum 

Night Bazaar, which was forced to close its doors last year. The new entertainment 

venue is open daily from 5pm to midnight and easily accessible by shuttle boat 

from sky train station Saphan Taksin. For more information, visit thaiasiatique. 

com or call 66 2108 4489. – Ellen Boonstra 

Tokyo Perspective 

The Palace Hotel Tokyo, a US $1.2 billion investment project opened 

its doors in May and is now considered the most exclusive estate in 

the city. Located beside the Imperial Palace the 290-room hotel will 

succeed two previous hotels that had occupied the same spot since 

1947 and will contend for position as one of Japan’s finest independent 

properties. The hotel will include an evian® SPA, a constellation of 

Michelin-star restaurants, expansive views of the city, 17 retail outlets 

and an underground passage to the Otemachi subway station. It’s 

location next to the Imperial Palace, a 3.5-square-kilometre green space 

in the heart of the city, will give the hotel a naturally vibrant perspective. 

Reservations are now being accepted. For more information visit 

palacehotelstokyo.com. 


The Yangon Heritage Project 

Yangon’s unique architectural heritage and collection of 19th and 

early 20th century buildings are in peril. In an attempt to protect 

these buildings, the Yangon Heritage Trust assembled for the first 

time last month to develop a preservation plan for the world’s 

most significant, extant collection of Edwardian-era architecture. 

The idea is a simple one: to protect as much of Yangon’s architectural 

heritage as possible. These heritage areas largely exist in ‘old 

Yangon’, between Inya Lake and the river, which represents only 

a small fraction of today’s city. The Trust says conserving these 

buildings and streets would not significantly restrict space for 

modern development adding that if Yangon’s architectural heritage 

is destroyed in the months to come, a big part of its legacy as a 

cosmopolitan, multi-faith and multi-ethnic city will be lost as well.

Street Smart 

NGUYEN TRAI 

Famous amongst young people as clothing 

central, Alex McMillan discovers food and 

fashion on District 5’s Nguyen Trai. 

Akira Shop 

319 Nguyen Trai 

This has to be the absolute 

highlight of the street. Walking 

around in the store full of 

novelty gifts, iPhone lenses, 

fake poop, Canon lens mugs, 

disappearing ink, wooden 

clocks, laser pointers, and other 

endless kitsch was second to 

the warmth from the staff. 

Think ‘Come and Buy’ in the 

Pham with better prices and 

selection. While you’re there, 

grab a lima bean with an 

inscription for VND 5,000 that 

says: ‘I miss you’. 

Pho Le 


Wanna try the real deal? Pho Le 

has got to be hands down one 

of the most famous places to get 

pho aside from Pho Hoa on Pasteur 

Street. What do you think? 

Can you taste a difference? 

Locals claim its broth is amazing 

and boasts its own famous 

recipe, which keeps ‘em coming 

back again and again. 

Boy-z For Men 


Is it Boy-z or should it be 

‘boyz’? The slightly odd title 

asialife HCMC 13


aside, the store has some pretty 

cool graphic T-shirts. Sizes run 

a little small, but prices are reasonable 

in the VND 100-200,000 

range. 

Backpack Shop 


Furry monkey backpacks. 

Need we say more? This store 

has some interesting bags and 

backpacks which are undoubtedly 

meant to keep the young 

at heart happy. 

Grammy Fashion 


Flowing femme fashion. You 

probably can leave the mannequins’ 

funny hats behind, 

but they have cute clothes for 

women of the light and airy 

variety. Their aesthetic appears 

to focus on white and sheer 

materials. 

ABC Bakery 


If you’re tagging along with 

your partner on his/her shopping 

spree, stop in ABC Bakery 

for a respite in the form of 

cakes. They’re around VND 

80,000 each, but there is an 

amazing assortment to choose 

from. Try their fruit jelly in the 

shape of a koi fish, or one of 

their ridiculous white chocolate 

animals with strangely sublime 

looks plastered on their faces. 

Flippers 


Full of imported sandals of 

every single colour you can 

imagine from the brand of the 

same name. Prices are around 

150,000 for a pair, but seem to 

be of high quality. There is a 

range of different sizes, too. 

Junbekiku Mengxuander 


One of the most ridiculous 

and simultaneously interesting 

fashion concepts along the 

street. The theme of this store 

is camouflage, which has been 

envisioned and decorated in 

1,000 different ways. Worth a 

peep, but it’s easy to miss. Hey, 

it’s camo, it’s supposed to be 

invisible. 

YaMe 


This store got our attention 

when we saw many young customers 

at the door of the shop’s 

wooden facade taking off their 

shoes to peruse the store’s 

goods barefoot. Upon inspection, 

the store contains many 

name brand items that could 

pass as real. You be the judge. 

Tea Stall 

Outside 440 Nguyen Trai 

To wrap up the busy day 

shopping, an absolute must 

is some tea for VND 5,000 a 

glass. Popular with the locals 

and located all along the street, 

this type of stall isn’t difficult 

to find, just look for the row of 

glasses along the front of the 

cart. The Dark green variety is 

seaweed and the light brown 

is artichoke. Both are worth 

trying.

16 asialife HCMC

Edge Pamute (aka Scrambled Edge), originally from the Phillipines, has been leading the Asian 

dance and eclectic music scene since 2001. He has played in venues all over the globe, and brings his 

experience and creativity to the off-the-wall roaming dOSe parties he throws right here in Saigon. 

Claire Jowell catches up with him to find out about his favourite spots for music in the city and the 

upcoming dOSe party. Photo by Fred Wissink. 

How did the dOSe 

parties begin? 

It was started with a good 

friend Sunny from 20 years 

ago. We used to do warehouse/ 

rave/roving parties in different 

places in Asia, mainly the 

Philippines, where like-minded 

music and art individuals cooperate 

into one music consortium. 

We had been doing these 

parties called "Consortium" 

and then the main guys started 

doing their own things. I was 

reunited with Sunny, a Consortium 

regular, in Vietnam fourand-a-half 

years ago. We were 

missing the groove and we said, 

"Let us do our own thing and 

see where the music takes us." It 

was a project for fun and also to 

promote Sunny's company, Orchid 

Symphony, hence the name 

dOSe (D' Orchid Symphony 

Experience). It started with 100 

people at Le Fenetre, then 300, 

then grew and grew. Now it's 

about 1,500 people that are into 

the music. It has become a music 

community of people with 

more sophisticated tastes. When 

you are at dOSe we always offer 

good vibes, good music and 

good people. 

You have performed all over 

the world, and are said to be 

one of the pioneers of the 

dance and eclectic music scene 

in Asia. How would you personally 

describe your musical 

style? 

Groovy – most of the time – 

with a Latin-tinge and spice of 

jazz. It’s gotta make my head 

sway. It is moodfood. The 

genre could be anything, from 

bass lines to bassey, uptempo 

to cooltempo house, afro and 

nu-jazz beats, bossanova and 

beyond. 

How long have you been based 

in Ho Chi Minh City and what 

brought you here? 

I’ve been here for four years 

and was coming here before 

that on a regular basis for the 

start up of the dOSe parties. I 

came here because I was invited 

to set-up a local music TV channel, 

YanTV. 

What do you think about 

Saigon's music scene at the moment, 

and where is your best 

spot to DJ? 

The best spot is where the 

people have good vibes and 

appreciation for the music 

I play; my music is not that 

mainstream. We like to always 

move the dOSe parties around 

at off-the wall places and match 

our music to keep it fresh and I 

think that is one of the most appealing 

things about the party. 

The next dOSe is on 9 June, at 

the Crea TV Studio warehouse. 

The last warehouse party was 

a success, because it’s a perfect 

venue for the underground 

music feel. DOSers are always 

asking us to do it again, hence 

the 9 June party. 

I also play at Blanchy's Tash 

rooftop for my monthly regular 

gig called ‘Good Vibes’. It has 

a good atmosphere up there. I 

love afternoon park parties, 

street parties, warehouses, old 

buildings and sunset yacht 

parties. 

Where is your favourite place 

to hang out in the city? 

Bootleg is really my regular 

place and would like to find 

more time to jump on the decks 

there. I like to get a drink at 

Centro Courtyard, Living room, 

Sparkle and then its nice to 

spend Sunday afternoons at The 

Deck. Another cool non-descript 

place is the poolside of New 

World Hotel where I bring a 

Tanduay Rum bottle. 

Are there any other projects that 

you are busy with in HCM City 

that we can look forward to? 

Yes, I am organising a Sunday 

afternoon flea market with some 

cool tempo/dance music. Another 

concept we are playing 

at is BPM, or Beer Pizza and 

Music, on a Sunday afternoon. 

We realise that there is not really 

much to do on a Sunday, so we 

will make something! 

asialife HCMC 17


• PHOTO ESSAY • 

STREETS OF JERUSALEM

The history of Israel's capital city of Jerusalem is as long as long as it is complex. 

These photos show the every day characters that can be found on the streets 

of modern-day Jerusalem. The diversity of the characters that make up the 

colourful personality of the city centre run the gammut from musicians and street 

performers to junkies. Photos by Leon Blankleyder. 

asialife HCMC 19

20 asialife HCMC

22 asialife HCMC

The international school industry in Vietnam is booming, giving parents 

a wide array of choices when it comes to deciding where to send their 

kids. Fortunately there are plenty of quality schools to choose from, 

but there are also many that leave much to be desired. Chris Mueller 

and Michael Tatarski talk to some of the leading figures in HCM City’s 

international school business about the industry, as well as some expat 

parents about what makes a good school and how to separate the 

wheat from the chaff. Photos by Fred Wissink. 

asialife HCMC 23

Moving your family to a new country comes 

with its inherent set of difficulties. Probably 

at the forefront of most expatriate parents’ 

minds is how or if their children will receive a 

quality education in their new home. Fortunately 

for expats in Vietnam there is no shortage 

of international schools. In fact, local and 

expat demand is causing the industry here to 

boom and international schools are cropping 

up everywhere. Some of these provide 

world-class education with, of course, worldclass 

tuition prices. Others offer little more 

than a place to drop your kids off during the 

day and a building with the words ‘international 

school’ tacked on. 

In recent years, as a nascent Vietnamese 

middle class has appeared thanks to the 

country’s rapid economic growth, the number 

of local children in the international school 

system has also risen. Many Vietnamese 

parents want their children to be exposed to 

international cultures and ways of thinking so 

they can have the chance to study abroad or 

get high-paying jobs, and that is not something 

the Vietnamese education system can 

yet provide. 

This explosion of international schools has 

left many wondering if quality is being sacrificed 

to meet demand and how Vietnam’s 

international schools compare to the rest of 

the world. 

A shifting market 

Like nearly every other business sector, 

international schools have been impacted 

by the global economic crisis. Multinational 

corporations have less money to spend 

on sending employees and their families 

abroad on assignments, so they are instead 

choosing to send people without children to 

overseas offices. When they do send a family, 

corporations are now less willing to pay for 

the education of their employee’s children, 

forcing many parents to pay the lofty school 

fees themselves. Some companies are also 

focusing on hiring in-country talent instead of 

flying in foreigners. 

This reduction in the number of families 

being sent abroad means fewer children for 

schools to enroll. Shaun Williams, principal 

and CEO of the British International School 

(BIS), says there has been a noticeable 

drop in the number of expat families coming 

to Saigon. As a result many schools have 

started to tweak their marketing by beginning 

to advertise more to Vietnamese families. 

There has been so much interest from 

Vietnamese clientele that BIS has opened 

a new school called the British Vietnamese 

International School (BVIS), which is tailored 

to the local market. At BVIS students are 

taught by both Vietnamese teachers and 

native English speakers, although all teachers 

are trained in the same methodologies as 


those at BIS. This allows students to maintain 

their Vietnamese while hopefully becoming 

fluent in English, and they still take the same 

exams and have access to the same overseas 

universities that BIS offers its students. 

If this market shift deepens in the future, it is 

entirely likely that more schools like BVIS will 

be created. 

One potential pitfall to increasing local 

admissions is that many Vietnamese parents 

want their children to be in a truly internation- 

al environment and don’t want them to study 

with too many other Vietnamese students. 

In order to stem the concerns of parents, 

many schools implement nationality caps. At 

International School Ho Chi Minh City (ISH- 

CMC), one of the longest running international 

schools in Saigon, the nationality caps have 

been set at 25 percent, says Brian Rogove, 

the Asia Pacific CEO of Cognita, which owns 

ISHCMC. Right now ISHCMC’s student body 

is made up of about 20 percent Vietnamese,

19 percent Koreans, 16 percent Americans, 

eight to 10 percent Australians and smaller 

percentages of other nationalities. 

Another way to lessen the worries of Vietnamese 

parents is by offering very high-quality 

schools with professional teachers. Once 

parents see the quality of education at upper 

echelon schools, they tend to care less about 

what nationalities are at the school, says 

Rogove. Foreign teachers with education 

degrees teach all of the classes, and many 

of these schools have an English only policy 

where all curriculum is delivered in English 

and students are required to speak English in 

all school activities. 

Peter O’Sullivan, the principal of Australian 

International School (AIS) – which is owned 

by Academic Colleges Group (ACG) – says 

increasing local demand has not changed 

the quality of the education at the higher end 

schools. “It doesn’t matter if you are born in 

Vietnam or if you come from another country, 

the expectations from the parents are very 

similar now.” 

O’Sullivan also says that a larger Vietnam- 

ese student body adds an interesting and 

productive “flavour” to the school environment. 

“The discipline and the attitude of the 

students within Vietnam is far more pleasant 

and far more appropriate. The Vietnamese 

culture has a strong influence on how the 

other nationalities interact and mix,” he says. 

O’Sullivan adds that strong family values 

and an emphasis on education in many 

Vietnamese families pushes local students to 

work hard, in turn causing students of other 

nationalities to follow that lead. 

With the obvious advantages, from both 

a business and educational standpoint, of 

enrolling more Vietnamese in international 

schools most schools are looking to develop 

the local market. 

Although ISHCMC’s reputation as one of 

the foremost international schools in Saigon 

has kept enrollment steady, they too are 

looking to the Vietnamese market for more 

students, says Rogove. 

“I think for us, Vietnam is the most interesting 

market in all of Asia,” he says. “If you look 

at the aspirations of the Vietnamese growing 

middle class, the local Vietnamese market 

is being short changed with the quality of 

schools. There is a big gap and hopefully we 

can participate in raising the standards of 

education in Vietnam.” 

Other countries in the region are also seeing 

a growing international school industry 

driven by local demand. In Hong Kong, for 

example, the local market makes up most 

of the industry, says Rogove. He says there, 

65 percent of the students at international 

schools are locals. Singapore and Thailand, 

and more recently Kuala Lampur, have also 

lifted quotas that had previously limited the 

number of local students who could enroll. 

In Vietnam, however, Vietnamese students 

need special permission to attend international 

schools. The schools are also required 

to offer the Vietnamese national curriculum in 

their programs for the Vietnamese students, 

says O’Sullivan. 

Fortunately the Vietnamese government 

seems to understand that international 

schools can provide Vietnamese students 

asialife HCMC 25

with the quality education that could help 

push the country forward and have supported 

the development of most schools. 

Question of quality 

Like many successful industries in Vietnam, 

the international school sector is being 

flooded with lower quality schools that are 

popping up simply to make money. Many 

of these schools tend to not hire properly 

trained teachers or provide quality facilities 

for students. 

“Everyone and their mother wants to be 

in international schools,” says Rogove. “In a 

way that’s good for customers because that 

gives them more choice. But because there 

are a great many schools the majority of 

them aren’t high quality.” 

Rogove says that in order to make sure 

parents are sending their children to a quality 

school and not wasting their money, one of 

the most important things to keep in mind is 

who is running the school. He says meeting 

the head of the school should be done be- 


fore a decision is made. If the head is always 

too busy to meet parents, that could be a red 

flag for a poorly run school. He also says the 

parents should understand exactly what curriculum 

is being taught and how the school 

measures up to international standards. 

O’Sullivan also says it is important to have 

a clear understanding of what the curriculum 

is before making a decision, in addition to 

whether a school has any partnerships or 

programs with quality universities that their 

children could move on to. 

Schools like ISHCMC, BIS and AIS are 

very expensive, and despite increased competition 

the prices have not really changed. 

Since higher quality schools offer careers 

rather than temporary job placements they 

have not had much trouble recruiting quality 

teachers, but they do cost more to employ. 

“If you want to maintain a high-quality school 

then you have to pay your teachers well,” he 

says. 

Hiring at AIS has also not been affected by 

increased competition since Vietnam is still 

on the radar of a lot of international teachers 

as a destination for both work and a cultural 

experience, says O’Sullivan. 

The parent perspective 

Expat families in Saigon don’t have much of a 

choice when it comes to deciding on whether 

to send their children to an international 

school. Margo Aluwihare, head of the BIS Primary 

school Parent Teacher Group, has three 

kids attending the school. She says sending 

her children to a quality international school 

was a way to ensure they did not fall behind 

their classmates back home. 

“You want them to keep up with the 

mainstream and maintain continuity, so if 

you get posted somewhere else or go back 

home they won’t be behind,” Aluwihare says. 

Vietnamese schools can’t offer that continuity, 

although she notes that if there was a national 

education system conducted in English that 

offered international-level classes a lot of 

parents would possibly opt for that, especially 

if they are paying their own school fees.

Aluwihare says that many of the challenges 

associated with sending children to international 

schools stem from the realities of life 

as an expat, where people come and go on 

a regular basis and social circles can change 

quickly. With many families here on two- or 

three-year rotations it can be difficult for children 

to form deep friendships at school. 

Two other BIS parents shared that it can be 

a challenge to find a proper balance between 

children absorbing the cultural experience of 

living in Vietnam while maintaining the courses 

and extracurricular activities they were 

used to in their home country. They added, 

however, that international schools here are 

constantly updating their programs, so this 

may be less of an issue in the future. 

Although changing to an international 

school from their old schools back home can 

be difficult for children, many parents here feel 

they are actually getting a better education. 

Evelyne Kobberger and her husband send 

their three boys to AIS, where she says they 

are getting a better education at an earlier age 

and faster pace than back home. “The kids 

learn more,” she says. “The information they 

get … is immense.” 

Overall, parents seem pleased with the 

fact that their children are able to attend an 

international school. One of the main benefits 

children at such schools receive is the ability 

to become a global citizen as they interact 

with classmates from around the world on a 

daily basis. While international schools may 

not have everything children are used to from 

their home country, they do offer experiences 

and opportunities that can’t be matched. 

Advice from top 

international schools 

I think the most important thing that 

parents want to know is what their child 

would ‘gain’ from a school. Different international 

schools offer differing educational 

benefits. Think about which of these 

benefits appeals most to your current, as 

well as future, family situation. 

Mark Thompson, head teacher at German 

International School 

Before visiting or approaching any school 

and subjecting yourself to their marketing 

do a little family soul-searching and make 

a short “shopping list” of what you think 

are the three to five most important qualities 

for your child. 

Gary Benfield, headmaster at Anglophone 

British Curriculum International School 

Ask about the school’s curriculum, accreditation, 

educational philosophy and 

management approach, i.e. who makes 

the decisions and what is the tuition 

money spent on. 

Katie Rigney-Zimmermann, director of 

admissions and marketing at Saigon South 

International School 

They should look for a school that 

provides opportunities for a balance of 

academic, social and cultural development. 

It is also important to ensure that 

the school has a comprehensive and 

accredited curriculum that promotes academic 

success and prepares the student 

for further education. 

Matt Dyer, principal at Singapore 

International School at Saigon South 

asialife HCMC 27

28 asialife HCMC

The Snake Charmer 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

After fighting in the war between America and Vietnam, Jake 'T. Snake' 

turned to music for catharsis during the years he lived on the street in the 

US. Now, in the six years since his return to Vietnam, he has played with 

many of the big names in Vietnam’s music industry. He relates his story to 

Michael Tatarski. Photo by Fred Wissink. 

Jake 'T. Snake' doesn’t have 

what you would call a common 

name. He introduced 

himself as just Jake, and when 

I asked what his surname was 

he smirked and handed me his 

business card. I wondered aloud 

where the Snake part had come 

from. 

Jake explained that as a high 

school student in Detroit he 

would cut class to go visit the 

part of the city where Motown 

musicians gathered. He says at 

first everyone wondered what a 

white kid was doing in that part 

of town, but he gradually ingratiated 

himself into the community 

and was occasionally taken 

into a set of recording studios 

nicknamed the Snake Pit. 

Later, when he was living in 

California, Jake was bitten by a 

rattlesnake on the left calf. That 

experience, combined with his 

fond memories of Motown, inspired 

him to take on the name 

Snake. He even has a tattoo of 

one uncoiling where he was 

bitten. 

His first exposure to Vietnam 

was not pleasant. He fought in 

the war from 1967 to 1969 and 

admits that his time here left 

him mentally broken, and life 

after returning to the US from 

his deployment was difficult. 

He wandered the country, 

homeless, for several years before 

finding himself in California 

in 1974. 

To help ease the emotional 

pain Jake began playing a few 

different wind instruments in 

an effort to restore his soul, but 

none of them matched the mood 

he was trying to evoke. He then 

decided to attend the Ali Akbar 

Khan School of Music outside of 

San Francisco, where he studied 

under a master Indian flautist. 

This inspired Jake to take up 

the flute, specifically the bamboo 

flute, since it recalled the 

images of rural Vietnam he saw 

during his time here. At first 

he had little interest in playing 

regular music, so instead he 

focused on ambient sounds. He 

recalls, “I would play music in 

laundromats because I would 

sync with what the washing 

machines were doing and what 

the overhead fans were spinning 

and what the dryers were 

doing, and I would create a 

sound in relation to those goofy 

ambient sounds.” 

Eventually he moved on to 

playing actual songs, combining 

what he learned in San Francisco 

with the Motown music he 

grew up with in Detroit. Playing 

music was deeply personal for 

Jake, and for many years no one 

even knew he could play the 

flute. “I was a closet musician, 

and sometimes I would just 

let my flutes sit for a while. I 

would go through these phases 

where I would want to express 

myself musically, so I did.” 

As people began to discover 

that Jake could play they 

would ask him to do so, but he 

repeatedly refused. After living 

an itinerant life for years he 

returned to Asia in 1999, and 

has been living in Saigon for six 

years now. 

The decision to come back 

to the country he fought in 

was agonizing, but necessary, 

he says, “It was in an effort to 

complete the circle of regret, of 

guilt, that revolved around my 

years as a warrior. But it took 30 

years.” 

He continued to play music 

when he arrived, though it was 

still largely personal. He then 

worked up enough courage 

to begin playing to the public, 

mostly around the Opera House 

and the Caravelle Hotel since 

they were two of the only buildings 

he recognized from his 

time here in the 60s. 

He began going to the Sax 

n’ Art Jazz Club on Le Loi to 

watch musicians, and one day 

he was asked to play in the 

breaks between acts. He did 

that for a bit but the pressure 

became too intense and he 

stopped, preferring to play to 

people on the street. 

Since then his musical life 

has evolved and he has worked 

with many of Vietnam’s most 

prominent musicians, including 

Curtis King and Juram Gavero. 

He still plays outside though, 

usually by the Continental 

Hotel, and loves seeing the reactions 

of passersby, especially the 

locals, as he plays everything 

from Jethro Tull to hip-hop on 

his flutes. 

As painful as Jake’s return 

to Vietnam was at first, he is 

now visibly happy to be here. 

His move to Saigon has turned 

into a personal renaissance after 

years of sleeping in cars and 

under bridges in the US. He is 

raising his young boy with his 

Vietnamese wife and is even 

contemplating moving his family 

back to Michigan so his son 

can go to school there. 

While Jake’s family has 

become his number one priority, 

music will always be linked 

with his time in Vietnam. It was 

part of his healing process, and 

it was part of his rebirth. Next 

month he will be travelling to 

Europe to tour with several of 

Saigon’s most well-known musicians, 

adding a new milestone 

to what has already been a 

remarkable journey. 

asialife HCMC 29


Michael Tatarski looks into the growing destination wedding 

market both in Vietnam and further afield. Photos by Justin Mott.

Getting married is one 

of the most significant 

things someone can do 

in their life. Understandably 

then, great importance is placed 

on weddings. Movies and 

television shows often portray 

weddings the classic way, including 

a church and hundreds 

of friends and family members, 

but in reality many couples 

are now looking for something 

more exotic and unique on their 

special day. 

This is evident in the rapidly 

growing destination wedding 

market. A destination wedding 

is one in which the entire 

wedding party travels, usually 

to another country, to perform 

the ritual at, say, a five-star 

resort, or on an isolated beach. 

Such weddings usually involve 

a smaller number of guests 

than a traditional one, with an 

average of about 50 people, but 

that does not mean they are any 

less lucrative for the companies 

involved in planning them. 

According to a study by 

Destination Wedding & Honeymoon 

magazine, in 2011 the 

destination wedding market 

was worth US $18 billion, up 

from just US $3 billion in 2001. 

Between 2006 and last year the 

market grew by 84 percent in 

the face of the global recession. 

Demand for these weddings is 

growing fast, and more resorts 

and companies around the 

world are getting in on the 

game. 

The Caribbean is by far the 

most popular region for destination 

weddings, accounting for 

just over half of the market, but 

southeast Asia draws its fair 

share as well. Thailand has been 

a popular location for years, 

and now Vietnam is starting to 

attract more of these weddings 

as its reputation as a good place 

to visit has spread. 

Hoi An Events began offering 

wedding planning services two 

years ago in response to the 

increasing number of enquiries 

from couples wishing to get married 

in Vietnam. According to 

Nadine Ziegeldorf, a manager at 

the company, the growth in interest 

in the country has coincided 

with the opening of new budget 

airlines and the establishment 

of more air routes into cities like 

Danang and Nha Trang. 

Ziegeldorf’s clients include 

expats living in Vietnam and 

other countries in the region, as 

well as couples from opposite 

ends of the world – for example 

Australia and the UK – who 

are meeting somewhere in the 

middle. 

Location is key to any 

destination wedding, and in 

Vietnam that is especially true. 

“Due to the complex legalities, 

or lack thereof, most weddings 

in Vietnam are symbolic only, so 

couples choosing Vietnam as a 

destination put great importance 

on the place, setting, and 

meaning of their ceremony,” 

Ziegeldorf says. 

Wedding planning services 

here offer to hold events in some 

amazing places, so the appeal 

is obvious. Browse through Hoi 

An Event’s wedding website 

and you will find that it is possible 

to get married in a minority 

village in the mountains, 

on a boat, or even underwater. 

Clients are also afforded the 

option of having a traditional 

Vietnamese wedding or a western 

ceremony. 

Since couples choosing 

Vietnam for their destination 

wedding look for a wide range 

of scenery, resorts and planning 

services need to be versatile 

when it comes to selecting a setting. 

As a result places like Nha 

Trang, where mountains and 

beach are both easily accessible, 

are the most popular areas in 

the country for such events. 

Both the Six Senses Ninh 

Van Bay and the Evason Ana 

Mandara Nha Trang offer to 

plan and host weddings either 

on their grounds or on the 

beach. The packages the resorts 

advertise include numerous ser- 

vices before, during, and after 

the ceremony, as is common. 

One of the appeals of destination 

weddings is that the resort 

or company a couple books 

through will plan everything, 

allowing the wedding party to 

step off the plane and be ready 

to go. 

Nguyen Hiep Thai Hoa, from 

Evason Ana Mandara’s sales and 

marketing department, notes 

that the resort is one of the most 

popular beach wedding destination 

in Vietnam. They organize 

an average of two to three 

weddings every month, both 

for foreigners and Vietnamese, 

although the number fluctuates 

depending on the season. 

With international-caliber 

resorts and professional planning 

companies now offering 

comprehensive destination wedding 

packages, it appears that 

the market in Vietnam is set to 

grow strongly in the future. If 

the global growth of such occasions 

over the past few years is 

any indication, destination weddings 

could become a significant 

part of Vietnam’s tourism industry, 

assuming those involved in 

the sector play their cards right. 

After all, what sounds more 

enticing: getting married in a 

stuffy church, or making your 

vows on a stretch of pristine 

sand in Vietnam? 

asialife HCMC 31

32 asialife HCMC

Rhino horn has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. 

A recent spike in demand, particularly in Vietnam, has placed already endangered 

species of rhinoceros in greater peril. But what magical properties do its adherents 

believe it possesses and what does modern science have to say? By Brett Davis. 

For millennia the horn of the 

rhinoceros has been thought 

to have healing powers. These 

beliefs persist and it is to a 

great extent why the global 

rhinoceros population has, by 

some estimates, been reduced 

by about 90 percent in the last 

40 years. 

Last year the western black 

rhino was declared extinct by 

the International Union for 

Conservation of Nature, while 

around the same time the last 

Javan rhino in Vietnam was 

found shot dead with its horn 

sawn off in Cat Tien National 

Park in Lam Dong province 

northeast of Saigon. 

In recent years the price of 

rhino horn on the Vietnamese 

market has exploded. A recent 

AFP report quotes an expert in 

traditional medicine who says 

the product is worth US $50,000 

per kilo, while other estimates 

have put it as high as US 

$65,000 a kilo. This would make 

the street value of rhino horn 

greater than gold or cocaine. 

So what has made rhino 

horn such a prized treatment 

in eastern medicine for thousands 

of years? Its supposed 

versatility, for starters, may 

be an indication. According 

to the 16th century text of 

Chinese pharmacologist Li 

Shi Chen, rhino horn could 

be used to treat ailments as 

diverse as snakebites, hallucinations, 

typhoid, headaches, 

carbuncles, vomiting, food 

poisoning, fevers, delirium, 

fear and anxiety, to name just 

a few. Interestingly, and seemingly 

at odds with much of the 

purported benefit of wildlifederived 

products in traditional 

Chinese medicine, rhino horn 

was not prescribed to increase 

male sexual potency. 

However, the recorded use 

of the substance as a medicine 

goes back much further. In the 

Divine Plowman’s Herbal, attributed 

to Shennong Bencao Jing 

and written sometime between 

200BC and AD200, rhino horn 

was classed as a medium category 

drug for use against all 

“intoxications and deliriums”. 

The ancient Greeks and Persians 

were using the powdered 

horns to purify water and 

detect poisons in liquids in the 

5th century BC. 

Rhino horn is actually agglutinated 

hair and is made up 

primarily of keratin, the main 

component of our own fingernails 

and hair. A recent study 

at Ohio University revealed 

the horn of the rhino is also 

similar to horse hooves, turtle 

beaks and cockatoo bills, and 

contains dense calcium and 

melanin deposits. 

There have been numerous 

studies over the years into the 

medicinal properties of rhino 

horn, with overwhelmingly 

negative results. Major research 

undertaken by Swiss global 

healthcare company Hoffman- 

LaRoche in 1983 for the World 

Wildlife Fund and the International 

Union for Conservation 

of Nature found no fever reduction, 

pain relief, anti-inflammatory 

or anti-bacterial properties 

associated with rhino horn. 

Summing up the results, Dr 

Arne Schiotz of the WWF said, 

“This proves that rhino horn is 

of no use to anyone except the 

original owner.” 

These results were re-confirmed 

recently after extensive 

analysis by Dr Raj Amin at the 

Zoological Society of London. 

His team was also able to isolate 

unique identifying properties 

in the rhino horn, which 

will help authorities determine 

where seized horns have come 

from and which populations 

are being targeted by poachers. 

In traditional Chinese 

medicine, Rhino horn is often 

prescribed for its antipyretic, 

or fever reducing, effect. This 

is because it is deemed to be a 

‘cold’ medicine and can be used 

take the heat out of parts of the 

body and detoxify blood. 

In 1990 the Chinese University 

of Hong Kong conducted 

a study on the antipyretic 

properties of Rhino horn, using 

rats that had been induced 

with fever. The animals were 

then given dosages of ground 

rhino horn dissolved in hot 

water (also the most common 

means humans use to ingest 

the substance). 

The researchers found there 

was a significant reduction of 

fever in the rats 30 minutes 

after treatment, and that this 

effect lasted about 90 minutes. 

However, the dosage administered 

was 0.5 grams per 

milliliter, over 100 times the 

normally prescribed human 

oral dose. 

Yet despite all this research 

the demand for rhino horn as 

a medicine continues, and here 

in Vietnam it has soared over 

the last few years. There are 

a number of theories for this, 

but several wildlife protection 

groups attribute it mainly to a 

rumour that a former highranking 

Vietnamese politician 

was cured of his liver cancer 

by taking rhino horn. Several 

investigations have found no 

basis for the story, and even 

most members of the traditional 

Chinese medicine fraternity 

discount the cancer curing 

properties of rhino horn. 

Unfortunately while such 

rumours and long-held beliefs 

in the efficacy of medicinal 

rhino horn persist, the world’s 

rhinoceros populations will 

continue their march towards 

extinction. 

asialife HCMC 33


Saigon 

Underground 

Chris Mueller looks at the growing underground 

metal scene in HCM City and the difficulties some of 

the bands face. Photos by Fred Wissink. 

A common gripe amongst 

expats and locals alike in Saigon 

is that there is no original music 

coming out of the city. Cover 

bands seem to be preferred at 

the few bars that even offer live 

music. These bands seem content 

covering songs from the top 

of the charts to clueless crowds 

at bars like Yoko and Acoustic. 

But when you take a closer look 

at some of these bands, it’s no 

surprise to see some genuine 

talent. Many of these musicians 

only play in cover bands 

to make some extra cash while 

they stoke their darker musical 

passions in Saigon’s growing 

underground metal scene. 

Most of the underground 

scene here, which is made up of 

between 10 and 20 bands at any 

given time, has a preference for 

metal music and the genre’s offshoots, 

like death metal, grindcore 

and black metal. Bands 

with names like Disgusted, End 

of Road, Wu’u and Rot scream 

to crowds of moshing Vietnamese 

fans. Underground music is 

typically defined as music thriving 

outside of the mainstream. 

While many of Vietnam’s 

underground bands may not 

be particularly original when 

compared to western metal, it 

certainly falls outside of mainstream 

music in Vietnam. 

Metal started to gain traction 

in Vietnam in the mid-80s and 

early 90s and was defined by 

what music was brought back 

by overseas Vietnamese or family 

members travelling abroad, 

says K, a self-described “insider” 

of the underground music 

scene in Saigon, who is also a 

former singer and now works 

in the music industry. Then in 

the late 90s and early 2000s, a 

passionate Vietnamese metal 

fan living in Australia brought 

back metal albums that ended 

up being pirated and sold at CD 

shops. Pirated copies of CDs 

were expensive, around VND 

130,000 compared to about VND 

8,000 now. These were the days 

before wide-spread internet and 

anyone wanting to listen to this 

type of music had to be willing 

to pay the price. 

This first taste of metal that 

had made it to Vietnam became 

popular with many of the locals 

who went on to start bands, 

some of which have enjoyed 

success. Bands like Black Infinity 

and Microwave are becoming 

popular in Vietnam, though 

with a more toned-down sound 

that appeals to a wider audience 

than the underground bands. 

Since the introduction of 

metal, the scene has grown but it 

is still small, with only about 200 

to 300 devoted fans. Despite the 

size of the scene, those involved 

have formed a very tight-knit 

and passionate group. 

While the screaming and 

anger appeals to some, many 

Vietnamese find it difficult to 

enjoy if they don’t understand

the lyrics, which are mainly 

sung in English. Bands tend to 

prefer English over Vietnamese 

because the tones of the latter 

can be difficult to understand 

with the rough singing typical of 

metal, says Nguyen Van Trung, 

the former singer and current 

guitarist for death metal band 

Disgusted. 

Trung, who grew up in Pleiku 

in the Central Highlands, first 

became interested in metal when 

he was 12, after his uncle had 

introduced him to it. About 11 

years ago he moved to HCM 

City to fill what he viewed as 

a void in the music scene. “We 

thought, ‘Everybody is listening 

to metal, so why don’t we play 

it?’” 

When he first started playing, 

Trung says it was common for 

shows to be stopped by the police. 

He remembers his first gig 

at a bar called Cacophony was 

broken up shortly after it began. 

Right now most shows are held 

at Metallic bar and Cacophony 

or in private homes in districts 

2 and 7. 

Tom Banks, 24, from Manchester, 

who has recently taken 

over as singer for Disgusted, 

says the shows are surprisingly 

exciting and energetic. 

“The shows are a riot,” he says. 

“There is a lot of enthusiasm, 

dancing, head banging. Vietnamese 

youths are often very 

polite and courteous in public 

and it is amazing to see them really 

letting their hair down and 

having a blast doing whatever 

they want.” 

Banks says another thing 

he has noticed is that it can 

be very difficult and costly to 

put on shows here, especially 

for young bands without any 

money. He says he even knows 

some who had to sell their 

equipment after a show just to 

cover the overhead. “I think this 

is a good example that shows 

the dedication of some of the 

metal heads here,” he adds. 

Another noteworthy band 

that has recently started to become 

more popular is Quai Vat 

Ti Hon. The manager Bao, describes 

the band as ‘alternative 

Vietnamese’, mixing traditional 

styles of singing with modern 

rock music. Quai Vat Ti Hon 

prides itself on writing in Vietnamese 

for Vietnamese, rather 

than catering to western ears. 

Though they are not part of the 

underground scene, the band 

shows that young Vietnamese 

have a thirst for music beyond 

K-Pop and cheesy pop love 

songs, especially if the music is 

written for them. 

Although they are becoming 

more well-known, Bao says 

trying to become a successful 

band in Vietnam is extremely 

challenging. He says one of the 

biggest challenges is getting 

permits for shows and getting 

their lyrics approved by the 

authorities so they can sell CDs. 

Bot, the singer of Quai Vat Ti 

Hon, describes the music scene 

in Vietnam as a painting that 

does not represent the country. 

“Someone painted it, but it’s 

not our culture,” he says. He 

adds that he hopes bands like 

Quai Vat Ti Hon and those in the 

underground scene will help 

repaint the Vietnamese rock 

scene as something original and 

unique. 

asialife HCMC 35

THE 


Maharaja’s Palace 

A newly opened boutique resort on the Crescent lake in Phu My Hung 

re-imagines the ancient palaces of the Indian Maharaja’s. Brett Davis took 

the short trip to District 7 to have a look. Photos by Jonny Edbrooke. 

On first hearing the Khai Silk 

group was opening a resort in 

District 7, my response was 

to wonder where they had 

put it. When the location was 

explained I knew the building 

immediately, as I had often 

passed its three-story Indian 

inspired façade and wondered 

what was inside. 

Now, after two years of construction, 

the TajmaSago resort 

has thrown open its doors. What 

is inside is dizzying to say the 

least. Decked out in the trademark 

Khai Silk style of black 

and white with little splashes 

of colour, everything about the 

places typifies high-end local 

style. 

With only 19 rooms, the resort 

will never be over crowded. Every 

room has a private balcony 

and they are equipped with the 

latest technology including 3D 

flat-screen televisions, iPads 

from which you can order room 

service 24 hours a day, and an 

iPod docking station. All the 

linen is from Catherine Denoual. 

None of this luxury comes 

cheap, with standard rooms going 

for over VND 5.355 million 

plus a service charge and tax. 

However if you really want to

splash out you could opt for the 

Presidential suite which will set 

you back VND 13.65 million a 

night. For this you get a private 

dining room and lounge, enormous 

bedroom and bathroom, 

plus a reception area featuring 

its own fountain. 

There are two restaurants to 

choose from, Montalcino on the 

ground floor serves up Italian 

fare from either a buffet or a le 

carte menu, while on the first 

floor is the French restaurant 

Le Taj. If you feel like a drink 

before dinner, the King George 

bar is well stocked and has a 

view of the terrace and the lake 

beyond. 

Elsewhere on the property is 

a boutique spa with a full range 

of treatments, and even a 50-seat 

movie theatre which you can 

book out for private screenings. 

If this sounds like too much 

activity you could just laze by 

the infinity-edge pool and watch 

the sun go down. 

It would be fairly safe to 

say there is no other hotel or 

resort in Vietnam quite like the 

TajmaSago. It is pitched to a 

very specific clientele, but there 

is no denying it would make for 

a very unique experience. 

asialife HCMC 37


A Country Idyll 

On a recent holiday in the English countryside, Hanh Edbrooke 

finds there are at least some things that the place has in common 

with Saigon. Photos by Jonny Edbrooke.

Little Ness, with a 

population of less 

than 100 and tucked 

away in beautiful Shropshire in 

the UK, was recently our home 

for four days. It is picture-perfect 

English countryside, with narrow 

lanes running through fields 

of wheat accented by the bright 

yellow of rapeseed flowers. 

However, it was not easy getting 

use to the fact that often the 

lanes are only wide enough for 

one car and my husband drives 

fast. This is an agricultural hamlet, 

so tractors and huge combine 

harvesters were coming out in 

the late evening sun each day. 

Peaceful can’t begin to describe 

it. An old Norman Church sits 

on an ancient motte-and-baily, 

eggs and jams are left outside of 

gates with a tea cup to put your 

money in. 

The thing about the British 

countryside is that you are never 

far from something interesting. 

A 20-minute drive from our 

friends’ house is the Welshpool 

and Llanfair Light Railway, 

where you can take a narrow 

gauge steam train ride through 

the picturesque Banwy Valley 

between Llanfair Caereinion and 

Welshpool. Thomas the Tank 

Engine is high on the list of our 

kids favourites, so this was a 

must. The cries of, “look mum a 

sheep”, did get somewhat tiresome 

though. 

Castles abound in this part of 

the country, originally to keep 

the Welsh at bay, and just a few 

minutes away from the railway 

is Powis Castle. Built in the 

1200s as a medieval fortress it 

has gone through four centuries 

of remodeling by the Herbert 

family. The grounds of the castle, 

one of the few baroque gardens 

to survive almost intact since the 

1680s, were a massive hit with 

the boys. It is almost impossible 

to find anywhere in Saigon that 

kids can run free. 

Fifteen minutes in the other 

direction is the Shropshire Aero 

Club at Sleap Airfield, which 

was used as a training base for 

Spitfire pilots during the second 

world war. Here for US $150 

you can get an hour of flying 

with instructor. We flew over 

our friends’ house and then on 

to Iron Bridge, the home of the 

Industrial Revolution, taking in 

the spectacular views. The flying 

was not too difficult, as easy 

as driving a car, my instructor 

told me while at 5,000 feet. I did 

point out that I can’t drive one of 

those either. 

On our last night walking 

through the deserted narrow 

lanes between hedgerows and 

thinking of the return to the 

chaos of Saigon streets, a horse 

and trap, complete with bowlerhatted 

driver, nearly ran us over. 

Maybe it’s not so different. 

asialife HCMC 39


Mister Tea 

The preparation, serving and 

drinking of tea has a social 

importance seldom appreciated 

by western visitors. 

Serving tea in the home or 

office is more than a gesture of 

hospitality, it is a ritual. It precedes 

the conduct of business, 

scholarly pursuits or meditation, 

meeting new people and 

getting acquainted. It’s even a 

prelude to romance. Politicians 

and tycoons trying to 

ease tensions at the negotiating 

table will call for tea to be 

served, and all will halt until 

the rituals are performed, and 

calm restored. 

Enter a Vietnamese home 

and, sometimes even before 

making introductions, you 

will be offered tea and a moment 

to collect yourself. Don’t 

refuse, not even politely. At 

least touch the cup to your 

lips. At weddings tea often 

precedes and follows the 

ceremony. Funerals and other 

farewells are occasions for 

the drinking of tea. Couples, 

after a nasty spat, will take 

tea together rather than ‘kiss 

and make up’. At a party 

where both tea and liquor are 

offered, the liquor is borne by 

servants, but only the host or 

hostess prepares and serves 

the tea. 

In northeastern Thai Binh 

province tea is almost a cult. 

On moonlit nights its devotees 

set out in boats on the lakes 

and ponds when the lotus 

flowers are in bloom, the air 

heavy with their pungent 

aroma. They open the about- 

to-bloom lotus flowers and 

place a pinch of tea inside 

each blossom, then close 

them with ribbon or string. 

Then they gather the moonlit 

dew from the lotus leaves. By 

dawn, the living scent of lotus 

permeates the tea, and the 

gatherers have enough dew to 

add to their tea pots. After a 

few hours of sleep, they have 

a blissful afternoon of tea. 

All classes of people drink 

tea. Soldiers drink it in the 

field; fishermen on their boats; 

wealthy people in parlours; 

monks in their monasteries; 

ladies dressed in ao dai and 

fashionable youths in Levi’s. 

A peasant might drink his tea 

in a banana leaf rolled up into 

a cone. The rich drink their 

tea scented with rare flowers; 

poets and scholars opt 

for jasmine; lotus for the pure 

and the chaste, and those who 

would have you think they 

are pure and chaste. 

In the not-too-distant past, 

tea production and distribution 

were in a sorry state. 

Tea could be in short supply, 

and what there was might 

have smelled like swamp 

water. People often turned to 

artichoke tea as a substitute. 

By paring out the hearts of 

artichokes, drying and cutting 

them finely like tea, they 

could produce a refreshing 

infusion, one that many still 

enjoy from time to time. But it 

ain’t tea. Worst of all, people 

didn’t have time for tea. They 

had to work from the time 

they rose to they time they 

went to bed. They held two 

"All classes of people drink tea. 

Soldiers drink it in the field; 

fishermen on their boats; wealthy 

people in parlours; monks in their 

monasteries; ladies dressed in 

ao dai and fashionable youths in 

Levi’s." 

jobs if they could. And this is 

a land of few appliances or 

electric conveniences. Merely 

keeping house can be a 16hour-a-day 

job. Tea requires 

time. Time to prepare it, time 

to contemplate it, time to talk 

about it, time to savour it. 

And then time to think back 

upon it. It must have a good 

part of an afternoon, or an 

evening. It is to the average 

Vietnamese what the finest 

wines are to the western connoisseur. 

If you cannot give 

it its due respect, you must 

leave it lie.

Stix 

When you walk through the 

front door of Stix you are immediately 

greeted by the sight of a 

two-storey wine rack, the first 

hint that this isn’t your usual 

Vietnamese restaurant. Spread 

over four floors on the corner of 

Le Quy Don and Nguyen Dinh 

Chieu, this sprawling establishment 

features a ground-floor patio 

with plush couches, a rooftop 

terrace, and rooms for private 

parties or business meetings. 

Vietnamese cuisine is the 

focus of Stix, with an emphasis 

placed on seafood. There is also 

a huge wine selection featuring 

bottles from around the world, 

as well as a five-course set lunch 

for VND 119,000. Some of the 

more offbeat items on the menu 

This stylish District 3 restaurant serves up high-quality traditional Vietnamese 

cuisine with a modern twist. Photos by Fred Wissink. 

include bird’s nest soup and a 

few shark fin dishes. Prices are 

mostly reasonable, although a 

few of the fish and crab dishes 

are a definite splurge. 

We start off with Oriental 

Kai Lan Salad with seafood and 

mixed meat (VND 145,000). 

The salad is well-spiced and 

provides a tangy kick, and 

includes shrimp, squid, and 

scallops. This incredibly freshtasting 

dish was a good start to 

the meal. 

Next up were the durian seafood 

spring rolls (VND 145,000), 

which I was a bit skeptical 

about at first. I’m not a big fan 

of durian, so I had no idea how 

this would taste. Luckily, my 

concerns were eased after one 

bite. There was only a subtle 

hint of durian, and the seafood 

stuffed inside was delicious. 

The accompanying durian and 

mayonnaise dipping sauce was 

surprisingly good as well. 

We finished up with seafood 

rice in a coconut (VND 129,000), 

another interesting take on two 

items you see on menus all over 

the place, but not normally 

together. You could definitely 

taste the coconut in the rice, 

and there was plenty of shrimp 

and squid thrown in as well, 

making for a satisfying finish to 

the meal. 

All three of these dishes were 

stylishly presented, just like the 

restaurant they are served in. 

Their somewhat unconventional 

nature, especially the durian 

spring rolls, caught me off 

guard at first, but they all tasted 

great and were a nice break 

from the things you see at most 

other Vietnamese restaurants. 

Overall Stix provides an enjoyable 

dining experience, with 

its slick interior and well-crafted 

dishes combining to create a 

very contemporary meal. This 

restaurant wouldn’t look out of 

place in central District 1, but 

you don’t have to worry about 

the prices or traffic that come 

with such territory. 

Stix 

15 Le Quy Don 

Tel: 08 2224 1781 

6am-midnight, seven days 

asialife HCMC 41

Willy Woo’s Chicken and Waffles 

To many, the American soul 

food combination of chicken 

and waffles may seem like an 

unlikely pairing, but it is one that 

works and has for a long time. 


is bringing this decadent dish 

to Saigon. Like many foods, the 

history of this sweet and savoury 

marriage has varying accounts. 

One version credits Thomas 

Jefferson with bringing back a 

waffle iron from France, while 

others credit freed southern 

black slaves and the Pennsylvania 

Dutch. Whatever the origin 

is, it’s widely accepted that 

the dish became popular and 

widespread during the 1920s-40s 

when an explosion of artistic 

creativity was taking place in 

Harlem, New York. Jazz was 

popular and many shows and 


parties would end early in the 

morning. To accommodate the 

partygoers, restaurants would 

offer a pairing of fried chicken 

and waffles for those who 

couldn’t decide between dinner 

or breakfast. 

Now, chicken and waffles are 

not considered a party food, but 

rather a treat when you feel like 

indulging yourself, and one that 

has become very popular in the 

South or in black neighbourhoods 

in the US. 

For those who are still wary 

of the combo, Willy Woo’s also 

offers other soul food. When we 

went in for a tasting, we were 

greeted with a huge platter of 

options that would make any 

Southerner proud. We start with 

the namesake, the fried chicken 

and waffles (VND 200,000 for 

a fried quarter chicken, Belgian 

waffle and choice of two sides). 

The chicken is tender and juicy, 

with just the right amount of 

fried skin that is lightly floured, 

seasoned with salt and pepper, 

and fried to perfection. The 

waffle is also nice and I drizzled 

the remaining syrup over the 

chicken, which gives it an amazingly 

unique taste. 

Then we try the Americanstyle 

foot long hot dog (VND 

99,000), which brings back 

childhood memories of summer 

and barbeque. We’re also given 

a huge serving of red beans and 

rice with smoked ham hocks and 

sausage (VND125,000) and a 

piece of corn bread (VND55,000), 

both of which are available as 

sides with the chicken and waffles 

combo. The red beans and 

A delivery service offering a taste 

of southern American soul food. 

Photos by Fred Wissink. 

rice, one of my all-time favourite 

Southern dishes, is the perfect 

combination of spicy and smoky. 

We’re also given a serving of 

cheesy homemade mac and 

cheese (VND 110,000), which is 

available as a side or an entrée in 

different versions like classic mac 

and cheese or Alfredo mac and 

cheese with blackened chicken. 

If you feel like a little indulgence, 

Willy Woo’s is a great 

place for some American soul 

food. Right now Willy Woo’s is a 

delivery only service with online 

menus on both vietnammm.com 

and eat.vn. 


Delivery only 

Tel: 08 3941 5433 or 

blackcatsaigon.com 

11am to 11pm, seven days

Blue Crab Fresh 

On a busy stretch of road in a 

very local section of Thao Dien, 

the restaurant Blue Crab has a 

comfortable but very unassuming 

feel about it. What it does 

have inside the ground floor 

establishment, with wooden 

tables covered in sheets of 

brown paper, is a menu packed 

with some of the best quality 

and, frankly, most absurdly 

good value seafood you will 

find anywhere in Saigon. 

Opened on the auspicious 

date of 29 February this year, 

Blue Crab is run by the husband 

and wife team of Alex 

and Van Huynh. The idea behind 

the restaurant is to serve 

up high-quality food but keep 

it at a price that is accessible to 

both the expatriate and local 

market. 

and delicious seafood at rock-bottom prices make this casual 

District 2 restaurant a must. Photos by Fred Wissink. 

The menu is divided into 

four sections to provide plenty 

of options for everyone. The 

‘home cart’ has traditional-style 

noodles with a few variations 

in a crab, shrimp and pork 

broth. The ‘kitchen specialties’ 

include glass noodles with 

veggies, shrimp, scallop and 

lobster (VND 95,000), while 

the barbeque selection features 

Alex’s signature pork ribs 

(VND 25,000 per piece). Finally 

the ‘specialties from the sea’ allow 

you to have your favourite 

crustacean prepared with a 

selection of condiments including 

tamarind sauce, salt and 

chilli, garlic butter, steamed 

natural, with beer and also in 

coconut juice. 

The eponymous blue crab 

is only VND 40,000 per 100 

grams, as is the Norway lobster 

and black tiger prawns. Slipper 

lobster is a snip at VND 42,000 

for 100 grams and scallops are 

just VND 46,000. Given that 

Blue Crab acquires its seafood 

from the same source as a 

number of five-star hotels and 

high-end restaurant in town, it 

really is astonishing value. 

On our visit we started with 

the tiger prawns in garlic butter. 

The secret to this dish is the 

garlic is toasted in the wok before 

being added to the butter 

so the end result has a lovely 

smoky flavour. Next up were 

two impressively-sized whole 

blue crabs in tamarind sauce. 

Unlike many restaurants, here 

they dilute the tamarind so it is 

not overpowering and serves 

to complement the delicate 

sweetness of the crab meat. 

Finally, we try the magnificent 

banh canh ghe from the home 

cart, complete with whole crab, 

pork and shrimp. With silky, 

almost udon-thick noodles and 

a wonderfully complex broth, it 

is the unexpected highlight of 

the meal. 

Everything at Blue Crab 

is superbly fresh, perfectly 

executed and the equal to 

anything you will find in the 

finest restaurants but at only 

a fraction of the cost. If you 

don’t live in District 2, it is well 

worth the trip. 

49D Quoc Huong, D2 

Tel: 08 3744 2008 

Tuesday to Sunday 5pm to 12am. 

Lunch deliveries from 12pm to 

2pm. 

asialife HCMC 43

The Sofitel Plaza Hanoi has unveiled its most significant renovations to date, offering 

guests a chance to experience Hanoi like never before. By Chris Mueller. 

Ho Chi Minh City may seem 

like a more happening city than 

Hanoi, but I’ve always found 

the capital to be much more fascinating. 

With a 1,000-year-old 

history that has left monuments, 

museums, ancient streets and 

buildings to explore, Hanoi is 

the epitome of Vietnamese culture. 

The city comes even more 

alive if you are lucky enough to 

be able to afford a stay in one of 

its luxury hotels. 

Probably one the most inspiring 

of these hotels is the Sofitel 

Plaza Hanoi, a 317-room property 

overlooking West Lake, Truc 

Bach Lake and the meandering 

Red River. The hotel has recently 

had a complete overhaul 

that fuses Hanoi’s Vietnamese 

tradition with French elegance, 

offering visitors to the ancient 

capital a luxurious blend of two 

of the city’s cultures. 

The most impressive part of 

the hotel’s makeover is the Summit 

Lounge on the 20th floor, 

which arguably has the best 

views in the city. Architect Victor 

Loh of DP Design Singapore, 


who was responsible for the 

hotel’s new concept, designed 

the lounge so each part offers 

guests a different experience. 

“The Summit Lounge … is 

transformed into a chic watering 

hole that is a pavilion in the 

sky with spectacular views of 

Hanoi,” says Loh. 

The small elevator that brings 

guests to the lounge opens up to 

a large, airy space decorated with 

dark furniture and soft lighting. 

Along the edges of the room, 

guests can sit in plush furniture 

next to floor-to-ceiling windows 

offering sweeping views of the 

streets and lakes below. 

The centre of the bar is “disappeared” 

using mirrors to reflect 

the surrounding cityscape, 

says Loh. 

The real star of the lounge, 

however, is the outside patio 

area; a large outdoor wooden 

deck surrounded by a glass 

railing with wicker chairs, sofas 

and tables scattered around. 

Although each area of the 

lounge is different, it is all well 

connected with the perfect 

amount of dark oak accents. 

The view from the deck is spectacular. 

Both West Lake and 

Truc Bach lake can be viewed 

from the deck, as well as the 

growing Hanoi skyline and the 

wide boulevards below. The 

deck is strategically placed for 

a perfect view of the sun setting 

over the city. 

On the second floor of the hotel 

Ming, a high-quality Chinese 

restaurant, has also undergone 

a full redesign. The restaurant 

blends traditional Asian design 

with a more modern chic 

concept. Ming leaves behind 

the cliché Chinese designs of 

red dragons and gold banners 

and opts for a more modern interpretation 

of Oriental design, 

with potted bonsai trees, paper 

lanterns and jade accents. 

An elegant tea lounge and 

three VIP rooms overlooking 

a leafy boulevard were also 

added. The VIP rooms can seat 

20 at a round table and feature 

birdcages hanging in the corners 

of the room. The addition of two 

interactive show kitchens offers 

guests the chance to watch 

noted Chinese chef Peter Li 

Qun Xu prepare Ming’s already 

celebrated dim sum selection. 

Some of the hotel’s more 

luxury accommodation has 

also undergone a renewal. The 

popular Luxury Club Rooms 

were remodeled to give guests 

a more open area to relax. The 

transparent bathroom doors, 

wooden lattice divider and 

floor-to-ceiling windows all 

contribute to the more spacious 

rooms. All of the rooms 

have clear views over either 

the lakes or the Red River and 

are painted with a palette of 

earth tones and vibrant purple 

accents with polished marble 

bathrooms giving an earthy, 

modern feel. 

Overall, these renovations 

have brought about a new energy 

within the hotel, says general 

manager Antoine Lhuguenot. 

He adds, “This renovation is 

about fulfilling the potential of 

this magnificent lakeside property, 

in a way that we always 

knew was possible.”

asialife HCMC 45


Stylist & Photograper 

Alice Tran

asialife HCMC 47

asialife HCMC 49

Connoisseur 

IT'S OK TO LIKE NICE THINGS 

CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN 

“As she struts down the boulevard 

radiating confidence, 

elegance and sassiness, the flick 

of her foot reveals that seductive 

and royal red sole." This 

distinctive feature of Christian 

Louboutin’s famous footwear 

allows a woman to subtly tell 

the world that she has attained 

a certain status and possesses 

discerning tastes. Coveted by 

women across the globe, these 

shoes are worn by the affluent 

or the lucky, and unfortunately 

for the vast majority of us this 

image will remain fiction. 

The man behind these luxurious 

shoes was born in Paris in 

1963. After being expelled from 

school several times, Louboutin 

ran away from home at the age 

of 12. He claims his enchantment 

with shoes began when, in 

1976, he visited the Musée National 

des Arts and saw a sign 

on display which forbid women 

from entering the building with 

stilettos for fear their shoes 

would damage the wooden 

flooring. Louboutin says that 

this made him want to, “create 


something that broke rules and 

made women feel confident and 

empowered”. 

He began sketching shoes 

in his early teens, but his real 

inspiration came from his first 

job at the famed Paris cabaret, 

Folies Bergère. He noticed 

the show girls would parade 

around with elaborate headdresses 

on, but no attention 

was paid to their shoes. “That's 

where I learned that shoes are 

all about posture and proportion,” 

he says. 

Louboutin spent a year in 

India in his late teens on a kind 

of artistic sabbatical, sketching 

and soaking up the local 

culture. He returned to the 

avenues of Paris with a portfolio 

of elaborate high heel designs 

and approached all the large 

couture houses, before eventually 

becoming an apprentice of 

Roger Vivier, who is acclaimed 

as having invented the stiletto. 

In 1992, Louboutin opened 

his own shop at the end of a 

19h century Parisian arcade on 

the Rue Jean-Jaques Rous- 

seau, where the business is still 

run from to this day. Princess 

Caroline of Monaco was one 

of his first customers and her 

enthusiasm for his designs in 

the presence of a journalist 

helped propel Louboutin's shoes 

to becoming the object of desire 

of fashionistas worldwide. His 

brand now boasts over 40 boutiques 

in 16 countries, including 

right here on Dong Khoi Street 

in Saigon. 

The distinguished and 

simultaneously fabulous red 

soles supposedly came about 

when Louboutin was designing 

an early prototype in his 

studio, where he was trying to 

match a shoe to Andy Warhols's 

colourful Flowers sketch. He was 

struggling to figure out what 

was missing until he suddenly 

realised that the sole was too 

dark, and painted the sole red 

with a bottle of nail polish that 

he grabbed off an assistant who 

was painting her nails nearby. 

Never again would a bottle of 

nail polish accomplish such 

greatness. 

Louboutin's designs range 

from the quirky to the absurd 

at times, but they of course remain 

fabulous and extravagant 

throughout. He has covered 

shoes with everything from 

golden studs to googly eyes 

and feathers, and gives every 

pair an equally far-out name. 

The legendary Very Prive is 

a curvy open-toed high heel 

with a hidden platform which 

has been described as ‘Louboutin's 

ipod’, and it makes its 

predecessors look fit for your 

granny. 

All the shoes carry the same 

voluptuous and indisputably 

elegant silhouette. More than 

500,000 pairs of Louboutin shoes 

are sold every year, with prices 

ranging from US $95 up to US 

$6,000 for a crystal encrusted 

pair. Desired by women from 

around the world, worn by the 

rich or the indebted, these shoes 

exude style, confidence and 

kick-ass girl power. As Marilyn 

Monroe once said, “Give a girl 

the right shoes, and she can 

conquer the world.”

asialife HCMC 51

listings 

hotel & 

travel 

AIRLINES 

air asia 

254 De Tham, D1 Tel: 3838 9810 

www.airasia.com 

Asia’s largest low-cost airline operates 

one daily flight between HCM City-Hanoi, 

as well as international flights to Bangkok, 

Phuket, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur. 

air france 

130 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3829 0981 

ext. 82 

Fax: 3822 0537 

www.airfrance.com.vn 

An airline with a vast and effective global 

network. Now flies direct to Paris. 

Cathay Pacific 

72-74 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D3 

Tel: 3822 3203 

www.cathaypacific.com 

Hong Kong-based airline makes three 

flights daily to HCM City and two flights 

daily to Hong Kong’s international airport. 

Malaysia airlines 

Unit G8 Ground floor, SG Trade Center 

37 Ton Duc Thang, D1 Tel: 3824 6663 

www.malaysiaairlines.com 

Offers daily flights from Hanoi and HCM 

City to Kuala Lumpur, with four economy 

class fare levels: low, basic, smart and 

flex. 


Turkish airlines 

8th floor, AB Tower 76A Le Lai, D1 

Tel: 3936 0360 

www.turkishairlines.com 

Awarded as the Best Airline in Europe 

offers the brand new Comfort Class to E 

conomy class: 46inch leg room, personalised 

entertainment screen and globally 

awarded cuisine on-board. 

Vietnam airlines 

Hanoi: 25 Trang Thi, Hoan Kiem 

Tel: 6270 0200 

HCM City: 16th Floor, Sun Wah, 115 

Nguyen Hue, D1 

Tel: 3832 0320 

www.vietnamairlines.com.vn 

The domestic route map is extensive, 

with several flights daily between major 

and less touristed cities throughout 

Vietnam. Flies internationally throughout 

Asia and to Paris, Frankfurt, Moscow, 

Sydney, Melboure, Los Angeles and San 

Francisco. 

CON DAO 

Six Senses Con Dao 

Dat Doc Beach, Con Dao Dist, Ba Ria 

Tel: 064 3831 222 

www.sixsenses.com/SixSensesConDao 

The first 5 star resort with 50 villas 

stretch across a mile-long beach, each 

villas has its own infinity-edge pool facing 

the ocean and a stunning restaurant. 

DALAT 

ana Mandara Villas Resort & Spa 

Le Lai, Ward 5, Dalat Tel: 063 3555 888 

www.anamandara-resort.com 

Luxury 35-acre resort encompasses 17 

restored early 20th-century villas and 

65 rooms set in the rural highlands. La 

Cochinchine Spa offers wide range of 

treatments. Le Petite Dalat Restaurant 

serves Vietnamese and fusion cuisine. 

Heated swimming pool, art gallery and 

cooking classes in organic garden. 

activities 

Dalat Easy Rider Tours 

70 Phan Dinh Phung 

dalateasyriders@yahoo.com 

www.dalat-easyrider.com 

Ride pillion with English-, French- or 

German-speaking tour guides on 

motorbike adventures that start in Dalat 

and snake through mountains, jungles 

and deltas, lasting anywhere from three 

to 21 days. 

HANOI 

intercontinental Westlake Hanoi 

1A Nghi Tam, Tay Ho Tel: 04 6270 8888 

www.intercontinental.com 

Located on the waterfront with contemporary 

Vietnamese design, restaurants, 

business services, fitness centre including 

exercise classes and pool. 

Mövenpick Hotel Hanoi 

83A Ly Thuong Kiet 

Tel: 3822 2800 

www.moevenpick-hotels.com 

Conveniently located in the heart of 

Hanoi’s business district, a 40-minute 

drive from Noi Bai International Airport 

and only 5 minutes from the city centre, 

Mövenpick Hotel Hanoi is the latest 

five-star hotel in town, tailored to meet 

the needs of discerning guests and 

especially corporate travellers. 

Sheraton Hotel Hanoi 

K5 Nghi Tam, 11 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho 

Tel: 04 3719 9000 

www.starwoodhotels.com 

“Resort within a city” boasts 299 spacious 

guest rooms with panoramic views, 

fitness centre, international restaurant 

and Hemisphere Vietnamese restaurant. 

Sofitel Metropole 

15 Ngo Quyen, Hoan Kiem 

Tel: 04 3826 6919 

escape take flight with travel promotions around the region 

Caravelle Summer Room Promotion 

The Caravelle Hotel is offering a room promotion 

until 30 September where a Deluxe 

Single starts at VND 4,065,000++per night. 

The room comes with daily buffet breakfast, 

two-way airport transfers, and unlimited use 

of internet in the room. The promotion is only 

valid for a minimum two-night stay. For bookings 

or information, email: rsvn@caravellehotel.com. 

Summer Package at Boutique 

Hoi An Resort 

From now until 30 September, the Boutique 

Hoi An Resort is offering a summer package 

for two starting at VND 5.5 million for 

a Superior Room to VND 8.9 million for a 

Boutique Deluxe room. The package includes 

two nights accommodation for two, daily 

breakfast at Le Café restaurant, one-time 

set dinner for two, round trip airport transfer, 

and a 30-minute massage. Visit boutiquehoianresort.com 

for reservations and more 

information. 

Mia Resort Mui Ne Vietnam 

Residents Special 

Mia Resort Mui Ne is offering a special “stay 

three nights pay two” package for all expats 

and local residents of Vietnam. Prices range 

from VND 4,080,000 for a Sapa House 

Room, VND 5,800,000 for a Superior Garden 

View Bungalow and VND 7,020,000 for a 

Deluxe Garden View Bungalow, not valid for 

Beachfront Bungalow. The promotion is valid 

until 31 August. The package includes daily 

breakfast for two people at Sandals Restaurant, 

free Wi-Fi and in-house guest cocktail 

hour vouchers. For more information email 

info@miamuine.com. 

Vous Spa Promotion 

Vous Spa at the Novotel Nha Trang has 

launched a new Vietnamese Traditional spa 

package. This deal is a combines traditional 

Vietnamese massage designed to relax the 

muscles with an herbal footbath followed by 

a natural Vietnamese facial and scalp massage. 

The package is for a 2-hour, 50-minute 

treatment. Price: VND 1.800.000/person. The 

spa is also offering a free 60-minute body 

massage or body scrub this month when 

guests order any package at Vous Spa. 

Vous Spa, floor 3, Novotel Nha Trang, 50 

www.sofitel.com 

Located downtown. Colonial-style hotel 

with well-regarded restaurants/bars serving 

French & Vietnamese cuisine, plus 

Italian steak house. 

HO CHI MINH CITY 

Caravelle Hotel 

19 Lam Son Square, D1 Tel: 

3823 4999 

www.caravellehotel.com 

One of the city’s most prestigious 

venues. Features a casino, Reflections 

Restaurant and al fresco 9th-floor Saigon 

Saigon Bar. 

equatorial 

242 Tran Binh Trong D5 Tel: 3839 7777 

www.equatorial.com/hcm 

On the intersect of 4 districts, with 333 

rooms, Orientica Seafood restaurant 

and bar, Chit Chat cafe, pool (swim-up 

bar), gym. 

interContinental asiana Saigon 

Corner of Hai Ba Trung & Le Duan, D1 

Tel: 3520 9999 

saigon@interconti.com 

www.intercontinental.com/saigon 

305 rooms/suites with floor-to-ceiling 

windows, five restaurants/bars, meeting/ 

banquet facilities, spa/health club and 

lounge with panoramic view. 

Mövenpick Hotel Saigon 

253 Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan 

Tel: 3844 9222 

www.moevenpick-saigon.com 

Has 278 well-appointed rooms/suites, 

five restaurants/bars, meeting/banquet 

facilities and a shopping arcade as well 

as a popular e-gaming centre. 

Tran Phu, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa. 

Tel: 058 625 6938. 

Golfer’s Paradise in Mui Ne 

Anantara Resort and Spa in Mui Ne is offering 

a golf package until 25 December. The package 

includes a two-night stay in a Deluxe, 

Deluxe Ocean View or One Bedroom Pool 

Villa at Anantara, inclusive of a daily buffet 

breakfast for two. The package also includes 

one day of golfing at the Sea Links Golf & 

Country Club (inclusive of green and caddy 

fees). Prices range from VND 3.4 million to 

VND 7.7 million. Visit mui-ne.anantara.com 

for details. 

Summer Holiday in Dalat 

Ana Mandara Villas Dalat is offering a 

promotion until 31 August for expats and 

Vietnamese. The package starts at VND 3.9 

million and includes two-nights accommodation 

in a villa room, daily breakfast, a choice 

between a 30-minute foot massage or an 

hour city tour, plus 20 percent discount on 

food, beverages and spa treatments. Email 

reservation-dalat@anamandara-resort.com 

for more details.


Park Hyatt 

2 Lam Son Square, D1 Tel: 3824 1234 

www.saigon.park.hyatt.com 

Luxury colonial-style hotel includes 21 

suites, lobby lounge with live music, 

Xuan Spa, pool, gym, international dining 

at Square One. 

Windsor Plaza 

18 An Duong Vuong, 

D5 

Tel: 3833 6688 

services@windsorplazahotel.com 

www.windsorplazahotel.com 

Located in a main shopping hub. Three 

restaurants, modern discotheque, 

conference centre, shopping centre, 

supermarket. 

activities 

Vietnam Vespa Adventures 

169 De Tham, D1, Pham Ngu Lao 

Tel: 3920 3897 

www.vietnamvespaadventures.com 

Offers 3-day trips to Mui Ne, 8-days to 

Nha Trang or half-day tours of HCMC 

on classic Vespas. 

HOI AN & DANANG 

Victoria Hoi an Beach Resort & Spa 

Cua Dai Beach Tel: 0510 3927 040 

www.victoriahotels-asia.com 

Set on its own stretch of beach with 

105 rooms spread through a traditional 

fishing village design of small “streets” 

and ponds. 

HUE 

Pilgrimage Village 

Resort & Spa 

130 Minh Mang 

Tel: 054 3885 461 

www.pilgrimagevillage.com 

Boutique resort with hut, bungalow 

and villa accommodation draws on 

natural environment and local culture. 

Features Vedana spa, two restaurants 

serving Vietnamese & Western food and 

imported wines and three bar/lounges. 

Vedana lagoon Resort 

& Spa 

112 Minh Mang Tel: 054 

3830 240 

www.vedanaresorts.com 

Nestled on the shore of a peaceful 

and serene lagoon, vedana lagoon 

resort & spa is ideally situated between 

the two cities well-known as world 

heritage sites: hue and hoi an. The 

resort designed with a stylist harmony 

between the local traditional culture and 

a modern art concept with 27 villas, 

bungalows and 2 houseboats. 

NHA TRANG 

evason Hideaway at ana Mandara 

Ninh Van Bay, Ninh Hoa, Khanh Hoa 

Tel: 058 3728 222 

www.sixsenses.com/hideawayanamandara 

An island hideaway accessible only by 

boat, 58 private pool villas, international 

and local restaurants, wedding services, 

water sports and scuba diving. 

evason ana Mandara Nha Trang 

Beachside, Tran Phu, Nha Trang 

Tel: 058 3522 222 

www.sixsenses.com/evasonanamandara 

Beachside resort set in 26,000 square 

metres of tropical garden, with 74 guest 

villas, three restaurants, Six Senses 

Spa. 

Mia Resort Nha Trang 

Bai Dong, Cam Hai Dong, 

Cam Lam, Khanh Hoa 

Tel: 58 398 9666 

www.mianhatrang.com 

Ultimate luxury resort with 50 rooms 

divided into villas and condos, catering 

by wel-known restaurant Sandals and 

Mojito's bar. 

PHAN THIET 

anatara Beach Resort 

Mui Ne Beach, KM10, Ham Tien Ward 

Tel: 062 3741 888 

www.anatara.com 

Beachfront resort with 90 fully equipped 

rooms, business centre, spa, fitness 

centre and outdoor pool. 

Princess D’annam 

Resort and Spa 

Khu Hon Lan, Tan 

Thanh, Ham Thuan 

Nam, Binh Thuan 

Tel: 062 3682 222 

www.princessannam.com 

Located on Ke Ga Bay with 57 exclusive 

villas, eight swimming pools, two 

restaurants and 1,800 square metres 

spa complex. 

The Sailing Club 

24 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Mui Ne, 

Phan Thiet Tel: 062 3847 440 

www.sailingclubvietnam.com 

Open bar overlooking the sea, spacious 

rooms, restaurant, swimming pool and 

day spa. 

Victoria Phan Thiet Resort and Spa 

Mui Ne Beach Tel: 84 62 3813 000 


Located on a private beach, 60 cosy 

bungalows, natural spa experiences 

among other great activities on offer at 

the resort 

SAPA 

Victoria Sapa Resort 

Sapa District, Lao Cai Province 

Tel: 020 0871 522 


Mountain chalet perched over the village 

wth cosy but modern guestrooms 

overlooking the lawn and garden. Ta 

Van restaurant overlooks Mount Fansipan 

and Ta Fin bar has a stone hearth 

fireplace. Connection from Hanoi by 

private train. 

SCUBA DIVING 

Note: AsiaLIFE only lists dive centres 

recognized by international dive training 

programs, such as the Professional 

Association of Dive Instructors 

(PADI) and Scuba Schools International 

(SSI). We strongly advise against 

diving with unaccredited dive centres 

in Vietnam. 

Rainbow Divers 

55 Nguyen Dang Giai, An Phu, D2 

Tel: 3744 6825 

www.divevietnam.com 

Diving tours and career/instructor 

development offered by Vietnam’s first 

PADI centre. established in the mid-90s. 

Operates dive centres in Nha Trang, 

Whale Island, Hoi An and Phu Quoc. 

VUNG TAU 

Ho Tram Beach Resort & Spa 

Ho Tram Village, Xuyen Moc 

Tel: 06 4378 1525 

www.hotramresort.com 

Located about 45km from Vung Tau 

in the Phuoc Buu Reserve Forest, 

Ho Tram Beach Resort & Spa boasts 

uniquely designed bungalows and villas. 

TRAVEL AGENTS 

Buffalo Tours agency 

HCMC: Tel: 3827 9170 

Hanoi: Tel: 04 3828 0702 

www.buffalotours.com.vn 

exotissimo 

HCMCinfosgn@exotissimo.com 

pmh@exotissimo.com 

HANOI: infohanoi@exotissimo.com 

www.exotissimo.com

listings 

food & 

drink 

BAR RESTAURANTS 

alibi 

11 Thai Van Lung, D1 Tel: 3822 3240 

Hip without being showy, this versatile 

venue has a pleasant front porch, stand 

up bar and comfortable lounge seating 

with bright, warm décor and great 

tunes. Drinks list is extensive and the 

food menu boasts French-style mains. 

Buddha Bar 

7 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 2080 

An Phu institution serves up tasty meals 

and good drinks in a friendly, chilled en- 


vironment. Plenty of room to relax inside 

or out, plus a pool table on premise. � 

Corso Steakhouse & Bar 

Norfolk Hotel, 117 Le Thanh Ton, D1 

Located in the chic Norfolk Hotel Corso 

Steakhouse & Bar is well known for 

its steak imported from the US and 

Australia. Good destination for both lunch 

and dinner. 

la Habana 

6 Cao Ba Quat, D1 Tel: 3829 5180 

www.lahabana-saigon.com 

This charming little place has seating indoors 

and outdoors, upstairs and downstairs 

to fit your dining pleasure.Relaxed 

environment with frequent live music. 

Offers Spanish and Cuban fare including 

paella and a tapas fiesta comprising three 

plates. Open late daily. 

le Pub 

175/ 22 Pham Ngu Lao, D1 

www.lepub.org 

One of Pham Ngu Lao’s favourite 

watering holes, Le Pub also has a good 

menu of well-executed pub grub and 

international favourites. Hearty breakfast 

is available all day and specials are offered 

daily. 

Mogambos 

50 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3825 1311 

This restaurant has been around since the 

mid-1990s, which offers an insight into its 

enduring quality. Specializes in American 

grain-fed steaks, hamburgers and salads 

served in a pleasant atmosphere. � 

Pasha Bar & Restaurant 

25 Dong Du, D1 Tel: 08 629 136 77 

www.pasha.com.vn 

Turkish–Mediterranean restaurant located 

in heart of HCMC serves halal and high 

quality food with ingredients imported 

from Turkey, Spain, Singapore, Egypt, 

New Zealand, Japan and France. Long 

happy hour half price by glass. Various 

shisha flavours. 

Phatty’s 

46-48 Ton That Thiep, D1 

Tel: 3821 0705 

www.phattysbar.com 

Jaspa’s Steve Hardy and Ben Winspear’s 

sports bar has five widescreen TVs, a 

large drop-down screen and lots of pub 

grub and beer for fans looking to take in a 

game or two. 

Qing 

110 Pasteur, D1 

feast broaden your palate with promotions around town 

British Lunch Week 

From 4 to 9 June, Restaurant Nineteen is offering 

a buffet consisting of traditional cuisine 

from the four corners of the United Kingdom. 

The buffet will feature British favourites 

such as roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, 

Bubble and Squeak, Irish lamb stew, beef 

Wellington, and fish and chips with malt 

vinegar and tartar sauce. Classic British 

appetizers, soups, savoury pies and desserts 

round out the lunch. The buffet costs 

VND 512.000++ per person and will be at 

Restaurant Nineteen on the ground floor of 

the Caravelle. 

Exclusive Dinner at Park 

Hyatt Saigon 

The Park Hyatt Saigon is offering a culinary 

and wine event on 6 June starring the newest 

additions to the kitchen, Soren Lascelles 

and Bertrand Sommereux. Lascelles has 

created a four-course menu paired with 

matching wines, while Sommereux provides 

a fifth course as a finish for the palate. The 

dinner will begin with canapés in the Ballroom 

Foyer at 6.30pm, followed by dinner in 

the Ballroom at 7.30pm. Admission is VND 

6,240,000 per person and is subject to a 

5 percent service charge and 10 percent 

VAT. Advance reservations are required and 

space will be limited. For reservations and 

enquiries visit www.restaurants.parkhyattsaigon.com 

or call 08 3824 1234. 

Children’s Discount Buffet 

at Novotel Nha Trang 

On 1 June, kids can enjoy a discounted 

buffet dinner at the Square Restaurant at the 

Novotel Nha Trang. The buffet is open from 

6pm to 10pm and costs 420.000++ /adult 

and half price for children under 12 years old 

and free for children under 6 years old. For 

more information, call 058 625 6936. 

Champs Elysees 

From 8 to 14 June, Reflections Restaurant 

at the Caravelle is offering the ‘Champs 

Elysees Menu’, a classic French fourcourse 

set dinner with traditionally prepared 

French favourites such as foie gras, cognac 

lobster bisque and Grand Marnier ice-cream 

parfait. Guests can also choose between 

slow braised lamb shank on potato and 

puy lentil stew with Toulouse sausage, 

or seared sea bass with braised fennel, 

potato mousseline and red wine reduction. 

VND 1,098,000++ per person at Reflections 

Restaurant on the 3rd floor of the Caravelle. 

Steak and Chops Promotion 

at Corso Steakhouse 

This month, the Corso Steakhouse & Bar 

will be offering a special menu including New 

Zealand Fillet Steak and Double Lamb Chop 

as one of its signature dishes from their 

Steak and Chops menu. Guests can also try 

Corso’s US t-bone steak as well as a New 

York strip with Roquefort steak butter. Other 

highlights include a tender of pork-loin chop 

marinated with honey and grain mustard, 

char-grill topped with crispy Onion, or Classic 

Prime US short-rib. The menu also has 

more than red meat, with dishes like their 

field green salad, lobster bisque, baked potato 

with sour cream and chopped bacon. 

Corso is located 117 Le Thanh Ton, District 

1, HCM City. 

Shanghainese Food Festival 

at Sheraton Saigon 

www.qing.com.vn 

Sophisticated downtown bar just off Le 

Loi specializes in Asian tapas, Asian/ 

South American fusion dishes and a few 

delectable deserts. Variety of good wines 

by the glass or bottle. 

Sheridan's irish House 

17/13 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3823 

0793 

www.sheridansbarvn.com 

Cosy Irish pub with authentic Irish decor, 

a pleasant atmosphere and regular live 

music. Wide range of classic pub grub, 

East Asian dishes and a fantastic breakfast 

fry-up available from 8 am. 

The Tavern 

R2/24 Hung Gia 3, Bui Bang Doan, D7 

Tel: 5410 3900 

Boasts good international food, a pool 

table, dartboards and sports coverage 

on large screens. Outdoor seating on 

mutiple levels. Second floor sports 

lounge hosts DJs at the weekends. � 

Vasco’s Bar 

74/7D Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3824 2888 

Chic bar decked in deep reds that gets 

From 20 June to 2 July, Sheraton Saigon will 

be hosting two guest chefs from Shanghai 

at Saigaon Café and Li Bai. These two 

chefs, Jackie Chen and Allan Li, are currently 

working for Starwood at Le Royal 

Meridien Shanghai. During their visit to 

Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers, they will 

be showcasing the art of Shanghai cuisine 

with signature dishes such as braised pork 

belly with soya sauce, fried rice with egg 

Shanghai style, fried noodles Shanghai style 

and so much more which will bring you a 

great experience of Shanghainese food. The 

Food Festival will be happening all day at 

Saigon Café from 20 June to 2 July and at 

Li Bai on Sunday nights June 24 and July 1 

with a live performance from Shanghainese 

guest chefs. For reservations, call (08) 3827 

2828 or email sheratonsaigon@sheraton. 

com. 

Champs Elysees 

Every Sunday from 11.30am to 2.30pm, 

the Hotel Equatorial will host a champagne 

brunch, which includes a free flow of 

Jacques Picard champagne, wine, beer, soft 

drinks, drinking water, tea and coffee. The 

weekly brunch has been re-branded with a 

new concept featuring European specialties. 

New highlights showcase a vitamin drinks 

bar, new range of fruit smoothies, Scandinavian 

smorgasbord together with a deli corner 

with over 20 choices of pickled seafood and 

home made terrine. In addition, traditional 

European desserts, pastries, cakes and 

puddings together with an international 

cheese trolley offering will be served. For 

more information contactHotel Equatorial Ho 

Chi Minh City, 242 Tran Binh Trong Street, 

District 5, HCMC. Tel: 3839 7777 ext: 8061.

anh Day 

street gourmet 

Banh day could be the 

Western equivalent of 

bologna on white bread, 

but thankfully, it’s a bit more 

flavourful than the classic 

American sandwich of 

yesteryear. Eaten primarily 

for breakfast, banh day 

is made with two small, 

round gelatinous pieces of 

sticky rice that sandwich a 

piece of slightly spicy pork 

packed to capacity on weekends. Open 

Monday to Saturday with live music on 

Fridays. Food menu by chef with over 

10 years experience at La Camargue. 

Also does excellent pizza. � 

ZanZBar 

41 Dong Du, D1 

Funky, modern interiors and varied 

international breakfast, lunch and dinner 

cuisine. Imported beers, cocktails, 

gourmet espresso coffee, and happy 

hours make ZanZBar a great after-work 

spot. Open late. 

sausage. Although banh 

day is sold year-round by 

bicycle-riding vendors, during 

the Tet holiday it goes 

by the name banh chung. 

But regardless of when you 

eat it and what you call it, 

there’s no debating that at 

8,000 VND a fix, banh day 

is a delicious mini-meal and 

economical way to fill your 

stomach. 

CAFES 

Cay Da Cafe 

Ground floor, Moevenpick Hotel Saigon 


Tel: 3844 9222 ext. 118 


Stocks the Moevenpick’s chef’s most 

delicious cakes, pastries, ice cream and 

sandwiches. 

Coffee Bean & Tea leaf 

12-14 Thai Van Lung, D1 

94 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D3 

Nowzone, 235 Nguyen Van Cu, D5 

Metropolitan Bldng, 235 Dong Khoi, 

D1 

International café chain with a wide 

variety of coffees and teas, as well as 

light snacks and food. Also sells freshroasted 

coffee beans and tins of whole 

leaf tea. � 

Mojo 

88 Dong Khoi, D1 

www.sheratonsaigon.com 

A top-end cafe with an attractive 

interior, outdoor terrace at street level 

and comfortable lounges upstairs. Good 

business coffee or lunch venue. 

That’s Café 

Rivergarden, 170 Nguyen Van Huong, 

D2 

The Crescent, 103 Ton Dat Tien, Phu 

My Hung, D7 

Hailing from the U.S., That’s Café is 

a new Khai Silk initiative. Claiming to 

provide the best coffee in town in a 

comfortable and friendly atmosphere, 

it’s a great place to hold a business 

meeting or catch up with friends. 

X Cafe 

58 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3914 2142 

Bright, spacious foreign-run cafe decorated 

in the style of an Alpine chalet. 

Popular with local makers and shakers, 

has a great open-plan upstairs area and 

two outdoor terraces. Regular live music 

and homemade ice cream. 

CHINESE 

li Bai 

Sheraton Hotel, 88 Dong Khoi, D1 

Tel: 3827 2828 

Imperial-styled restaurant named after 

a famous Chinese poet. Excellent lunch 

time dim sum buffet for USD $17.00. 

Nightly à la carte menu with dishes going 

from 100,000 VND. 

lotus Court 

1st floor, Moevenpick Hotel Saigon 


Tel: 3844 9222 ext. 168 


Dim Sum and exciting Cantonese cuisine 

in a unique and elegant setting. 

Ming Dynasty 

23 Nguyen Khac Vien, Phu My Hung 

Tel: 5411 5555 

Decorated in Ming Dynasty-style; offers 

100 dim sum varieties and 300 dishes 

prepared by a chef from Hong Kong. 

The restaurant’s Imperial Buffet includes 

free flow of wine. 

Ngan Dinh Chinese 

Restaurant 

Windsor Plaza Hotel, 18 

An Duong Vuong, D5 Tel: 3833 6688 

Beautiful wood paneling, colourful 

hanging lanterns and a sparkling mineral 

gallery make for a relaxing dining 

experience at the Windsor. Feast on 

roasted Pi Pa duck, giant grouper and 

steamed king prawns. Be sure to check 

out monthly specials. 

Shang Palace Restaurant 

Norfolk Mansion, 17-19-21 

Ly Tu Trong, D1 

Tel: 3823 2221 

www.shangpalace.com.vn 

An upscale Chinese restaurant with a 

spacious and welcoming atmosphere. 

The menu boasts a wide range of Hong 

Kong Cantonese cuisine, including both 

dim sum, a la carte and set menus, 

regularly changed by the creative chefs. 

Yu Chu 

InterContinental Asiana Saigon, 

corner of Hai Ba Trung 

and Le Duan, D1 

Tel: 3520 9099 

dine@icasianasaigon.com 

Specializing in authentic Cantonese 

and Peking cuisine. Award-winning chef 

prepares dishes including handmade 

noodles, dim sum and wok-fried items. 

Wide selection of live seafood. Five 

interactive kitchens. 

FRENCH 

au Manoir de Khai 

251 Dien Bien Phu, Q3 Tel: 3930 

3394 

This top-end contemporary French 

restaurant is set in a picturesque 

colonial villa with a lush courtyard and 

a lavish interior. Full of private rooms 

and opulent lounge areas, this unique 

eatery is the brainchild of Vietnamese 

fashion guru Hoang Khai of Khai 

Silk fame. Offers up dishes such as 

lobster consomme, pan-fried duck 

liver, salmon medallions with Moet and 

escalope de foie gras. 

le Bouchon de 

Saigon 

40 Thai Van Lung, D1 

This French diner-style restaurant has 

an emphasis on hearty home cooking, 

courteous service and a relaxed 

atmosphere Chefs David Thai an Alexis 

Melgrani are well known industry figures 

and this venue can hold its own among 

the city`s many French restaurants 

asialife HCMC 57

imbibe 

Love Wine? Join the Club! 

by Darryl Bethea 

Sharing good wine and food 

with friends can do more than 

just make you tipsy or fill your 

stomach; it can truly make the 

day memorable and take it to 

a higher level. That is why I am 

encouraging you to join a wine 

club, go to wine dinners and 

join a private wine society. 

In many parts of the world 

you can join a monthly wine 

club directly from the winery. 

Membership is free and you 

are placed on a newsletter 

list. You will be the first to know 

about new releases, stock in 

limited quantities and special 

discounted prices. However, in 

Vietnam this option isn't feasible 

due to shipping laws and cost. 

Going to wine dinners, 

however, is another great option. 

At these events you pay a 

reasonable amount for a four or 

five course dinner with perfectly 

matched food and wine. The 

reason this is such a great deal 

is because you are only paying 

for a gourmet meal; the cost 

of the wine is basically free. 

This gives you the chance to 

try some outstanding wines – 

sometimes first releases in the 

market place – in an informative, 

comfortable environment. 

Usually the winemakers 

themselves host the dinners, 

so you get an intimate look at 

the wine from a true insider. 

However, many of the dinners 

are only advertised in four or 

five star hotels for their guests, 

but I am looking to change that. 

Send me your email address 

and I will inform you about 


upcoming events. 

Another great option is 

joining a wine society like the 

International Wine & Food 

Society. This organisation is 

the world’s oldest and most 

renowned gastronomic society. 

Since 1933 the society has 

thrived with branches existing 

worldwide. The society’s goal 

is, “To Bring together and serve 

all who believe that a right 

understanding of good food 

and wine is an essential part 

of personal contentment and 

health, and that an intelligent 

approach to the pleasures and 

problems of the table offers far 

greater rewards than the mere 

satisfaction of appetite.” 

The membership is limited 

and exclusive, but Saigon’s 

branch is currently looking for 

new members. A non-member 

can be invited to attend a 

dinner by an existing member 

(like myself) and after attending 

two dinners an invitation to join 

can be extended. Contact me 

for more info and checkout the 

website at ifws.org. 

You should never drink alone; 

join a community of wine lovers 

and enjoy with friends, old and 

new. 

Cheers! 

Darryl Bethea is Group Sales 

Manager for Fine Wines of the 

World (09 3378 5005) and is 

a Certified Sommelier from the 

Court of the Master Sommeliers. 

Contact Darryl at 09 

3378 5005 or email Darryl@ 

finewinesasia.com. 

banh gai 

street gourmet 

The saying, “Don’t judge 

a book by its cover” was 

made for banh gai. At first 

glance it’s not the most 

enticing piece of street 

food, but look closer and 

you’ll find that this treat is 

all about the inside. Unwrap 

the several layers of neatly 

wrapped banana leaf that 

surround it and you’ll see 

what we mean. The prize 

INDIAN 

Saigon indian 

73 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 Tel: 3824 5671 

Popular venue with an enormous menu. 

Serves both southern and northern 

Indian dishes like tandoori, biryani, dosa 

and idly snacks, plus a wide range of 

vegetarian dishes. Offers a set lunch 

menu. Cater service is available. � 

Tandoor 

74/6 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3930 4839 

www.tandoorvietnam.com 

Part of a chain of restaurants covering 

Hanoi and Saigon, Tandoor features a 

large selection of standard northern Indian 

dishes, including a good vegetarian 

selection. Excellent cheap set lunches 

and reasonable prices all around. Will 

organize catering for events. � 

INTERNATIONAL 

al fresco’s 

21 Mac Dinh Chi D1 Tel: 3823 8427 

27 Dong Du, D1 Tel: 3822 7317 

D1-23 My Toan 3, D7 Tel: 5410 1093 

400 Nguyen Trai, D5 Tel: 3838 3840 

www.alfrescosgroup.com 

Theme restaurant boasting a range of 

Tex-Mex, Italian and Australian-style BBQ 

dishes. Huge portions and tasty Australian 

ribs coupled with a good atmosphere 

and helpful staff. Good lunch menu. � 

amigo Grill 

55 Nguyen Hue, D1 Tel: 3824 1248 

Outstanding steaks made with Australian, 

U.S. and Argentine beef, served 

in a cosy, family-friendly environment 

with large tables and banquette seating. 

Dishes like leg of lamb and seafood 

are also on the menu. Open 11 am to 

11 pm. 

au Parc 

23 Han Thuyen, D1 Tel: 3829 2772 

is a small, square cake 

made from shredded coconut 

encased in a sticky, 

blackish-coloured leaf. The 

taste is mildly sweet and 

the texture is slightly chewy. 

Ban gai originated in the 

Red River Delta but can 

easily be found in residential 

neighbourhoods around 

town. A piece will run you 

approximately 3,000 VND. 

Lavishly decorated brasserie borrowing 

from Moroccan and French styles and 

popular during lunchtime with expats. 

Specializes in Middle Eastern and North 

African food. The salad menu is a favourite, 

and a great range of lush smoothies 

and juices are on offer. � 

Blanchy's Tash 

93 - 95 Hai Ba Trung, D1 

www.blanchystash.com 

A high-end bar and restaurant with 

outdoor terrace. With ex-Nobu London 

Chef at the helm, Blanchy’s offers tapaslike 

snacks that fuse Japanese and 

South American influences. Expect great 

things here from international DJs and 

renowned mixologists 

Black Cat 

13 Phan Van Dat, D1 Tel: 3829 2055 

Tiny but popular District 1 restaurant 

serving up an excellent selection of 

Western and Vietnamese fare and an 

extensive range of sandwiches and 

burgers. � 

BoatHouse 

40 Lily Road, APSC Compound, 

36 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 6790 

Riverside restaurant with umbrella-shaded 

tables spread across outdoor deck 

and small indoor dining room. Serves 

remarkably fresh and inspired dishes 

made with choice local and imported 

ingredients—favourites include the sirloin 

burger and pan-fried fish and chips. 

Boomarang 

Cresent Residence 2-3-4, No. 107 Ton 

Dat Tien, PMH, D7 Tel: 3744 6790 

Riverside restaurant with umbrella-shaded 

tables spread across outdoor deck 

and small indoor dining room. Serves 

remarkably fresh and inspired dishes 

made with choice local and imported 

ingredients—favourites include the sirloin 

burger and pan-fried fish and chips.

Cafe Saigon 



Tel: 3844 9222 ext. 234 


An international buffet with unique food 

concepts that is perfect for gathering 

family and friends. 

Cham Charm 

3 Phan Van Chuong, Phu My Hung 

Tel: 5410 9999 

The highlight of this upscale, beautifully 

decorated Asian restaurant is a special 

seafood buffet that includes Portuguese 

oysters, Alaskan crab, lobsters, sushi, 

sashimi, Japanese-style seafood, Langoustine 

prawns, American Angus beef 

and much more. Errazuriz wines are also 

included in the buffet. Part of the Khai 

Silk chain. 

el Gaucho 

5D Nguyen Sieu, D1 Tel: 3825 1879 

Cresent Residence 1_12, No. 103 Ton 

Dat Tien, PMH, D7 

A classic Argentine steakhouse where 

beef is the main attraction. There is still 

plenty of other options on the menu, in 

addition to an extensive wine list. Open 

from 4pm until late every day. 

The Deck 

38 Nguyen U Di, D2 Tel: 3744 6632 

Serves upmarket takes on regional 

specialties made with fresh local and 

imported products. Well-designed, 

minimalist dining space and bar on the 

river are a serious draw. 

The elbow Room 

52 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3821 4327 

elbowroom52@yahoo.com 

American-style bistro offering a wide 

range of appetisers, soups, salads, 

sandwiches, mains and desserts, plus 

an extensive wine menu. Open daily 7.30 

am to 11 pm. Breakfast served all day. 

Gartenstadt 

34 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3822 3623 

Opened in 1992, it’s the first venue in 

town to offer German food with specialities 

such as pork knuckle and authentic 

German sausages prepared fresh each 

day. Also offers imported German 

draught beer. 

Good eats 

NTFQ2, 34 Nguyen Dang Giai 

Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 6672 

Easteran and Western dishes are low in 

saturated fat and made from all-natural 

ingredients. Organic vegetables, herbs 

and spices accompany meals. Even the 

French fries are healthy. � 

Halal@Saigon 

31 Dong Du, D1 Tel: 3824 5823 

www.halalsaigon.com 

Serving up a range of Vietnamese and 

Malaysian dishes prepared according to 

halal guidelines including ban xeo, pho 

and roti chennai and seafood favourites 

such as shrimp, squid and mussels. 

Hog's Breath 

02 Hai Trieu, D1 Tel: 3915 6006 

The popular Australian eatery's first 

foray into Vietnam. Centrally located on 

the ground floor of the Bitexc Financial 

tower. The legendary Prime Rib steaks 

are the centrpiece of the menu which 

also includes burgers, seafood and bar 

snacks. � 

Jaspa’s 

33 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3822 9926 

www.alfrescosgroup.com 

Unpretentious brasserie-style restaurant 

specializes in Australian-influenced 

international fusion cuisine. Full range of 

drinks including Australian and French 

wines and good cocktails. Hosts monthly 

Spam Cham networking event. � 

Kita Coffee House 

39 Nguyen Hue, D1, Tel: 3821 5300 

Four-level restaurant serving a wide 

menu of mains, pastas, salads, sandwiches, 

soups and appetizers for lunch 

and dinner, as well as a variety of coffee 

and fresh fruit juices. Includes a bright 

ground floor cafe, sophisticated Old 

World second floor bar and rooftop dining. 

Set dinner everyday from 5pm. � 

Koto 

151A Hai Ba Trung, D3, Tel: 3934 9151 

This is the Saigon arm of the renowned 

organisation that began in Hanoi 

a decade ago. Vietnamese food is 

prepared with innovative twist by young 

people Koto are helping get a start in the 

hospitality industry and on a path for a 

better life. � 

Market 39 

InterContinental Asiana Saigon 

Ground Floor, Corner Hai Ba Trung and 

Le Duan, D1 Tel: 3520 9099 


Seven interactive live kitchens offering 

French, Vietnamese and Southeast 

Asian cuisines, including a bakery, 

French patisseries, pancakes, tossed 

salads, grilled steak, seafood, wok-fried 

items, noodles and pasta dishes. 

Mekong Merchant 

23 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 4713 

Set in a courtyard, this rustic Australianstyle 

brasserie has brought modern 

international cuisine to suburban An 

Phu. Popular for weekend brunches. 

Weekly specials and seafood flown in 

from Phu Quoc. � 

New York Steakhouse & Winery 

25-27 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D1 

Tel: 3823 7373 

New-york@steakhouse.com.vn 

www.steakhouse.com.vn 

Chic dining venue designed in a classic 

New York City Art Deco. Open every day 

LOUISIANE 

BREWHOUSE 

until late. Specializes in certified U.S. 

Black Angus steak, and features a fully 

stocked wine cellar. Guests are invited to 

bring their own wine on BYOB Mondays. 

Orientica 

Hotel Equatorial, 242 Tran Binh Trong, 

D5 Tel: 3839 7777 

www.equatorial.com/hcm 

Top-end seafood and grill restaurant 

boasting modern decor. Good service 

and excellent food presentation make 

this a pleasant alternative to the downtown 

scene. 

Pacharan Tapas and Bodega 

97 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3825 6024 

This tapas restaurant and bar serves 

up superb Spanish fare crafted from 

authentic imported ingredients. The 

exclusively Spanish wine list is extensive 

and Sangria is half price during happy 

hour from 5 pm to 7 pm and all day 

Wednesday. 

Beachside Nha Trang 

Asian & Western Cuisine 

Swimming Pool & Private Beach 

The Refinery 

74/7C Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3823 0509 

Authentic bistro with cane furniture outside, 

informal indoor restaurant section 

and a bar area. Cuisine is light, modern 

European. The menu spans a price range 

to suit most budgets. 

Reflections 

Caravelle Hotel, 19 Lam Son Square, 

D1 Tel: 3823 4999 

Contemporary fine dining that combines 

Asian flavors with classic Mediterranean 

cuisine in an ambiance of understated 

elegance and European style. Special 

culinary events include guest chefs from 

Michelin-star establishments around the 

world. Private rooms are available. 

Riverside Cafe 

Renaissance Riverside, 8-15 Ton Duc 

Thang, D1 Tel: 3822 0033 

International venue opening onto the 

bustling river sidewalk, open for break- 

www.louisianebrewhouse.com.vn 

asialife HCMC 59

fast, lunch and dinner, and particularly 

noted for its sumptuous buffet selection 

which combines Asian, Western and 

Vietnamese cuisine. 

Signature Restaurant 

Level 23, Sheraton Hotel, 88 Dong 

Khoi, D1 Tel: 3827 2828 

Fine dining with panoramic views over 

central HCM City. Food is stunningly 

presented, top-end European cuisine 

with Asian influences cooked by German 

chef Andreas Schimanski. A la carte or 

five-course set menu available. 

Skewers 

9A Thai Van Lung, D1 Tel: 3822 4798 

www.skewers-restaurant.com 

Rustic Mediterranean restaurant where 

subtle colours and exposed brickwork 

combine with jazzy tunes. Serves tabouleh, 

falafel, couscous and kebab. Highly 

rated for its grilled meats, bread and dip 

combos, soups and pastas. � 


Square One 

Park Hyatt Saigon, 2 Lam Son Square, 

D1 Tel: 3520 2359 

Specializing in high-end Western and 

Vietnamese cuisine, Square One serves 

charcoal-grilled meats and seafood, 

as well as steamed and wok-cooked 

Vietnamese fare. 

Warda 

71/7 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 Tel: 3823 3822 

Chic, middle-eastern themed eatery 

swathed in oranges and reds serving 

Lebanese cuisine prepared by Damascan 

chef, Nouman. Mezze and tapas are 

the main draw, but you can also puff on 

hookas post-meal. 

Xu Saigon 

71-75 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3824 8468 

www.xusaigon.com 

Inspired restaurant with an F&B director 

with a passion for mixing Vietnamese 

cooking with flavours and styles from 

17-19-21 Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1, HCMC 

T: (84-8) 3822 6111 Ext.101 F: (84-8) 3824 1835 

M: 0918 802 526 E: sales@norfolkmansion.com.vn 

W: www.norfolkmansion.com.vn 

Managed by Norfolk Group 

around the world. Sleek but sparsely 

designed, the restaurant serves nouveau 

takes on Vietnamese cuisine. 

ITALIAN 

Basilico 

InterContinental Asiana 

Saigon, Ground Floor, 

Corner Nguyen Du and Hai Ba Trung, 

D1 Tel: 3520 9099 


Contemporary and casual trattoria-style 

restaurant specializing in authentic Italian 

dishes and homemade desserts. Woodfired 

pizza oven and a wide selection of 

Italian wines. 

Casa italia 

86 Le Loi, D1 

Tel: 3824 4286 

www.casaitalia.com.vn 

Serves home-style Italian cooking including 

pasta and pizza as well as a selection 

of steak and seafoodd dishes. Open 

daily 10 am until late. 

Good Morning Vietnam 

197 De Tham, D1 Tel: 3837 1894 

Popular authentic Italian restaurant with 

additional outlets around the country. 

Specializes in thin-crust pizza, pasta and 

a range of Italian dishes. Good selection 

of Italian wines. � 

la Braceria 

11 Le Thanh Ton, D1 

Tel: 3824 7446 

www.labraceria.com.vn 

A Mediterranean-style grill house that 

serves imported prime steaks, lamb, 

duck and fresh seafood as well as pasta 

and pizza. Great selection of old and 

new world wines 

la Hostaria 

17B Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3823 1080 

Rustic eatery specializing in top-end 

traditional cuisine from various regions 

in Italy. Main courses from 130,000 VND 

with daily specials on offer. Serves excellent 

pizza. � 

Opera 

Ground floor Park Hyatt Hotel, 2 Lam 

Son Square, D1 

Tel: 3824 1234 

Slick, contemporary eatery with exposed 

brick and glass. The space revolves 

around an island kitchen from which 

chefs produce gourmet Italian fare. 

Internationally trained chefs work with the 

freshest and finest ingredients around to 

produce some superb dishes. 

JAPANESE 

Chiisana Hashi 

River Garden, 170 Nguyen Van Huong, 

Thao Dien, D2 

Tel: 6683 5308 0903 669 252 

Serves authentic Japanese cuisuine including 

sashimi, sushi, tempura, sukiyaki 

and shabu shabu. 

Kissho 

14 Nguyen Hue, D1 

Tel: 3823 2223 

Fax: 3823 3343 

kissho.wmcvietnam.com 

Saigon’s newest Japanese restaurant 

boasts a multi-concept cuisine set in a 

cutting edge interior. Specialties include 

teppanyaki, yakiniku, sushi and sashimi 

crafted by expert chefs. The freshest 

imported meats and seafood round out 

the menu, accompanied by an extensive 

selection of fine wines and Japanese 

spirits. Open 11.30 am to 2 pm and 5.30 

pm to 10 pm. 

iki 



Tel: 3844 9222 ext. 127 


A Japanese restaurant that turns the 

notion of the common hotel sushi eatery 

on its head thanks to an affordable menu 

and a fun atmosphere. 

Nishimura 

Mövenpick Hotel Saigon, 253 Nguyen 

Van Troi, Phu Nhuan Tel: 3844 9222 

Exquisitely prepared sushi and sashimi 

from a globetrotting chef with three 

decades’ experience. A wide range of 

cooked dishes and monthly meal promotions 

are also available. 

The Sushi Bar 

2 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3823 8042 

3A Ton Duc Thang, D1 Tel: 3911 8618 

This brightly lit Japanese-style restaurant 

serves over 40 varieties of sushi at reasonable 

prices. Sit at the sushi bar or in 

private rooms upstairs. Open until 11.30 

pm, delivery available on request. � 

Zen 

20 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3825 0782 

Located amid the sea of Japanese 

restaurants on Le Thanh Ton Street, Zen 

offers a wide range of Japanese dishes. 

The yakitori station grills up fantastic 

steak and quail’s eggs, and the chilled 

udon noodles are also a standout. 

KOREAN 

25 Si 

8A/6D Thai Van Lung, D1 

Tel: 3824 6921 

Traditional Yasik-style drinking restaurant. 

Winter and summer scene murals fill the 

walls of this dual level eatery. Large menu 

with favs like budae jjigae, a mix of chilli 

paste, Spam, hot dog and tofu, as well 

as super spicy duruchigi. 

Hana 

8 Cao Ba Quat, D1 Tel: 3829 5588 

Japanese-Korean fusion in the heart of 

District 1. Contemporary decor with a private, 

yet open feel. Broad menu including 

cooked and raw fish and traditional hot 

pot with fish eggs, rice and vegetables.

Kim Bab Chun Gook 

R4 42 Hung Phuoc 2, Phu My Hung 

Tel: 6296 9057 

Korean boonshik/snack food eatery 

serving up a wide variety of light but 

substantial foods including dumplings, 

rameyon and fish cakes. 

SOUTHEAST ASIAN 

Baan Thai 

55 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 5453 

If you have been missing the delights of 

Bangkok nightlife then this restaurant 

and bar should be for you. The Thai 

chefs whip up all the traditional dishes 

you know and love, while in the bar there 

are a host of drinks and activities to help 

while away an evening. 

lac Thai 

71/2 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 Tel: 3823 7506 

An elegant restaurant tucked in an 

alleyway and decorated with art-deco 

furniture. Authentic Thai cuisine prepared 

by two Thai chefs. Food is tasty but less 

spicy than you’d find in Thailand. � 

little Manila 

S2-1 Hung Vuong 2, Phu My Hung, D7 

Tel: 5410 0812 

Small, no -frills eatery with outdoor 

and indoor seating located on a quiet 

street. Serves a range of dishes from the 

Philippines (pictured on menu for those 

unfamiliar) and draught San Miguel. 

Thai express 

8A Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 6299 1338 

www.thaiexpress.vn 

Modern restaurant with a massive menu 

of Thai specialties served in moderate 

proportions. The menu inludes chef’s 

recommendations and background on 

Thai cuisine. Warning: some dishes will 

test your tongue’s threshold. 

VEGETARIAN 

Hoa Dang 

38 Huynh Khuong Ninh, D1 

Swish vegetarian restaurant on a quiet 

street that serves up nutritious dishes, 

including meatless versions of bun bo, 

pho and steamboat. Cosy bar serving 

non-alcoholic drinks, fruits and other 

sweets. 

Saigon Vegan 

378/3 Vo Van Tan, D3 Tel: 3834 4473 

Rustic vegan restaurant with extensive 

menu of healthy food at moderate 

prices. Lots of tofu dishes and soya 

chicken/beef, soups, banh bao and 

more. Also has a kids menu. 

Viet Chay 

339 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, D3 

Tel: 3526 5862 

Upscale vegetarian restaurant specializes 

in fake meat dishes. The attractive 

dining room is suffused with natural light. 

Located within the walls of Vinh Nghiem 

Pagoda. 

VIETNAMESE 

Banian Tree 


Thao Dien, D2 

Tel: 6683 5308 – 0903 669 252 

A fine dining Vietnamese restaurant that 

serves authentic cuisine. 

Offers a set lunch, set dinner, International 

breakfast is served from 6.30 am 

- 10.30 am. 

Cha Ca Viet Nam 


Thao Dien, D2 

Tel: 6683 5308 0903 669 252 

Serves Hanoi specialty Cha Ca—turmeric 

grilled fish with noodles and dill. 

Com Nieu 

19 Tu Xuong, D3 Tel: 3932 6288 

The house specialty, com nieu (smashed 

rice), comes with a shattered-crockery 

and flying-rice show at this well-known 

restaurant, prominently featured in 

Anthony Bourdain’s A Cook’s Tour. An 

extensive and tasty selection of southern 

Vietnamese cuisine rounds out the 

menu. 

Hoa Tuc 


This comfortable high-end restaurant 

serves traditional Vietnamese fare with 

a contemporary, classy twist. Expect to 

find your local favourites as you’ve never 

experienced them before. Beautifully 

plated, this is Vietnamese cuisine at its 

best. 

lang Nuong Nam Bo 

285/C145 Cach Mang Thang Tam, D10 

Tel: 3862 2569 

Warehouse-sized quan well-regarded 

among locals serves everything from 

beef, chicken and fish to porcupine, 

weasel and field mouse. Great destination 

for intrepid gastronomes. Has standard 

hot pot, rice and noodle dishes too. 

Mandarine Restaurant 

11A Ngo Van Nam, D1 Tel: 3822 9783 

Fine dining Vietnamese-style courtesy 

of two sumptuously decorated colonial 

villas, an antique wooden stair and a 

menu spanning all regions of Vietnam. 

Traditional music performances are available 

for dinner. 

Nam Phan 

34 Vo Van Tan, Q3 Tel: 3933 3636 

Well known at its previous corner 

location on Le Thanh Ton, Nam Phan 

continues to serve modern Asian cuisine 

including asparagus and crab meat 

soup, stewed bellyfish in pineapple and 

grilled duck breast in orange sauce. Set 

in a restored colonial villa, the interior is 

alive with reproductions of Cham-era 

bas-reliefs and is inspired by Euro-Zen. 

Quan Bui 

8 Nguyen Van Nguyen, D1 Tel: 3602 

2241 

Well executed and delicious Vietnamese 

food at almost criminally affordable 

prices. Tucked away at the top end of 

District one, this place is worth seeking 

out for five-star food in a casual setting 

that will certainly not strain the budget. 

Temple Club 

29 – 31 Ton That Thiep, D1 

Tel: 3829 9244 

This high-end restaurant attached to an 

elegant lounge bar is a must-try for its 

art deco atmosphere as much as for its 

food. Mains go from around VND80,000 

to VND150,000. 

Wrap & Roll 


SA1–1, My Khanh 1, 

Nguyen Van Linh, D7 

Attractive downtown venue that brings 

street-style food into air-conditioned 

and uncluttered comfort. Choose prewrapped 

appetisers such as the cha gio 

(spring rolls) or roll-it-yourself mains with 

ingredients like pickled shrimps, beef on 

sugar cane, fish, grilled eel and pork. � 

nightlife 

BARS & LOUNGES 

See bar restaurant listings for more 

popular watering holes. 

The library 

InterContinental Asiana Saigon, corner 

of Hai Ba Trung and Le Duan, D1 

Tel: 3520 9099 


Unwind with a glass of wine or a cup of 

tea. The Library provides a welcoming 

atmosphere for those in search of calm, 

comfort and personalized service. 

asialife HCMC 61

Purple Jade 

InterContinental Asiana Saigon, corner 

of Hai Ba Trung and Le Duan, D1 

Tel: 3520 9099 

Chic lounge blends the stylistic 

influences of contemporary design 

and opium dens. Hosts live music 

and serves special drinks, including 

Shaoxing and Maotai rice wines and an 

exclusive selection of luxury spirits. 

NIGHTCLUBS 

fuse Bar 

3A Ton Duc Thang, D1 

A popular bar that plays primarily 

hiphop music. Every Tuesday Fuse 

hosts a ladies night where women drink 

for free. 

lush 

2 Ly Tu Trong, D1 Tel: 3824 2496 

A large and lavishly decorated bar and 

club popular on weekends. Good DJs 

playing the latest in beat-based music 

and the city’s beautiful people add to 

the sights and sounds. It’s on-par with 

Western clubs in both ambience and 

drinks prices. 

at home 

BAKERIES 

Harvest Baking 

30 Lam Son, Tan Binh Tel: 3547 0577 

harvestbaking@yahoo.com 

This authentic bakery offers a range 

of specialty baked goods for delivery. 

Offering bagels, scones, breads, 

desserts,cakes, tarts and more. 

Chocolate fudge cake and cinnamon 

rolls with cream cheese icing highly 

recommended. 

Pat a Chou 

65 Hai Ba Trung, D1 

25 Thao Dien, D2 

The home of the long and crusty 

baguette. Supplies many restaurants 

but also sells wholesale. The miniature 

patisseries such as crème brulée and 

cheesecake are worth a taste. Opens 

at 6.30 am. 

Tous les Jours 


Part of the Korean bakery chain, Tous 

Le Jours stocks a superb range of 

freshly baked good from sugary treats 

like pain au chocolat to superior quality 

baguettes and loafs. 

Voelker 

17 A7 Le Thanh Ton, D1 

Tel: 7303 8799 

39 Thao Dien, An Phu, D2 

Tel: 6296 0066 

Small bakery turns out sweet and 

salted pies and mousses in addition 

to baguettes and a range of Western 

sweets. 

CATERING 

Saigon Catering 

41A Vo Truong Toan, D2 

Tel: 3898 9286 

Provide services of catering, banquets, 

event planning, BBQ’s. For a custommade 

quotation e-mail SaigonGG@ 

gmail.com or call Huong on 0913 

981128. 

COOKERY CLASSES 

Caravelle Hotel Cooking Classes 

Caravelle Hotel, 19 Lam Son Square, 

D1 Tel: 3823 4999 

Full-day Vietnamese cooking classes 

for groups of up to 20 people. The 

classes include a visit to the market 

with the sous chef. 

Saigon Cooking Class by Hoa Tuc 

The Courtyard, 74/7 Hai Ba Trung, D1 


Tel: 3825 8485 

i.briosca@saigoncookingclass.com 

contact@saigoncookingclass.com 

Cooking classes available from Tuesday 

to Sunday 10 am-1 pm/2 pm-5 pm. 

DELIVERY 

KiTCHeN 

Tel: 0974 444 001 

kitchen.net.vn 

Visit the website and start an account 

to begin ordering fresh, homemade 

meals to your home. Options include 

beef lasagne, big chicken and mushroom 

pies and pork dijon as well as 

a variety of sausages and vegetarian 

dishes. Must order a minimum of three 

dishes at a time. 

Pizza Hut Delivery (PHD) 

Tel: 3838 8388 

www.pizzahut.vn 

Serving up pizza, pasta, chicken wings 

and much more. PHD guarantees 30minute 

delivery or a free pizza at your 

next order (you must live within 2 km 

from a PHD store). 

GROCERIES 

annam Gourmet Market 

16-18 Hai Ba Trung, D1 Tel: 3822 

9332 

41A Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3744 2630 

SB2-1 My Khanh 4, Nguyen Duc 

Canh, D7 Tel: 5412 3263 / 64 

www.annam-gourmet.com 

Boutique grocer with wide selection of 

foreign foods; Annam-brand coffee, tea 

and spices; and household products. 

Wine and premium beer, full deli counter, 

produce, dairy-frozen and baked 

goods on second floor. 

Kim Hai Butchery 

73 Le Thi Hong Gam, D1 

Tel: 3821 6057 or 3914 4376 

Excellent chilled imported beef, lamb, 

veal and other meats sold at reasonable 

prices. 

Metro 

An Phu, D2 Tel: 3740 6677 

www.metro.com.vn 

Warehouse wholesaler located just off 

the Hanoi Highway in D2 between the 

Saigon Bridge and the tollbooths. Sells 

bulk food, fresh fruit and vegetables 

and meat, as well as paper products, 

cleaning supplies, housewares--basically 

everything. 

Organik 

11A Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 090 273 3841 

www.organikvn.com 

Online grocer based out of Dalat selling 

a range of organic vegetables and groceries, 

as well as imported all-natural 

products such as cereal, soymilk and 

tea. Operates a retail shop in An Phu. 

Veggy’s 

29A Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3823 8526 

Sky Garden 

Pham Van Nghi, Bac Khu Pho, D7 

Riverside Apartments 

53 Vo Truong Toan, Thao Dien, D2 

Popular expat market with a huge 

walk-in fridge area stocked with fresh 

fruit and vegetables, dairy products and 

a range of meats. Imported canned and 

dried foods, wines, beers, soft drinks, 

spirits and snacks also available. 

LIQUOR & WINE 

The Warehouse 

178 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3825 8826 

924 Tran Hung Dao, D5 Tel: 6261 

1525 

www.warehouse-asia.com 

One of the city’s premier wine distributors, 

The Warehouse is an aptly named, 

stylish wine store that stocks a full 

range of both New and Old World 

wines, sparkling wines, Champagne, 

spirits, imported beers and accessories. 

recipes 

Seared giant scallop with leek 

mousse, tomato and nori 

for scallops 

12 giant scallops 

Salt 

White pepper 

for leek mousse 

300 gr leeks, white and 

green parts 

250 ml cream 

100 ml chicken stock 

200 gr blanched spinach 

MeTHOD Of 

PRePaRaTiON 

for scallops 

1. Heat a non-stick pan 

over medium-high heat 

2. Add enough oil to only 

cover the bottom of the 

pan 

3. Add scallops one by one 

Serves 4 

and sear on both sided until 

brown 

Recipes provided by Ana Esteves 

for leek mousse 

1. Sauté leeks in oil until translucent, 

about two minutes on 

medium heat 

2. Add the cream and chicken 

stock and continue cooking 

another 10 minutes. 

3. Transfer to a food processor 

and add pre-blanched spinach 

4. Blend well and strain 

To serve 

1. In the middle of a plate, spoon 

a little bit of the leek mousse 

2. Stack the scallops overlapping 

each other 

3. Sprinkle with finely diced 

tomato and ground nori

listings 

culture 

CLASSES 

angelsBrush by Vin 

Tel: 0983377710 

Shyevin@mac.com 

Oil painting course gives learners the 

opportunity to work from the different 

objects; explore different mediums, 

materials and techniques; and interpret 

line, tone and colour. Instructor works 

with students on individual basis. 

Helen Kling Oil Painting 

189/C1 Nguyen Van Huong, Thao Dien, 

D2 Tel: 0903 955 780 

hk.painter@gmail.com/helenkling@ 

yahoo.com 

www.helenkling.com 

Helene is a French painter who teaches 

beginners (children and adults) various 

techniques and the art of working with 

different mediums. She is also a fantastic 

tool for advanced artists who are looking 

to increase their creativity. Both day and 

night courses are available. Helene has a 

permanent exhibition at FLOW, located 

88 Ho Tung Mau, D1. 

Printmaking 

alphagallery@bluemail.ch 

Classes are held at Alpha Gallery taught 

by the gallery owner Bernadette Gruber, 

who offers the chance to learn monotype, 

intaglio and etching techniques. 

CINEMAS 

Bobby Brewer’s Movie lounge 

45 Bui Vien, D1 Tel: 3610 2220 

86 Pham Ngoc Thach 

info@bobbybrewers.com 

Popular top-floor home cinema showing 

movies five times a day on a large 

screen. Email for the latest schedule. 

Cinebox 

212 Ly Chinh Thang, D3 Tel: 3935 

0610 

240 3 Thang 2, D10 Tel: 3862 2425 

Cinebox cinemas show both original 

language films with Vietnamese subtitles 

and the dubbed versions. 

future Shorts 

futureshortsvietnam@gmail.com 

www.futureshorts.com/vn 

Vietnam branch of the international 

network screens foreign and local short 

films around town. Events often incorporate 

other media and elements, including 

live music, performances, installations 

and discussion. Submissions accepted. 

Galaxy Cinema 

116 Nguyen Du, D1 Tel: 3822 8533 


www.galaxycine.vn 

Large, modern cinema that shows the 

latest foreign releases in English (with 

Vietnamese subtitles). 

iDeCaf 

31 Thai Van Lung, D1 Tel: 3829 5451 

French cultural centre and cinema 

theatre. Showcases French movies with 

English and Vietnamese subtitles. Also 

hosts movies and documentaries from a 

number of overseas film festivals. 

lotte Cinema 

Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan, D1 

Tel: 3822 7897 

LotteMart, 469 Nguyen Huu Tho, D7 

Tel: 3775 2520 

www.lottecinemavn.com 

Modern cinema with four-way sound system. 

D7 location houses luxury theatre 

Charlotte with 32 seats and eight sofas. 

me phim 

HCM City-based film initiative that 

provides support to local filmmakers and 

hosts regular film screenings/discussions. 

Email dduukk@gmail.com for information 

or join the Facebook group. 

Megastar 

Hung Vuong Plaza, 126 Hung Vuong, 

D5 Tel: 08 2222 0388 

CT Plaza, 60A Truong Son, Tan Binh 

Tel: 6297 1981 

www.megastarmedia.net 

State-of-the-art cinema complex screening 

the lastest blockbusters with plush, 

reclining seats. All movies shown in original 

language with Vietnamese subtitles. 

GALLERIES 

a little blah blah 

OUT-2 STUDIO, L6 FAFILM Annex 

6 Thai Van Lung, D1 

albbsaigon-2010.blogspot.com 

Operates as an engine for contemporary 

art by organizing projects, exhibitions, 

screenings and talks. Runs one major 

art project each year and a reading room 

with more than 1,000 texts on art, design 

and creative culture. Free for everyone 

and open Tue to Sat 10 am to 6 pm. 

Blue Space Contemporary arts 

Center 

97A Pho Duc Chinh, D1 

Tel: 3821 3695 

bluespaceart@hcm.jpt.vn 

www.bluespacegallery.com 

Busy, working gallery with easels 

propped up outside situated in the 

grounds of the beautiful Fine Arts 

Museum. Holds regular exhibitions by 

local artists. 

Duc Minh Gallery 

31C Le Quy Don, D3 Tel: 3933 0498 

Housed in an opulent colonial mansion, 

private museum and art gallery showcases 

the private art collection of Vietnamese 

business tycoon Bui Quoc Chi. 

Containing more than 1,000 pieces that 

range from traditional to contemporary. 

Galerie Quynh 

65 De Tham, D1 Tel: 3836 8019 

www.galeriequynh.com 

The city’s only international standard 

gallery, housed in a modern, two-floor 

space. Organizes regular exhibitions 

featuring established, emerging local/ 

international contemporary artists, publishes 

original catalogs in both English 

and Vietnamese. 

Ho Chi Minh City fine arts Museum 

97A Pho Duc Chinh, D1 Tel: 3829 4441 

btmthcm@hotmail.com 

Institution housing contemporary/traditional 

works by Vietnamese and foreign 

artists. Pieces date from as early as 

the 7th century. Includes Vietnamese 

antiques, art crafted by the Cham and 

Funan peoples. 

San art independent artist Space 

3 Me Linh, Binh Thanh Tel: 3840 0898 

hoa@san-art.org 

www.san-art.org 

Artist-run, non-profit exhibition space 

featuring contemporary work by young 

Vietnamese artists. San Art hosts guest 

lecturers and curators. A reading room 

of art books and magazines is open to 

the public. 

TuDo Gallery 

53 Ho Tung Mau, D1 Tel: 3821 0966 

www.tudogallery.com 

Hosting permanent exhibitions of works 

by the city’s artists, Tu Do deals in oils, 

silk paintings and lacquerware. More 

than 1,000 pieces on show. 

This year the CMI celebrates his 20th birthday: 

All of the CMI’s profit are dedicated to the Foundation 

Alain Carpentier that supports cardiac surgery for 

destitued Vietnamese children at the Heart Institute of Ho 

Chi Minh City. 

3 927 children saved since 1992 

asialife HCMC 63

listings 

sports & 

leisure 

Sport Street 

Huyen Tran Cong Chua, D1 between 

Nguyen Du and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai 

Services include mending and restringing 

broken tennis rackets. Products range 

from badminton birdies and rackets to 

basketball hoops, free weights, roller 

blades, scooters, soccer jerseys and all 

manner of balls. 

Trophies & Custom Signage Street 

Le Lai, D1 between Truong Dinh and 

Nguyen Thai Hoc 

Offers custom engraving on trophies and 

plaques made of plastic, wood, metal 

and glass. 

CRICKET 

Saigon Cricket assocation 

Social cricket league plays 25 overs 

a side matches Sunday mornings at 

RMIT’s District 7 pitch. Season runs November 

through May, with friendly games 

throughout the pre-season. Practice on 

Saturdays and Sunday afternoons. 

australian Cricket Club 

Terry Gordon 

terrygordoninasia@yahoo.com.au 

saigonaustraliancricketclub@yahoo. 

com 

www.saigoncricket.com 

english Cricket Club 

Richard Carrington 

Richard.carrington@pivotalvietnam.com 

info@eccsaigon.com 

www.eccsaigon.com 

indian Cricket Club 

Manish Sogani, manish@ambrij.com 

United Cricket Club 

Mr. Asif Ali, asif@promo-tex.net 

keshav.dayalani@rmit.edu.vn 

DANCING 

DanCenter 

53 Nguyen Dang 

Giai, Thao Dien, 

District 2 

Tel: 3840 6974 

www.dancentervn.com 

Purpose built studio with foreign trained 

dance instructors. Classes in jazz, ballet, 

tap, hip hop, yoga, zumba, belly, hula, 

capoiera and more. Kids can start from 

4+ and adults of all ages and levels are 

welcome. Schedule and news on events 

available on-line. 

Salsa Dancing at la Habana 

6 Cao Ba Quat, D1 

www.salsaigon.com 

salsaigon@gmail.com 

Six-week salsa package at 350,000 

VND for single persons and 550,000 for 

a couple, run by Urko. Lessons every 

Tuesday (beginners L.A. style at 7.30 

pm; intermediate L.A style at 8.30 pm). 

Registration required. 

FITNESS & YOGA 

California WOW Xperience 

Parkson Plaza, 126 Hung Vuong, D5 

28/30-32 Le Loi, D1 Tel: 6291 5999 

The world’s biggest fitness centre chain 

is one of Saigon’s most modern places 

to get your sweat on. Located in Hung 

Vuong Plaza, CWX offers a huge work- 


out area and all kinds of classes including 

spinning, KickFit, yoga and more. 

Caravelle Club Spa 

19 Lam Son Square, D1 

Tel: 3823 4999 

Modern and stylish gym with 

lots of cardiovascular machines and free 

weights. The swimming pool is a great 

place for a dip, and the massage parlour, 

sauna, steam room and jacuzzi are there 

for winding down. 

equinox fitness & leisure Centre 

Equatorial Hotel, 242 Tran Binh Trong, 

D5 Tel: 3839 7777 

Decent-sized 3rd-floor gym with modern 

cardio and weights machines, sauna, 

steambath, jacuzzi, and large 4th floor 

pool great for swimming laps. 

Suzanne & Saigon Yoga 

Tel: 090 835 2265 

suzanne@saigonyoga.com 

Suzanne is an ERYT- 200 (Experienced) 

Yoga Alliance Instructor. She boasts two 

decades of experience, offering various 

yoga styles in District 2 and yoga retreats 

in Vietnam. 

FOOTBALL & RUGBY 

australian Rules football 

Tel: 093 768 3230 

www.vietnamswans.com 

vietnamswans@gmail.com 

The Vietnam Swans play regular 

international footy matches around Asia. 

Training sessions are held weekly in HCM 

City (2.30 pm Saturday, RMIT D7) and 

Hanoi (midday, Saturday, UN International 

School, Ciputra). All skill levels and 

codes welcome. 

RMiT Vietnam 

sports.recreation@rmit.edu.vn 

A new player on the SIFL scene with 

a team made up of students from the 

University. They have their own football 

ground on-site consisting of two brand 

new pitches. Contact Landon Carnie. 

Saigon Raiders 

jon.hoff@saigonraiders.com 

Sociable football side who are always on 

the lookout for new talent for their weekly 

matches and training sessions. The team 

participates in the Saigon International 

Football League and also has regular 

fixtures against local teams in the outlying 

provinces and also participates in 

international tournaments. 

Saigon Rugby Club 

Tel: 0903 735 799 

www.saigonrfc.org 

saigonrugbyfootballclub@yahoo.com 

Social, mixed touch rugby played 

every Saturday afternoon for adults at 

RMIT from 4 pm until 6 pm. Regularly 

welcomes visiting teams and tours the 

region for men’s contact and women’s 

touch rugby tournaments. Beginners 

welcome. 

GOLF 

Dong Nai Golf Resort 

Trang Bom Town, Trang Bom 

Tel: 061 3866 288 / 3677 590 

www.dongnaigolf.com.vn 

Large golf resort with 27 holes, plus a 

villa complex, bar, sauna. jacuzzi and 

billiards. The resort sits on 160 hectares 

of land in Dong Nai Province, about 50 

kilometres from the city. 

Ocean Dunes Golf Club 

1 Ton Duc Thang, Phan Thiet 

Tel: 062 3821 995 

odgc@vietnamgolfresorts.com 

Designed by Nick Faldo, the 6,746-yard 

par-72 course winds through seaside 

dunes, with the variable coastal breezes 

changing its character each day. An 

enjoyable and eminently playable course 

and has become a favourite venue for 

expatriate tournaments. 

counsel corner 

Time to Say Goodbye – Again 

by Briar Jacques 

For me, this time of year 

evokes mixed emotions. Having 

grown up in the southern 

hemisphere my years used 

to run January to December. 

Summer holidays meant 

Christmas, sunburn and 

planning for a new year. Here 

my years run August to June. 

When June comes around my 

thoughts are of summer (this 

was hard to find equilibrium 

with the first couple of years), 

travel and loss of friends. 

The exodus that often 

happens at this time of year 

is something I have found 

very difficult. An expat community 

is fertile ground for 

close, intense friendships. 

In some ways you become 

each other’s family. I wasn’t 

prepared for the feelings of 

loss I experienced the first time 

I had good friends leave. Nor 

had I realised just how reliant 

I had become on them – in a 

way I hadn’t experienced in 

my home country. 

The first time it happened 

was awful and made worse 

by how I tried to cope. Firstly, 

I found myself pulling away 

and having ‘problems’ with 

my departing friends a good 

couple of months before 

they went. It’s obvious what 

this was about – avoidance, 

trying to lessen pain. It’s 

easier to separate when you 

are already feeling distanced. 

What also worried me about 

my reactions to loss was how 

I dealt with new people when 

I came back from summer 

holidays. I was closed off to 

forming new friendships. I 

remember talking with a long- 

term expat lady at this time 

and it really woke me up to 

the danger of what I was doing. 

She said in terms of new 

friends here that she could 

tell in five minutes if someone 

was worth pursuing. I thought 

this was a scary attitude 

(or maybe I was just upset 

because I didn’t pass her five 

minute audition). 

So, after having gone 

through friend loss a few times 

and handling it in not a great 

way I did a lot of thinking 

about what friendship really 

means. Of course so much 

of friendship is based on 

shared experience but I have 

come to believe (to know) that 

someone doesn’t have to live 

around the corner to be in 

your life in a meaningful way. 

Learning lessons from having 

had friends leave has made me 

more present with the friends 

who are here, more involved 

with the daily lives of those 

special to me in other countries 

and more prepared to invest in 

new relationships. I guess it has 

made me ‘friend-brave’. 

Everything will end and for 

most things we don’t know 

when. So, with your friends 

who are leaving Vietnam soon 

don’t waste the time you have 

left together trying to make 

goodbye easier. The fact is it’s 

never going to be easy to say 

goodbye. 

Briar Jacques is a trained Australian 

counsellor who deals 

with issues like expat adjustment, 

depression, anxiety and 

drug abuse. Call 0121 480 

8792.

Saigon South Golf 

Nguyen Van Linh, Tan Phu, D7 

Tel: 5411 2001 

sgs.golf@yahoo.com.vn 

Nine-hole mini golf course and driving 

range set amongst attractive gardens 

just behind FV Hospital. Club, shoe 

and umbrella hire is also available. 

Song Be Golf Resort 

77 Binh Duong Blvd, Thuan An 

Tel: 0650 3756 660 

info@songbegolf.com 

www.songbegolf.com 

Located 22 kilometres from the city 

centre, the premier golf course in the 

area features an 18-hole, 6,384-metre 

course. Also has tennis courts, a 

swimming pool, and a gymnasium. 

Vietnam Golf and Country Club 

Long Thanh My Village, D9 

www.vietnamgolfcc.com 

This facility consists of two courses 

of 18 holes each, one of which is 

designed in a more traditional Asian 

style, and the other in international 

style. Has other attractions such as 

boating, tennis and a restaurant area. 

LEISURE 

Hash House Harriers 

www.saigonh3.com 

Running club that meets every Sunday 

at 2 pm at the Caravelle Hotel to 

go on a run in different locations out 

of town with their traditional balance 

of exercise and beer. 

Phun Runner 

info@phun-run.com 

Social running group that meets 

Saturdays at 7 am for a scenic run 

around Saigon before breakfast. 

Great way to explore the city, meet 

fellow runners and get fit for future 

events. 

Rangers Baseball Club 

isao.shimokawaji@sapporobeer.co.jp 

A baseball club always looking for 

additional players of any age, race 

or experience level. Plays Saturdays 

or Sundays, often against Korean or 

Vietnamese teams. 

Saigon international Dart league 

www.thesidl.com 

A highly popular group in town, the 

darts club runs a competitive yearlong 

league for 16 pub-based teams. 

There are some excellent players in 

this sociable and international group. 

See website for details of how to join 

and latest 180 scores. 

Saigon Pony Club 

Lane 42, Le Van Thinh, D2 

Tel: 0913 733 360 

A standout facility offering pony rides, 

riding lessons, horse clinics and 

pony rentals. Also hosts events and 

birthdays. 

Ultimate frisbee 

RMIT, 702 Nguyen Van Linh, D7 

www.saigon-ultimate.com 

Join in this exciting popular sport 

every Sunday afternoon from 3pm 

to 5pm in Saigon South. Pan-Asian 

competitions also organised for the 

more experienced. Contact David 

Jensen at 0909458890 

X-Rock Climbing 

Phan Dinh Phung Sport Centre 

75 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D3 

Tel: 6278 5794 

www.xrockclimbing.com 

Offering safe and professional 

climbing for anyone aged 4 and up. 

Featuring mountain climbing routes 

rated from beginner to advanced, 

climbing and belay-safety courses 

and training, birthday parties, corporate 

team building. Excellent facilities 

for children and annual membership 

for kids. 


listings 

health & 

beauty 

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 

american Chiropractic Clinic 

8 Truong Dinh, D3 Tel: 3930 6667 

www.vietnamchiropractic.com 

A chiropractic, physiotherapy, foot 

care clinic staffed by American-trained 

chiropractors speaking French, English, 

Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean. Treats 

back pain, neck pain, knee pain, also 

specializing in sports injuries, manufacture 

of medical grade foot orthotics. 

Theta Healing 

– Jodie eastwood 

Tel: 091 859 1933 

www.thetahealing.com 

A unique energy healing technique for 

mind, body and spirit. Jodie is a UK 

qualified practitioner based in HCM City. 

DENTAL 

european Dental Clinic 

17 - 17A Le Van Mien, 

Thao Dien, D2 

Tel: 0918 749 204/08 3744 9744 

Expat English and French-speaking 

dentist. Performs full range of dental 

treatment including whitening, aesthetic 

fillings, porcelain crowns, full ceramics, 

veneer and orthodontic treatment. 24hour 

emergency line: 0909 551 916 or 

0916 352940. 

Starlight Dental Clinic 

Dr. Philippe Guettier & International 

Team of Dentists 

2Bis Cong Truong Quoc Te, D1 

Tel: 3822 6222 

doe.linh@gmail.com 

With 14 years’ experience providing 

dental treatment to expat and Vietnamese 

patients, this well-known dental 

surgery is staffed by both foreign & 

local practitioners. Au fait with the latest 

treatments and techniques, the surgery 

prides themselves on their high standard 

of equipment & sterilization. 

Tu Xuong Dental Clinic 

51A Tu Xuong, D3 

Tel: 3932 2049/050 

drhung01@yahoo.com 

www.nhakhoatuxuong.com 

Provides general and cosmetic dental 

services at reasonable prices. Specialises 

in implants, orthodontic treatments and 

making crowns and bridges. Staff are 

professional and speak English. 

Westcoast international Dental Clinic 

27 Nguyen Trung Truc, D1 

Tel: 3825 6999 

71-79 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3825 6777 

info@westcoastinternational.com 

www.westcoastinternational.com 

Canadian-run dental clinic staffed by 

French, Japanese, English and Vietnamese 

speaking dental professionals. 

HAIR & SALON 

lloyd Morgan international Hair 

Studio 

234 Nguyen Van Huong, Thao Dien, D2 

Tel: 090 8422 007 

International stylist Lloyd Morgan is one 

of the best in town. He’s been in the 

business for over 30 years and brings his 

expertise to this established, top-notch 

salon. 

Qi Spa 

151 Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan 

Tel: 3844 1719 

questions for the coiffeur 

by lloyd Morgan 

Q. I had my hair lowlighted 

because my hairdresser 

was making me too blonde, 

but I’m not happy with the 

results. What should I do? 

A. In my previous articles I 

have written that this is a common 

problem with blondes. Just 

look at some of the blondes 

you see and usually it can be 

observed that their hair is dry 

and way too blonde. I’ve talked 

to ladies who have what looks 

like a full head of colour, yet they 

tell me their stylist foils it. 

The proper effect that highlights 

have is achieved when 

the right amount of natural 

hair remains uncoloured. This 

of course gives contrast, and 

without contrast you might as 

well pour colour all over your 

head. This is what I commonly 

see here. Going back to the 

salon and telling your stylist 

that your hair is getting too 

blonde and needs lowlights 

can get you into more trouble 

than its worth. Lowlights that 

try to replicate natural hair 

colour never really work, as 

they are either too dark or 

too light. Most stylists will 

use a lighter colour to try to 

produce natural hair colour, 

but in the case of blondes it 

usually fades quickly and turns 

gold after a while. Now you’re 

blonde with gold lights. The 

trick is to not let your stylist 

over-colour your hair, unless 

that’s what you want. 

Q. I’ve tried lots of salons 

and am never really happy, 

how do I pick the right one? 

A. You will never be happy 

if you keep changing salons. 

You are also being unfair to 

the stylist because they have 

no prior knowledge of what 

you like or don’t like. There is 

not one salon in this city that 

keeps all of its clients, however 

every stylist has clients that 

will stay loyal but there are the 

ones that bounce around. 

I get clients from lots of 

salons in An Phu and the city, 

and I would be naïve if I didn’t 

think some of my clients try 

other salons too. We can’t 

please a client that goes from 

salon to salon looking for the 

miracle that doesn’t exist. 

Clients need to stay with 

one stylist, unless that stylist is 

repetitively not producing results 

you are happy with. One 

lady came to me recently after 

she had gone to two foreignrun 

salons, one in An Phu and 

one in the city. She had so 

much colour in her hair that in 

the end I had to put micro-foils 

in her hair and she was happy 

with the result, but not before I 

had an exhaustive consultation 

with her about what she had 

done to her hair. 

It’s not always in a stylist’s 

best interests to try and repair 

another salon’s mistake because 

then the problem shifts 

to you if you don’t get it right. 

Lloyd Morgan runs the Lloyd 

Morgan International Hair Studio 

at 234 Nguyen Van Huong, 

Thao Dien, D2. Contact him 

at 0908 422 007 or lloydart@ 

yahoo.com.

Caravelle Hotel Tel: 3824 7150 

Mövenpick Hotel Saigon, 

Tel: 3997 5437 

High-end salon and spa offers the 

standard range of services in a calming 

atmosphere with good service. Waxing, 

nail services, hair dressing as well as 

luxurious facial and massage treatments 

on offer. 

MEDICAL 

CaRe1 executive Health Care Center 

The Manor, 91 Nguyen Huu Canh, 

Binh Thanh Tel: 3514 0757 

care1_reception@vietnammedicalpractice.com 

www.care1.com.vn 

Sister clinic of Family Medical Practice, 

CARE1 is an executive health care centre 

offering comprehensive preventative-care 

checkups in a modern and professional 

setting. State-of-the-art technology provides 

fast and accurate diagnoses. 

Centre Medical 

international (CMi) 

1 Han Thuyen, D1 

Tel: 3827 2366 

www.cmi-vietnam.com 

Located downtown next to the cathedral, 

the centre provides a high standard 

of medical care from qualified French 

and Vietnamese physicians. Its range 

of services include general and tropical 

medicine, cardiology, gynaecology, osteopathy, 

pediatrics, psychiatry, speech 

therapy and traditional Eastern medicine. 

family Medical 

Practice HCMC 

Diamond Plaza, 

34 Le Duan, D1 

Tel: 3822 7848 

www.vietnammedicalpractice.com 

Leading international primary healthcare 

provider, with a 24-hour state-of-the-art 

medical centre and highly-qualified multilingual 

foreign doctors. Extensive experience 

in worldwide medical evacuations 

with car and air ambulance on standby. 

Also in Hanoi and Danang. 

HaNH PHUC international 

Hospital 

Binh Duong boulevard, 

Thuan An, Binh Duong. 

Tel: 0650 3636068 

www.hanhphuchospital.com 

The 1st Singapore Standard Hospital in 

Vietnam. 260 –bedder, provide a comprehensive 

range of quality healthcare 

services: Obstertrics, Gynaecology, 

Paediatrics, Immunization, IVF, Health 

checkup, Parentcraft, Woman Cancer, 

Cosmetic Surgery… Just 20- minute 

driving from HCMC. 

HaNH PHUC international 

Hospital Clinic 

2nd fl., Saigon Trade 

Center, 37 Ton Duc Thang, 

D1. Tel: 3911 1860 

www.hanhphuchospital.com 

The 1st Singapore Standard Hospital 

in Vietnam. The clinic is located at the 

center of Dist. 1, provides a comprehensive 

range of services specializing in 

Obstertrics, Gynaecology, Peadiatrics, 

Immunization, General Practice and 

Emergency. Open hours: Weekdays: 

8am to 5pm; Saturday: 8am to 12pm. 

international SOS 

167A Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, 

D3 Tel: 3829 8424 

www.internationalsos.com 

Globally-renowned provider of medical 

assistance and international healthcare. 

Specializes in offering medical transport 

and evacuation both within and outside 

of Vietnam for urgent medical cases. 

Foreign and Vietnamese dentists. Has 

multilingual staff. 

Victoria Healthcare 

135A Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan 

Tel: 3997 4545 

79 Dien Bien Phu, D1 Tel: 39104545 

Well-regarded clinic offering general 

examinations and specializing in pediatrics, 

digestive diseases, cardiology and 

women's health. Offers a membership 

program and cooperates with most 

insurance companies in Vietnam and 

abroad. Open with doctors on call 24/7. 

NAILS 

OPI 

253 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, D3 

International brand of nail care offering 

a variety of treatments from standard 

manicures at 50,000 VND to the whole 

host nail services such as acrylics, powder 

gell, cuticle treatments and French 

polishing. 

SKINCARE 

The Body Shop 

87 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 

Tel: 3823 3683 

31 Nguyen Trai, D1 

Tel: 3926 0336 

www.thebodyshop.com 

International cosmetics retailer with 

strong commitment to environment 

sources natural ingredients from small 

communities for its line of more than 

600 products. 

l’apothiquaire 


Parkson Saigon Tourist Plaza 

Parkson Hung Vuong Plaza 

The Crescent, 103 Ton Dat Tien, D7 

64A Truong Dinh, D3 

07 Han Thuyen, D1 

Tel: 3932 5181/3932 5082 

www.lapothiquaire.com 

info@lapothiquaire.com 

French-made natural products for all 

types of skin. Also offers exclusive 

natural Italian skin, body and hair care 

from Erbario Toscano. 

Marianna Medical laser 

Skincare 

149A Truong Dinh, D3 

Tel:3526 4635 

www.en.marianna.com.vn 

Professional Laser Clinic in Ho Chi 

Minh City, Marianna owns the excellent 

experts in Aesthetic Medicine and the 

modern technologies such as Laser, Botox, 

Filler and all solutions can help you 

more beautiful and younger day by day 

Sian Skincare laser Clinic 

71–77 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel:3827 6999 

info@sianclinic.com 

www.sianclinic.com 

Skincare laser clinic offering the latest 

in non-surgical esthetic treatments 

including Botox, laser, acne treatments, 

hair loss regrowth, hair removal, skin 

rejuvenation and anti-aging treatments. 

Led by Dr. Tran Ngoc Si, a leading 

esthetic dermatologist from the hospital 

of Dermatology of HCMC. 

SPAS 

aqua Day Spa 

Sheraton Saigon, 88 Dong Khoi, D1 

Tel: 3827 2828 

Recently revamped luxury eight-room 

spa with a holistic approach to treatment, 

using natural Harnn products 

plus hot stone therapy and seaweed 

treatments. 

Renaissance Riverside Spa 

8-15 Ton Duc Thang, D1 

Tel: 3822 0033 

No-frills Vietnamese, shiatsu and 

aromatherapy massages plus a room 

dedicated to foot massages at the 

atrium level. Also has sizable steam and 

sauna rooms at the club 

Xuan Spa 

Park Hyatt, 2 Lam Son Square, D1 

Tel: 3824 1234 

Beautiful spa with highly rated Swedish 

massage and water therapy 

including the unique 60 minutes Vichy 

shower to soften and smooth skin or 

the Indian Shirodhara with special oil 

for 45 minutes. Spa packages aimed at 

rejuvenation, calming, and hydrating are 

also available. 

BEDSIDE TO BEDSIDE 

Everything is included and additional family or friends 

can travel with the patient. We make all the arrangements 

to include: 

– Complete full service bedside to bedside 

– Obtain required medical clearances from the airlines 

– Coordinate with attending and receiving facilities 

– Provides medical staffing and equipment as required 

– All ground transportation 

MEDICAL ESCORT: 

When the medical necessity and cost of a private air ambulance 

isn‘t necessary and the patient is ambulatory we can provide 

the assistance of a “medical escort.” Our medical crew will 

consult with the patient’s Physician(s) then evaluate his/her 

medical condition as it relates to air travel and advice on the 

best method of transport. 

Trained & experienced medical crew members in 

Aviation Medicine. 

− Neonatologist 

− Pediatrician 

− Intensive Pediatrician 

− Emergency Medicine 

− Cardiologist 

− Intensivist 

− NICU Nurse 

− PICU Nurse 

− ICU / CCU Nurse 

− Flight Nurse 

All staff and personnel maintain the latest updates to licensing 

and credentialing in their respective fields. Our medical 

personnel must have at least five years experience in critical care 

and maintain current certifications and licensing from Advanced 

Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Basic Life Support (BLS), and 

Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). 

Aeromedical Transport Department 

Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital 

488 Srinakarin Road. Suanluang 

Bangkok 10250. Thailand 

Tel: +66 2 378 9000 

Fax: +66 2 731 7044 

E-mail: svhrefer@samitivej.co.th 

wallop.j@samitivej.co.th 

asialife HCMC 67


listings 

family 

ACTIVITIES 

DanCenter 

53 Nguyen Dang 

Giai, Thao Dien, 

District 2 

Tel: 3840 6974 

www.dancentervn.com 

Children and teenagers from age 4+ 

can enjoy jazz, ballet, tap, hip hop, acro 

dance and break dance classes at this 

professionally run, newly built dance 

studio. Schedule and news on events 

available on-line. 

Helene Kling Painting 

helene_kling@yahoo.com 

Offers classes in oil painting to both 

children and adults for 150,000 VND 

and 300,000 VND respectively. Classes 

are paced to suit each student. 

Briar Jacques 

bjacques123@gmail.com 

Cel: 0122 480 8792 

Helping families, individuals, couples, 

children and teens. Caring and confidential 

counselling to address issues 

such as expat adjustment, depression, 

anxiety and substance abuse. We take 

a holistic approach to enhance wellbeing 

on mental, emotional and physical 

levels. 

Saigon Pony Club 

Lane 42, Le Van Thinh, D2 

Tel: 0913 733 360 

Close to X-rock climbing centre, kids 

from three and upwards can ride one 

of the stable’s 16 ponies. Lessons with 

foriegn teachers last 45 minutes and cost 

350,000 VND for kids from age six. 

Tae Kwondo 

BP Compound, 720 Thao Dien, D2 and 

Riverside Villa Compound, Vo Truong 

Toan, D2 

phucteacherkd@yahoo.com 

Private and group classes are run after 

school three times a week by the friendly 

Mr. Phuc. Anyone over the age of five 

is welcome to join in the course, which 

costs USD $50 for 12 classes/month with 

a $25 fee for non-members. Contact Mr. 

Phuc directly on 0903 918 149. 

BABY EQUIPMENT 

Belli Blossom 

4F-04 Crescent Mall, Nguyen Van Linh 

Parkway, Phu My Hung, D7 

Tel: 5413 7574 

Belli Blossom catering to moms and 

babies with imported brands of maternity 

and nursing wear and accessories, infant 

clothes, baby bottles and feeding products, 

strollers, high chairs, slings, baby 

carriers, diaper bags, and many others. 

Brands available include: Mam, Mamaway, 

Quinny, Maclaren, Debon, Luvable 

Friends, Gingersnaps. 

Maman Bebe 

Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, D1 

Tel: 3825 8724 

www.mamanbebe.com.vn 

Stocks an assortment of modern strollers 

and car seats. Also sells various utensils 

and practical baby products. Small 

selection of clothing for ages newborn to 

14 years. 

Me & Be 

230 Vo Thi Sau, D3 

40 Ton That Tung, D1 

141D Phan Dang Luu, Phu Nhuan 

246 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D3 

101-103 Khanh Hoi, D4 

287A Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan 

The closest thing to Mothercare the city 

has to offer. Stocks a substantial range 

of apparel for babies including bottles 

and sterilizers, cots (including travel cots), 

clothing, toys, safety equipment and 

more, all at reasonable prices. 

Me Oi 

1B Ton That Tung, D1 

A small shop adjacent to the maternity 

hospital bursting at the seams with everything 

you need for your baby. Clothing, 

footwear, bottles, nappies, nappy bags 

and toys all at reasonable prices. 

CLOTHES 

Debenhams 

Vincom Center, 70 - 72 Le Thanh Ton, 

District 1 

A superb range of unique and beautiful 

clothing for young children (from newborns 

to 12 years old) imported brand 

from UK. High to mid-range prices. 

DlS Paris 

17/5 Le Thanh Ton, D1 


Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi, D1 

Vincom Center, 70/72 Le Thanh Ton, 

D1 

A superb range of unique and beautiful 

clothing for young children (from newborns 

to pre-school age) at high to midrange 

prices. The quality compensates 

for the price. Bedding, baby equipment 

and furniture and organic and natural 

supplies also kept in stock. 

Ninh Khuong 

44 Le Loi, D1 Tel: 3824 7456 

www.ninhkhuong.vn 

Well-known hand-embroidered children’s 

clothing brand using 100% cotton. Newborn 

to 10 years old (girl) and fourteen 

years old (boy). Also stocking home 

linens. Prices are reasonable. 

EDUCATION 

aBC international School 

2,1E Street, KDC Trung Son, Binh Hung, 

Binh Chanh Tel: 5431 1833 

abcintschoolss@vnn.vn 

www.theabcis.com 

UK standards-based curriculum awards 

diploma with IGCSE’s & A Levels certified 

by Cambridge Universit examinations 

board. From playgroup to pre-university 

matriculation. Served by 80+ British 

teachers. Good facilities and extra-curricular 

activities. 

aCG international School 

East West Highway, An 

Phu, D2 

Tel: 3747 1234 

www.acgedu.com 

Part of the Academic Colleges Group’s 

international network of schools, ACG 

offers comprehensive education from 

kindergarten to senior high school and a 

range of extracurricular activities. International 

curricula (IB PYP and Cambridge 

International Examinations). 

The australian international 

School Saigon 

Xi Early Childhood Centre 

190 Nguyen Van Huong 

Thao Dien, D2 

Early Childhood & Primary 

School 

Cherry Blossom 1 & Lotus 1, APSC 

Compound, 36 Thao Dien, D2 

Tel: 3744 6960 

Middle & Senior School 

East-West Highway,An Phu, D2 

Tel: 3742 4040 ext 7119 

enrolments@aisvietnam.com 

www.aisvietnam.com 

An international curricula and PYP/MYP 

candidate school. Senior students follow 

IGCSE and Cambridge A levels. Only 

school in Vietnam authorized to deliver 

University of New South Wales Foundation 

Studies grade 12 curriculum. Wellresourced 

classrooms, highly trained and

experienced expatriate teachers, outfitted 

for academic, sport, creative activities. 

British international School 

Primary Campus 

43 - 45 Tu Xuong, D3 

225 Nguyen Van Huong, D2 

Secondary Campus 

246 Nguyen Van Huong, D2 

Tel: 3744 2335 

www.bisvietnam.com 

With campuses all over the city and 

expansion underway, BIS offers a mixture 

of both English and International curriculabased 

education alongside excellent 

facilities and extra-curricular activities. 

Senior students follow the IGCSE and IB 

programmes. 

eRC 

86-88-92 Huynh Van Banh, 

Phu Nhuan 

Tel: 6292 9288 

www.erci.edu.vn 

ERC Vietnam is a member of ERCI Singapore. 

Founded by a group of successful 

business leaders around Asia Pacific. Our 

primary objective is to groom and mentor 

a new generation of business leaders in 

Vietnam equipped with skills to analyze 

and solve real-world business challenges 

of today. 

German international 

School 

257 Hoang Van Thu, Tan 

Binh 

Tel: 7300 7247 

www.gis.vn 

A bilingual English and German school, 

supported by the Federal Republic of Germany, 

where children can learn subjects 

in both languages. The curriculum follows 

the National Curriculum of Germany, 

which provides students the assurance 

they can enter or re-enter the German 

Education System at any time. 

Horizon international Bilingual School 

HCMC 

6 Street 44, D2 

Te: 5402 2482 

www.hibsvietnam.com 

The only bilingual international school 

offering dormitories for their students. 

Located in the most prestigious area 

in HCMC offering from kindergarten up 

to grade 12. The school apply 100% 

Vietnamese curriculum, MOET as well as 

an intensive English program. HIBS also 

has 2 campuses in centre Hanoi. 

international School 

HCMC 

28 Vo Truong Toan, D2 

Tel: 3898 9100 

www.ishcmc.com 

One of 136 schools around the world to 

be accredited as an IB World School. 

Offers all three of the IB programmes from 

primary through to grade 12. The school 

is fully accredited by CIS and NEASC 

and has a strong focus on community 

spirit and fosters an awareness of other 

languages and cultures. 

KinderStar Kindergarten 

08 Dang Dai Do, Phu My Hung, D7 

Tel: 5411 8118/9 

Offering bilingual preschool program with 

capacity up to 900 students with the 

most updated international standard. 

The little Genius international Kindergarten 

102 My Kim, Phu My Hung, D7 

Tel: 5421 1052 

Kindergarten with U.S.-accredited curriculum, 

modern facilities and 

attractive school grounds. 

Montessori international School 

International Program 

42/1 Ngo Quang Huy, D2 

Tel: 3744 2639 

Bilingual Program 

28 Street 19, KP 5, An Phu, D2 

Tel: 6281 7675 

www.montessori.edu.vn 

Montessori utilizes an internationally 

recognized educational method which 

ACG International School Vietnam offers: 

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� Kinderg�rte� to Y�� cho�� o� o�� t� of �� r� �� 

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Phone: +84 (0)8 3747 1234 | Email: acgvn@acgedu.com 

focuses on fostering the child’s natural 

desire to learn. The aim is to create an 

encouraging environment conducive to 

learning by developing a sense of self and 

individuality. A wide array of curriculum/ 

extra-curricular activities are on offer 

including Bilingual programs. 

Renaissance international School 

74 Nguyen Thi Thap, D7 

Tel: 3773 3171 

www.rissaigon.edu.vn 

IB World school, one of Vietnam’s international 

schools operating within the framework 

of the British system. RISS provide a 

high quality English medium education in 

a stimulating, challenging and supportive 

environment. The purpose built, modern 

campus has excellent facilities. 

RMiT 

702 Nguyen Van Linh, D7 

Tel: 3776 1369 

Australian university located in District 7, 

offers a highly regarded MBA and undergraduate 

courses in various fields. 

Saigon South international School 

Nguyen Van Linh Parkway, D7 

Tel: 5413 0901 

www.ssis.edu.vn 

An International school environment offering 

an American/international program 

in a large, spacious campus, to children 

from age 3 to grade 12. Great facilities, 

extra-curricular activities and internationally 

trained teachers giving unique 

opportunities to learn. 

Singapore international School (SiS) 

No.29, Road No.3, Trung Son Residential 

Area, Hamlet 4, Binh Hung Ward, 

Binh Chanh District 

Tel: 5431 7477 

44 Truong Dinh, D3 

Tel: 3932 2807 

Ground floor, Somerset Chancellor 

Court, 21 - 23 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, 

D1. Tel: 3827 2464 

The Manor, 91 Nguyen Huu Canh, Binh 

Thanh. Tel: 3514 3036 

www.kinderworld.net 

Students play and learn in an environment 

where the best of Western and Eastern 

cultures amalgamate to prepare Kinder- 

World’s students for today’s challenging 

world drawn from both the Singapore and 

Australian curriculum. The school offers 

International Certifications such as the 

iPSLE, IGCSE and GAC. 

ENTERTAINMENT 

Gymboree Play & Music 

Somerset Chancellor Court 


Tel: 3827 7008 

www.gymboreeclasses.com.vn 

The Gymboree Play & Music offers 

children from newborn to 5 years old the 

opportunity to explore, learn and play in 

an innovative parent-child programmes. 

PARTIES 

Beatrice’s Party Shop 


A lovely little shop selling everything you 

need to throw your little ones a good 

party. A catalogue of entertainers showcases 

a number of party favourites such 

as magicians, circuses and more. 

Nguyen Ngoc Diem Phuong 

131C Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1 

A curious shop stocking a range of handmade 

fancy dress costumes such as 

masks, superman outfits and much more. 

The stock changes seasonally, so this is 

a good place to stock up on Halloween, 

Christmas and other holiday-specific 

party costumes. 

The Balloon Man 

Tel: 3990 3560 

Does exactly as his name suggests – balloons. 

Great service has earned this chap 

a reputation around town for turning up 

almost instantly with a superb selection of 

balloons. Also provides helium balloons. 

almost instantly with a superb selection of 

balloons. Also provides helium balloons. 

Join our 

IB World School 

today 

Call or email us for an application 

pack or a personal tour of 

the Kindergarten, Primary and 

Secondary School 

www.acgedu.com/vn 

asialife HCMC 69

listings 

living 

BUSINESS GROUPS 

amCham 

New World Hotel, 76 Le Lai, D1 

Business Centre, Room 323 

Tel: 3824 3562 

www.amchamvietnam.com 

ausCham 

TV Building, Suite 1A, 31A Nguyen 

Dinh Chieu, D1 Tel: 3911 0272 / 73 

/ 74 

www.auschamvn.org 

British Business Group of Vietnam 

25 Le Duan, D1 Tel: 3829 8430 

execmgr@bbgv.org 

www.bbgv.org 

CanCham 



Tel: 3824 3754 

www.canchamvietnam.org 

Citi Bank 

115 Nguyen Hue 

St, D1 Tel: 3824 

2118 

Citibank Vietnam offers a wide range of 

banking services to both consumer and 

corpo-rate. Services include Corporate 

and Investment Banking, Global Transaction 

Services, and Consumer Banking. 

In Vietnam for 15 years, Citibank has a 

presence in both HCMC and Hanoi. 

eurocham 

257 Hoang Van Thu, Tan Binh 

Tel: 3845 5528 

www.eurochamvn.org 

German Business Group 


www.gba-vietnam.org 

Singapore Business Group 

Unit 1B2, 21-23 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, 

D1 Tel: 3823 3046 

www.sbghcmc.org 

Swiss Business association 

42 Giang Van Minh, Anh Phu, D2 

Tel: 3744 6996 

Fax: 3744 6990 

Email: sba@hcm.vnn.vn 

www.swissvietnam.com 

Hong Kong Business association 



Tel: 3824 3757 / 3822 8888 

www.hkbav.com 

NordCham 

Bitexco Building, 19-25 Nguyen Hue, 

D1 Tel: 3821 5423 

www.nordcham.com 

CAMERAS 

Hung Hai 

75 Huynh Thuc Khang, D1 

A good place to purchase hard-to-find 

gear and some rare equipment, mainly 

auto focus lenses. 

le Duc 

5B Huynh Tinh Cua, D3 

A shop for all your professional accessory 

needs. From lighting equipment to 

tripods and reflectors, the shop offers 

the best equipment and service in HCM 

City. 


Pham The 

11 Le Cong Kieu, D1 

An authorized service centre for Nikon 

camera that also specializes in repairing 

all camera makes. Measurement equipment 

and spare parts also available. 

Shop 46 

46 Nguyen Hue, D1 

Small shop run by photographer and 

collector. The owner’s more collectible 

pieces are pricey, but entry-level manual 

focus SLRs from the 70s and 80s are 

affordable. 

COMPUTERS 

Computer Street 

Luong Huu Khanh, D1 between Nguyen 

Thi Minh Khai and Nguyen Trai 

This stretch of District 1 is literally wall to 

wall with small shops selling computers, 

printers, monitors and everything computer 

related, more so toward the NTMK 

end of the drag. 

iCenter 

142A Vo Thi Sau, D3 

Tel: 3820 3918 

Professional, polished Apple retailer and 

repair centre with an attractive showroom 

featuring some of the latest in accessories 

and audio. English-speakers on staff. 

Honours Apple service plans. 

future World 


Authorized reseller of Apple computers 

and products, as well as some off-brand 

items like headphones. Excellent service 

and English-speaking staff. Accepts 

credit cards. 

Phong Vu Computer 

264C Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1 

Tel: 3933 0762 

www.vitinhphongvu.com 

The biggest and busiest of the PC 

stores in town. Known for good, efficient 

service, in-house maintenance and aftersales 

repair on the second floor. 

SYS Vi Tinh Saigon 

96C Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, D1 

www.vtsaigon.com 

A superb place with an excellent 

reputation for after-sales service with 

competent English speaking staff and 

a wide range of products and services. 

Freeware and shareware also available 

on the store website. 

CONSULTING 

Concetti 

33 Dinh Tien Hoang, D1 Tel: 3911 1480 

www.concetti-vn.com 

Consulting and research company for 

technology transfer and investment. 

embers-asia ltd. 

Level 9, Nam Giao Building, 80-8 Phan 

Xich Long, Phu Nhuan Tel: 3995 9163 

www.embers-asia.com 

With a focus on experiential learning, 

Embers-Asia has been creating and 

delivering high-performance training and 

development solutions for 

corporations, embassies, international 

schools and NGOs throughout Southeast 

Asia since 2002. 

ernst & Young 

Saigon Riverside Office Center, 2A-4A 

Ton Duc Thang, D1 Tel: 3824 5252 

www.ey.com 

Professional service firm specializing in 

advisory, assurance, tax, transactions 

and strategic growth markets. 

flamingo Corporate Services 

Tel: 2217 1662 

Email: info@flamingovn.com 

www.flamingovn.com 

Specializes in business immigration, 

providing services like visas, work and 

resident permits, police clearance, APEC 

cards, authentication and legalization of 

work experience certificates and degrees 

in Vietnam and abroad. 

finance 

Math and the Financial Crisis 

by Shane Dillon 

David X Li might not be known 

to many of you but his work 

is often blamed with being 

one of the main causes of the 

global financial crisis. Mr Li, 

a Chinese born quantitative 

analyst and qualified actuary, 

pioneered the use of the 

‘Gaussian Copula Model’ for 

the pricing of collateralized 

debt obligation, or CDOs, in 

the early 2000s. The Financial 

Times once called him, 

“The world’s most influential 

actuary”. He was also once 

a favourite for a Nobel Prize 

nomination, but in the aftermath 

of the Global Financial 

Crisis his model was called “a 

recipe for disaster”. 

Investors had once been 

limited by the sheer complexity 

involved in calculating risk. 

But Li's formula allowed them 

to bundle dozens of bonds 

together into giant, pulsing 

money piles called collateralized 

debt obligations (CDOs). 

With his magical formula bankers 

could convince themselves 

and their clients that their 

money was safe. Li's breakthrough 

made it possible for 

investors to bet more money 

faster and with less ‘thought’ 

than ever before. 

In layman’s terms, he 

proposed there is a relationship 

between two different but 

related events, i.e. ‘House A’ 

defaulting and ‘House B’ defaulting 

are measurable using 

correlation. While under some 

scenarios (such as real estate) 

this correlation appeared to 

work most of the time, the 

underlying problem is that past 

history ultimately could not predict 

the future. With the rush 

of money entering this market, 

more mortgage brokers started 

making more loans borrowers 

with less than perfect credit 

scores and the institutional 

lenders could keep mitigating 

the risks on their balance 

sheets by using his formulas. 

The dollar amounts are impossible 

to comprehend. Prior 

to Li's formula, the market had 

US $275 billion invested into 

CDOs. By 2006, speculation 

in this market had increased to 

US $4.7 trillion. Credit default 

swaps, essentially ‘bets’ that a 

company would be able to pay 

back its loan, grew from US 

$920 billion to US $62 trillion. 

Li himself apparently 

understood the fallacy of his 

model. In 2005 he said, "Very 

few people understand the 

essence of the model." Kai 

Gilkes of CreditSights says, "Li 

can't be blamed, although he 

invented the model, it was the 

bankers who misinterpreted 

and misused it.” 

Shane Dillon is a partner at 

Total Wealth Management. He 

welcomes your questions or 

comments at shane.dillon@twm.com.

Grant Thornton 

Saigon Trade Centre, 37 Ton Duc 

Thang, D1 Tel: 3910 9100 

www.gt.com.vn 

International business advisors specializing 

in auditing, management consulting, 

corporate finance, risk management and 

information technology. 

if Consulting 

IBC Building, 3rd Floor 

1A Me Linh Square, D1 

4th Floor, 5 Ba Trieu 

Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi 

Tel: 3827 7362 Fax: 3827 7361 

Email: pascal@insuranceinvietnam.com 

Private insurance and finance. 

indochine Councel 

Han Nam Building, 65 Nguyen Du, D1 

Tel: 3823 9640 

www.indochinecounsel.com 

Business law firm specializing in legal 

services to corporate clients in relation 

to their business and investment in 

Vietnam. 

inspired image 

42/2A Ho Hao Hon, D1 

Tel: 091 635 2573 

www.inspiredimage.co.uk 

Image consultant and personal stylist. 

Previous clients include business leaders, 

TV presenters and busy professionals. 

international Management initiative 

for Vietnam (iMiV) 

info@imiv.org 

www.imiv.org 

The International Management Initiative 

for Vietnam (IMIV), a non-profit initiative 

within VinaCapital Foundation that 

promotes excellence in business leadership 

and management by bringing to 

Vietnam proven international executive 

education and professional development 

programmes. 

Phuong Nguyen Consulting 

TPC Business Center, 92-96 Nguyen 

Hue, D1 Tel: 3829 2391 

www.pnp-consulting.com 

Specializing in business facilitation, 

conferences, education counselling, 

market-entry research and IT/business 

consulting. 

Prism information Technology 

Services 

Level 4, YOCO Building, 41 Nguyen Thi 

Minh Khai, D1 Tel: 3829 6416 

info@prism.com.vn 

A foreign-owned information and communications 

technology company that 

offers value-added IT solutions. Enables 

local businesses to attain and maintain 

international IT standards to be more 

competitive in the marketplace. 

Rouse & Co. international 

Abacus Tower, 58 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, 

D1 Tel: 3823 6770 

www.iprights.com 

Global intellectual property firm providing 

a full range of IP services including patent 

and trade mark agency services. 

Star Management limited 

92-96 Nguyen Hue, D1 Tel: 3897 2765 

www.starlimited.com 

Business advisory services for companies 

investing in Vietnam, business project 

advancement and a range of business 

development services. 

TMf Vietnam Company limited 

Unit 501, 5th Floor, Saigon Trade Center 

37 Ton Duc Thang, D1 

Tel: 3910 2262 ext. 113 

Fax: 3910 0590 

www.tmf-group.com 

With headquarters in Amsterdam and 

Rotterdam, TMF Vietnam specializes in 

accounting outsourcing and consulting. 

PERSONAL FINANCIAL PLANNING 

Total Wealth Management 

66/11 Pham Ngoc Thach, D3 

Tel: 3820 0623 

www.t-wm.com 

Specialists in selecting and arranging 

tax-efficient savings and pension plans 

for expatriates. Offers councel on private 

banking services, wealth protection in 

offshore jurisdictions, currency risks and 

hedging strategies. 

Towers Watson Vietnam (formerly 

Watson Wyatt and SMaRT HR) 

Sun Wah Tower, 115 Nguyen Hue, Suite 

808, D1 

Tel: 3821 9488 

Global HR consulting firm specializing in 

executive compensation, talent management, 

employee rewards and surveys, 

HR effectiveness and technology, data 

services and total rewards surveys. 

DECOR 

Antique Street 

Le Cong Kieu Street, D1 between Nguyen 

Thai Binh and Pho Duc Chinh 

A variety of antiques and faux antiques 

from Thailand, China and Vietnam 

including silverware, compasses, lighters, 

brass knockers, urns, vases, abacuses, 

religious and pagan statues, candlestick 

holders, furniture and watches. 

asian fish 


Boutique-style arts and crafts store selling 

locally made gifts and souvenirs, all designed 

by the Japanese owner. Products 

include clothing, bags, crockery, sandals, 

chopsticks and jewellery. 

Aquarium Street 

Nguyen Thong Street, D3 between Vo 

Thi Sau and Ly Chinh Thang 

Dedicated street has everything one 

needs to display fish: tanks, decor, feed, 

filters and the fish themselves. 

Budget Housewares Street 

Corner of Pasteur and Nguyen Dinh 

Chieu 

Stock up on shower heads, kitchen 

supplies (juicer, spatula, grater, etc.), 

coat racks, clothes hangers, pots, 

pans, champagne flutes, bowls, 

coolers, trash bins, ironing boards, 

magazine racks and the like. 

Chau loan 

213 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3825 7991 

Gallery based in a colonial shophouse 

stocking mainly Vietnamese-themed oil 

paintings and images of Buddha. Also 

deals in better-known reproductions. 

Decosy 

112 Xuan Thuy, D2 

Tel: 6281 9917 

Producer of a large selection of 

European styled furniture and interior 

fittings, specializing in wrought iron 

and patine (distressed) wood finishes. 

Also stocks a wide-range of decorative 

accessories, crockery and fixtures. 

Custom design services available upon 

request. 

Dogma 

175 De Tham, D1 Tel: 3836 0488 

www.dogmavietnam.com 

Located upstairs from Saigon Kitsch, this 

art gallery deals in Vietnamese propaganda 

posters, apparel, accessories and 

random paraphernalia. Large prints are 

sold at USD $60 each and small prints 

cost $25. 

Mekong-Quilts 

64 Ngo Duc Ke, D1 

Tel: 3914 2119 

www.mekong-quilts.org 

NGO enterprise specializes in quilts and 

sells a range of appealing handmade 

products created by underprivileged 

women in Binh Thuan Province. 

Mekong Creations 

64 Ngo Duc Ke, D1 

asialife HCMC 71

people matter 

Don’t burn bridges 

by Gary Woollacott 

There's a saying about being 

nice to people on the way 

up, as you may see them 

again on the way down. I was 

reminded of this the other 

day when a resume came 

in from an expat being sent 

home – of course he wanted 

to stay. When this happens 

some people's first thoughts 

are, 'Who can help me stay?’ 

and 'who can find me a job?' 

Well, I guess that's where we 

start being useful. 

The problem is that so 

often these are the people 

who have been hard to reach 

beforehand. Perhaps we've 

met at a networking event 

and discussed business; it's 

normal for us to follow up and 

request a meeting but sometimes 

they just disappear. 

'He's in a meeting, he'll call 

back.' 'She's on a conference 

call; don't know when it 

will finish.' Or a business trip. 

We’ve heard them all. 

Try as we might, they are 

impossible to get hold of – 

until they need our help. Then 

we are their new best friends 

and they are falling over themselves 

to meet us. It's really 

quite funny. Someone who 

has been in meetings for three 

years (some meetings are very 

long) is now completely free 

to discuss their career options 

with us. 

The problem is that it 

doesn't really work that way. 

Everyone expects to be 


treated with respect and we 

executive search consultants 

are no different. We value 

those people who are accessible 

and straightforward and 

don't waste our time – an 

honest response is always 

appreciated, even if it's a 

negative one. Someone who 

ignored us now wants our 

help urgently: what would 

you do? 

If you are a senior manager 

at a large corporation your 

world could be turned upside 

down by any number of 

factors. The most common 

are restructuring or a merger. 

Then you might want a frank 

discussion about escape 

routes if the worst should 

happen and you are retrenched, 

or sent home. Keep 

that in mind the next time you 

get a call from someone who 

seeks to develop a business 

relationship. You might not 

need it now but don't burn 

bridges, you never know 

when you will need to turn 

around and cross one. 

As usual, let me know if 

you have any particular topic 

you would like to see covered 

here. 

Gary Woollacott is the CEO of 

Opus executive search in Vietnam 

and Thailand. He can be 

reached at +84 8 3827 8209 

or via gary@opusasia.net. 

Opus is a partner of Horton 

International. 

Tel: 3914 2119 

www.mekong-quilts.org 

NGO enterprise specializes in quilts and 

sells a range of appealing handmade 

products created by underprivileged 

women in Binh Thuan Province. 

Minh Boutique 

15 Nguyen Thiep, D1 

Lacquerware pieces, tea boxes, teapot 

warmers, ice buckets and sake drinking 

sets all handmade in Vietnam. Also sells 

a range of silverware, egg holders and 

ice tongs. 

OUT-2 STUDiO 

L6 Fafilm annex 

6 Thai Van Lung, D1 Tel: 3825 6056 

STUDIO@OUT-2.com 

www.out-2.com 

Studio space for independent designers 

to showcas their wares, sell their work 

and meet with clients. Open Monday t 

Saturday 10 am to 6 pm. 

Phuong Mai 

213C Dong Khoi 

www.phuongmai-gallery.com 

Gallery specializing in original oils by 

Vietnamese artists. The works here are a 

mish-mash of styles but do contain some 

standouts, particularly well-known local 

artists La Hon, Quy Tam and Pham Trinh. 

Sapa 

125 Ho Tung Mau, D1 

Offers a better selection of hill tribe 

handicrafts than most of its rivals. 

Concentrates mainly on the hand-woven 

clothing of the indigenous tribespeople of 

the region. There is also a line in ladies’ 

shoes and the standard range of silk 

wraps and bags. 

Unity 

12 Dang Tran Con, D1 

Tel: 3823 9375 

info@unitycompany.com 

www.facebook.com/unitycompany 

Located opposite Galaxy cinema, Unity 

offers accessories that are designed to 

seamlessly blend in with your life. Familiar 

basics are given a contemporary update 

with the use of modern, alternative materials 

like silicone, rubber, and brushed 

aluminum. From orbital lamps and 

eggshell-white china, to wire-clasped 

water bottles, each individual piece 

complements the others in the collection 

to give your home a sense of Unity. 

ELECTRONICS 

Hi end audio 

84 Ho Tung Mau, D1 

A standout that stocks the very latest 

and greatest in home entertainment. 

Retails in everything from giant plasmascreen 

TVs to audio equipment. Most 

top brands are available. 

iDeaS Shopping Centre 

133-141AB Cach Mang Thang Tam, D3 

The largest of the electonics stores 

along the street, the three-storey iDEAS 

sells every type of electronic and home 

appliance imaginable. Offers proper warranties. 

Staff speaks some English. 

Nguyen Kim Shopping Centre 

63-65 Tran Hung Dao, D1 

Tel: 3821 1211 

www.nguyenkim.com 

Stocks DVD/CD players, cameras, 

TVs, hi-fis and more from Sony, Sanyo, 

Panasonic, Philips and other major 

manufacturers. Also a good place to pick 

up electronic kitchen supplies like coffee 

makers and rice cookers, as well as large 

and small appliances, from hot water 

heaters to regrigerators. 

Phong Vu 

125 Cach Mang Thang Tam, D1 

Tel: 6290 8777 

www.vitinphongvu.com 

Two-storey electronics store retails in 

international products conveniently 

grouped by brand. Carries computers, 

home audio, printers, hard drives and 

more, as well as a variety of mobile 

phones, handheld electronic devices and 

accessories. 

Savico 

117 Ho Tung Mau, D1 Tel: 3821 7993 

One-stop electronics and home appliance 

superstore. All products have a one 

to three-year warranty. 

Tech Street 

Huynh Thuc Khang Street between Ton 

That Dam and Nguyen Hue, D1 

Sells compact discs, DVDs, electronic 

money counters, video games and 

systems, Discmans, mp3 players and 

portable DVD players. 

FURNITURE 

appeal 

41 Ton That Thiep, D1 Tel: 3821 5258 

A small, upscale shop that offers modern 

accents for the sleek dining room. The 

colours of the over-sized vases and 

fruit bowls are either glistening red or 

lacquered black. 

austinHome 

20 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 3519 0023 

Outstanding quality and style for your 

home. The shop says its products are 

hand-picked by an American furniture 

expert from the best factories in Vietnam. 

Upholstery, accessories, antiques and 

more. 

Catherine Denoual 

15C Thi Sach, D1 Tel: 3823 9394 

Beautiful showroom with clean lines and 

a sumptuous array of bedroom products 

including bedside lamps, linens, pillowcases 

and duvet covers. 

Decosy 

112 Xuan Thuy, D2 

Tel: 6281 9917 

Producer of a large selection of European 

styled furniture and interior fittings, 

specializing in wrought iron and patine 

(distressed) wood finishes. Also stocks 

a wide-range of decorative accessories, 

crockery and fixtures. Custom design 

services available upon request. 

esthetic 

11 Nguyen Huu Canh, Binh Thanh 

Tel: 3514 7371/7372 

Fax: 3514 7370 

esthetic@vnn.vn 

www.estheticfurnishing.com.vn 

Design and manufacture as order with a 

mixture of antique and modern furniture. 

Friendly staff speak excellent English. 

furniture Outlet 

3A Ton Duc Thang, D1 

Tel: 2243 7955/3911 0104 

Wide selection of well-crafted and carefully 

constructed pine wood pieces at 

good prices, aimed at customers craving 

a taste of Europe. 

furniture Street 

Ngo Gia Tu, D10 between Ly Thai To 

and Nguyen Chi Thanh 

Very affordable furniture can be found on 

this stretch: couches, mattresses, desks, 

chairs, etc. It often takes some looking to 

find a gem. A connected sidestreet, Ba 

Hat, features woodworkers’ shops. 

Gaya 

1 Nguyen Van Trang, D1 

Tel: 3925 1495 

www.gayavietnam.com 

Four-floor store featuring the work of 

foreign designers: home accessories and 

outdoor furniture by Lawson Johnston, 

linens by Corinne Leveilley-Dadda, 

furniture and lighting by Quasar Khanh, 

laquerware decor by Michele De Albert 

and furniture and decor by vivekkevin. 

LINH‘S WHITE 

37 Thao Dien, D2 Tel: 6281 9863 

Furniture shop that focuses on solid 

wood furniture and decorative items 

ranging from pillows and lamps to

edding. Also offers kids’ furniture and 

custom pieces. 

Rare Decor 


137/1 Nguyen Huu Canh, Binh Thanh 

Tel: 3840 6304/5 

Leading home furnishings company in 

Vietnam, supplying high quality, unique 

products. Also offer custom made 

furniture, accessories and lighting for 

commercial projects and home use. 

Remix Deco 


Tel: 3930 4190 

www.remixdeco.com 

Boutique furniture store in sprawling white 

with modern furniture including sofas, 

tables and seating from around the world. 

Featured designers include Le Corbusier, 

Ray & Charles Eames, Philippe Starck 

and Ludwig Mies Van der Rhode. 

The furniture Warehouse 

3B Ton Duc Thang, D1 

Tel: 6657 0788 

namtran121@yahoo.com, ttpnam@ 

webtnl.com 

Offers a range of reasonably priced Italian, 

European and French colonial sofas, 

indoor/outdoor wooden furniture, lighting 

and interior décor, as well as custom 

designs based on clients’ specifications. 

The lost art 

31 Nguyen Cong Tru, D1 

Tel: 3829 0134 

Extensive product range as well as 

comprehensive interior design service, 

from initial conceptualization to design, 

manufacture and installation of unique 

products. 

Tran Duc Homes 

47-49-51 Phung Khac Khoan, D1 

Tel: 7300 0777 

B2-25, Vincom Center, 70-72 Le Thanh 

Ton, D1 Tel: 3993 9700 

Wood solutions partner for high-end residential 

and resort projects. Experienced 

in manufacturing and installing wooden 

modular housing, interior fittings and contemporary 

indoor and outdoor furniture. 

LEGAL 

allens arthur Robinson 

Saigon Tower, 29 Le Duan, D1 

Tel: 3822 1717 

www.vietnamlaws.com 

Australian law firm for law translation 

services and legal advice on foreign 

investment and business in Vietnam. 

Baker & McKenzie 


Tel: 3829 5585 

www.bakernet.com 

International law firm providing on-theground 

liaison and support services 

to clients interested in investigating, 

negotiating and implementing projects 

in Vietnam. 

frasers international 


Tel: 3824 2733 

www.frasersvn.com 

Full service commercial law firm providing 

international and Vietnamese legal advice 

to both foreign and local clients specializing 

in transactions in Vietnam. 

indochine Counsel 

Han Nam Building, 65 Nguyen Du, D1 

Tel: 3823 9640 

www.indochinecounsel.com 

Business law practitioners specializing 

in mergers & acquistions, inward investment, 

and securities & capital markets. 

limcharoen, Hughes and Glanville 

Havana Tower, 132 Ham Nghi, D1 

Tel: 6291 7000 

www.limcharoen.com 

Full service international law firm with 

head office in Thailand. Main focus on 

real estate in Asia. 

lucy Wayne & associates 

www.lwavietnam.com 

Law firm providing legal services across 

the board from entertainment and 

environmental law to health care and real 

estate. 

Phillips fox 


Tel: 3822 1717 

Full service law firm providing legal 

services in healthcare, education, crime, 

banking and hospitality among others. 

Pricewaterhousecoopers legal 


Tel: 3823 0796 

www.pwc.com/vn 

Part of a network of international legal 

and financial advisors, PWC gives both 

specialist and general legal advice with a 

focus on mutli-territory projects. 

Rödl & Partner 

Somerset Chancellor Court 


Tel: 3824 4225 

www.roedl.com 

European legal firm assisting foreign 

investors with structuring/establishing 

companies, investment projects, and 

mergers & acquistions. 

LIGHTING 

luxury light 

1483 My Toan 1, Nguyen Van Linh, 

Phu My Hung, D7 

For those who really want to bring a 

touch of luxury to their homes, this place 

deals with Italian imported lighting from 

the ultra - modern to the traditional 

Murano style chandeliers. Extremely expensive 

reflecting the quality of the design 

and workmanship. 

Mosaique 


One of the best and most diverse selections 

of lamps in town with everything 

112 Xuan Thuy 

Ward Thao Dien 

District 2 

Ho Chi Minh City 

Tel/Fax. (+84) 8 62.819.917 

shop-hcm@decosy.biz 

asialife HCMC 73

style for gents 

Ties That bind 

by Brett Davis 

Given southern Vietnam’s 

steamy climate, I have always 

thought it to be one of the 

greater sartorial injustices that 

male English teachers are almost 

all required to wear a tie 

in class. There are of course 

people in other professions 

who wear ties, yet in the business 

and professional spheres 

it somehow seems more 

appropriate. 

This probably explains why I 

have come across many teachers 

with less than impressive 

neckwear. After all, if you are 

mainly interacting with a classroom 

full of screaming kids or 

bored teenagers, who the hell 

cares about what tie you wear? 

A fair enough call, but 

remember that appearances 

do count in the workplace, 

and even if the students could 

care less, your presentation 

will have an impact on how 

your colleagues and, more 

importantly, management, will 

view you. 

Firstly, you need to think 

about tie colour and patterns 

and how these will suit the 

clothing you wear. Obviously 

bolder colours will draw more 

attention, while going for 

something subdued will look a 

little more restrained. The red 

tie, for instance, is known as 

‘the power tie’ for a reason. 

Next time you are watching 

the news take notice of how 

often you see world leaders 

doing the dark suit/white shirt/ 

red tie combo. 

If you want to move from a 

solid colour tie to something 

with a stripe or pattern, just 

make sure the colours in 


the tie actually complement 

each other and do not clash 

with whatever else you are 

wearing. I think pattern ties 

are fine if the pattern is fairly 

small and subtle. Likewise, it is 

hard to go wrong with a nice 

diagonal stripe (also known 

as a regimental style) to stand 

out a little more but still look 

professional. 

Also take care when 

matching the tie to your shirt. 

This is not an issue if you 

have on a plain white shirt as 

any tie will work, but if you are 

sporting coloured or striped 

shirts it gets a little more complicated. 

As a rule of thumb, 

you want to make sure there 

is a clear distinction between 

the colour of your shirt and 

tie, and don’t combine stripes 

of a similar width. 

Now that you have gone to 

the effort of choosing the right 

tie, you should really learn how 

to make a classic tie knot. This 

means learning to do a Windsor 

or half-Windsor knot. They 

look strong, symmetrical and 

are not really that hard to do. 

There are plenty of excellent 

instructional videos online. 

The most popular tie knot is 

the four-in-hand or schoolboy 

knot. We all know this one because, 

well, it was how we did 

our ties as school kids. They 

never seem to sit quite right so 

perhaps it is time to try a more 

mature knot. 

Oh yes, and I should mention 

that if you wear novelty 

ties or a bowties (unless it is 

part of a tuxedo) you deserve 

to be ridiculed in the street. 

Enough said. 

from the ordinary decorative lotus silk 

lamp to more inventive and original 

designs in lacquer and silk. 

MOTORBIKES 

Bike City 

480D Nguyen Thi Thap, D7 

Luxury motorcycle shop carries a range 

of accessories, including apparel. Sells 

Vemar helmets, a brand that passes 

rigorous European Union standards. 

Protec Helmets 

18bis/3A Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D1 

248C Phan Dinh Phung, Phu Nhuan 

417B Nguyen Dinh Chieu, D3 

American nonprofit manufacturer makes 

helmets with densely compressed polystyrene 

shell with ABS, PVC or fiberglass 

exterior, available with polycarbonate 

shatter-proof shield. Options for kids. 

Zeus Helmets 

Founded in Taiwan to manufacture cool, 

comfortable helmets that meet worldwide 

safety standards. Basic models feature 

thermo-injected shells constructed 

from lightweight ABS composite with 

interiors lined with moisture-absorbant 

brushed nylon. 

REAL ESTATE 

CB Richard ellis 

Me Linh Point Tower, 2 Ngo Duc Ke, D1 

Tel: 3824 6125 

www.cbre.com 

International property consultants and 

developers with both commercial and 

private properties for sale, lease and 

rent. 

Diamond Plaza 

34 Le Duan Street 

Tel: 3822 1922 

lntdung@diamondplaza.com.vn 

Located in the heart of District 1, connected 

to Diamond PLaza. Services 

1- to 4-bedroom apartments with gym, 

swimming pool and panoramic views of 

the city. 

interContinental asiana Saigon 

Residences 

Corner of Hai Ba Trung & Nguyen Du, 

D1 Tel: 3520 8888 

saigon@interconti.com 

www.intercontinental.com/saigonres 

Contemporary residential space in the 

heart of the major business and cultural 

area in District 1. There are 260 one, two 

or three-bedroom units plus health club 

and outdoor swimming pool. 

Namhouse 

Corporation 

48A Tran Ngoc 

Dien, Thao Dien, D2 

Tel: 0989 007 700, 0989 115 511 

www.namhouse.com.vn 

Provides rental properties, construction 

services and interior decorating. 

Supports professional services and 

after-sales. 

Riverside apartments 

53 Vo Truong Toan, D2 

Tel: 3744 4111 

www.riverside-apartments.com 

One of the first luxury serviced apartments 

in town located next to the Saigon 

River set in lush tropical gardens. 

Savills Viet Nam 

Level 18, Fideco Tower, 81-85 Ham 

Nghi, D1 Tel: 823 9205 

www.savills.com.vn 

Savills Viet Nam is a property service 

provider that has been established in 

Vietnam since 1995 offering research, 

advisory services, residential sales, commercial 

leasing, asset management, retail 

advisory, valuation, investment advisory 

and more. 

Sherwood Residence 

127 Pasteur St., D3 

Tel: 3823 2288 

Fax: 3823 9880 

Hotline: 0917470058 

leasing@sherwoodresidence.com 

www.sherwoodresidence.com 

Sherwood Residence is a luxury 

serviced apartment property and the 

first property certified by the Vietnam 

National Administration of Tourism. 

Modern living spaces meet prime 

location, comfort and class with 

5-star facilities and service. 

Snap 

Tel: 0989 816 676 

www.snap.com.vn 

Online Real Estate service providing 

information on rental properties 

exclusively in District 2. Full listings 

online. 

RECRUITMENT 

HR2B / Talent Recruitment JSC 

Thien Son Building, 5 Nguyen Gia 

Thieu, D3 Tel: 3930 8800 

www.hr2b.com 

HR consulting advises businesses on 

how to improve employee productivity. 

The search team specializes in 

matching senior level Vietnamese 

professionals and managers to top 

level opportunities in both major 

cities. 

Opus Vietnam 

2A Rolanno Offices, 128 Nguyen 

Phi Khanh, D1 Tel: 3827 8209 

www.opusasia.net 

Established in HCMC in 2005, Opus 

services local and multinational 

companies seeking to recruit high 

quality personnel. An Associate 

of Horton International, one of the 

world’s leading search groups with 

over 30 offices worldwide. For more 

info contact info@opusasia.net. 

RELOCATION AGENTS 

allied Pickfords 

Satra Building, Room 202, 58 Dong 

Khoi, D1 Tel: 08 3823 3454 

Kevin.hamilton@alliedpickfords. 

com.vn 

http://vn.alliedpickfords.com 

Moving and relocating services 

company specializing in business 

and office moves. Overseas and 

specialist movers also available. 

Crown Worldwide 

Movers 

48A Huynh Man 

Dat, Binh Thanh 

Tel: 3823 4127 

www.crownrelo.com 

International moving company serving 

diplomats and private customers, 

employees and expats, providing 

domestic and iternational transportation 

of household, office and 

industrial goods. 

Santa fe Relocation 

Services 

Thien Son Building, 5 

Nguyen Gia Thieu, D3 

Tel: 3933 0065 

www.santaferelo.com 

Provides a range of services including 

home/school search, language/ 

cultural training, tenancy management 

and immigration/visa support. 

STATIONERY 

Fahasa 

40 Nguyen Hue, D1 Tel: 3822 5796 

Bookstore chain carries an expansive 

stock of office and home 

stationary; a one-stop shop for basic 

needs. 

Pi-Channel 

45B Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3822 

0253 

www.pi-channel.com 

Boutique shop carries up-market 

collections of pens and notepads, as 

well as desktop organisers, clocks, 

calendars and frames. Corporate 

services offered.

listings 

fashion 

ACCESSORIES 

accessorize 


D1 

www.monsoon.co.uk/icat/accessorize 

Fashion-forward accessories including 

necklaces, handbags, wallets, flip-flops, 

sunglasses, hair accessories, belts and 

more. 

alfred Dunhill 


A timeless style in male luxury providing 

formal and casual mens accesories 

tailored for the discerning man. Also 

stocking handcrafted leather goods. 

anupa Boutique 

17/27 Le Thanh Ton, D1 Tel: 3825 

7307 

anupaboutiquevietnam@anupa.net 

The ever-changing boutique retails in 

the elegant design of anupa accessories 

made from high-quality leather. Collections 

available range from men, women, 

executive, travel, spa, yoga, board 

games, boxes and semi-precious stone 

jewellery. Collection changes on weekly 

basis. Also carries toys, stationery, 

Unitdot Bamboo eye wear, Ella Charlotte 

scarves and ladies' apparel brand 

Things of Substance. 

Bally 

Rex Hotel, 141 Nguyen Hue, D1 


www.experience.bally.com 

Flagship store in the Rex Hotel providing 

luxury Italian-made accessories for men. 

Among these are shoes, belts, wallets 

and a collection of male jewellery. 

Banana 

128 Ly Tu Trong, D1 

Women’s accessories and more, from 

bags, clutches and belts to clothes and 

jewellery, all at reasonable prices. 

Cartier 

Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan 

This well-known designer brand displays 

a wide range of accessories for men. 

Famous for its watches, Cartier also 

stocks pens, key rings, belts and 

sunglasses. 

Cincinati 

177P Dong Khoi, D1 

www.cincinati.vn 

info@cincinati.vn 

Vietnamese brand of genuine leather 

bags, shoes, accessories and personal 

goods for men and women: notebooks 

for a classic vagabond look. Quality 

leather from crocodile, horse, snake and 

fish made by local craftsmanship. 

Cleo-Pearls 

30 Nguyen Dang Giai, An Phu, D2 

Tel: 091 3587 690 

Jewellery designer Birgit Maier operates 

Cleo-Pearls from her home, specializing 

in necklaces, bracelets, earrings, key 

holders and bag accessories. All pieces 

created with gemstones, fresh water 

pearls and beads. 

Coconut 


Bags of all shapes and sizes rule the 

roost in this small shop. Made of silk and 

embroidered to the brim, these unique 

bags start at about USD $30, and many 

are suitable for both day and night. 

Creation 

105 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3829 5429 

A two-storey shop selling scarves, intricate 

handbags (from USD $30), tailormade 

silk dresses and tops. Has a wide 

range of materials on the second floor. 

Gallery vivekkevin 

FAFILM Building, 6 Thai Van Lung, D1 

Tel: 6291 3709 

info@vivekkevin.com 

www.galeryvivekkevin.com 

Handcrafted pendants, necklaces, rings 

and bracelets. The gallery’s focus is on 

design, craftsmanship and finish, as well 

as educating clients on the intricacies of 

each piece. 

Gucci 

88 Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3827 6688 

Located on the main shopping street in 

HCMC, this flagship store brings Florentine 

fashion to an array of luxury leather 

goods such as briefcases, luggage and 

a selection of men’s shoes for office or 

more casual occasions. 

ipa-Nima 

71 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3824 3652 


Well-known Hanoi-based fashion brand. 

Founder Christina Yu is a former lawyer 

turned designer who produces eclectic 

and eye-catching handbags. Also stocks 

costume jewellery and shoes. 

J. Silver 

803 Nguyen Van Linh Parkway, D7 

Tel: 5411 1188 

Make a statement without being ostentatious 

with handcrafted silver jewellery 

from the boutique store. Expect big, 

interesting pieces that are simple yet 

glamorous. 

laura V Signature 

11 Dong Du, D1 

Tel: 7304 4126 

www.laurav.net 

Vintage designs aplenty with everything 

from jewellery and hair accessories to 

funky styled sunglasses, umbrellas and 

colourful maxi dresses. 

louis Vuitton 

Opera View, 161 Dong Khoi, D1 

Tel: 3827 6318 

Designer brand name housing traditional 

craftsmanship of luxury leather goods for 

men and women. An array of bags, wallets, 

cuff links and watches are available. 

Mai O Mai 

4C Dong Khoi, D1 Tel: 3829 4007 

A superb little place with beautiful jewellery 

and accessories to suit all budgets. 

Silver necklaces, bracelets, rings and 

more in both classic and imaginative 

designs, as well as gorgeous handembroidered 

bags. 

Mont Blanc 

Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan 

Notable for fine writing instruments, Mont 

Blanc also houses cuff links and other 

male accessories 

Rimowa 

Level 2 OperaView Tower, 161 Dong 

Khoi, D1 Tel: 3832 6941 

hotline@rimowavietnam.com 

The German luggage maker is popular 

with a who’s who of the celebrity world. 

Their range of cases come in varying 

sizes and are made from high-tech 

materials to provide exceptional durability 

while remaining very light weight. 

Scorpion 

Vincom Center B1, 70 - 72 Le Thanh 

Ton, D1 Tel: 3993 9889 

www.scorpionbag.com 

Selling high-end leather products for 

both men and women, including shoes, 

handbags, belts and other accessories.

femme fashion 

Style Icon 

by DB Khoi 

What makes a style icon? Is 

it simply how they dress, how 

they carry themselves or something 

a little more indefinable? 

Because ‘style’ is such a 

subjective term, what one finds 

stylish may be a total disaster to 

someone else. Just ask Bjork 

about her swan dress or look at 

Celine Dion and that infamous 

Christian Dior reversed suit she 

wore to the 1999 Academy 

Awards. 

When we think of traditional 

style icons, we usually think of 

Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, 

Coco Chanel or Jacqueline 

Kennedy. These women were 

sophisticated, graceful, poised 

and most importantly, rich. 

There was no such thing as 

‘stylists’, couturiers were your 

designers and stylists, and they 

certainly didn’t come cheap. 

A modern day style icon to 

me isn’t always about couture 

or even about fashion. It’s how 

a person carries themselves in 

any outfit, drab or spectacular 

that makes them an icon. They 

are confident in their own skin, 

always evolving and there’s that 

glimmer in their eyes that tells us 

they know something the rest 

of us have yet to understand. 

It is innate thus always natural, 

never put on. 

But in this day and age of 

internet fashion blogs and 

celebrity stylists, how do you 

differentiate between a stylized 

personality and a true style icon? 

Who is a product of their management 

team and who is really 

worthy of the term ‘Style Icon’? 

Below is my list of three 

celebrities worthy (or becoming 

worthy) of the title: 


Victoria Beckham 

The former Posh has grown 

into her moniker in recent 

years with her critically praised 

fashion line and personal style 

that’s captured the attention of 

the world many years past the 

Spice phenomena. Although 

always impeccably polished, 

Beckham contrasts her stiff 

style with the candidly wicked 

sense of humour of a woman 

confident in her style but not 

taking herself too seriously. 

Once just a spoilt footballer’s 

wife, this lady is fast becoming 

a style icon to reckon with. 

Kanye West 

Sure, Diddy may have bespoked 

the average rapper/ 

musician but West brought 

real fashion influence to the 

masses in the form of Louis 

Vuitton collaborations and 

shutter shades. Love him or 

hate him, West has changed 

the way a man thinks about 

fashion and through his style 

choices have single handedly 

broken many gay stereotypes 

on how a straight man should 

or shouldn’t dress. 

Gillian Zinser 

Most well known for her role 

as Ivy Sullivan on 90210, Ms 

Zinser has caught a lot of attention 

through her bohemian, 

thrift-shop-girl style. Although a 

New York native, Zinser displays 

a surprisingly Californian beach 

girl aesthetic, mix and matching 

flea market items with couture 

effortlessly and with so much 

suave you’d think she was a 

Clooney. This girl is a mustwatch 

in the years to come! 

Features a variety of leather in bright 

colors and styles. 

Tic Tac Watch Shop 

72 Dong Khoi Tel: 0838 293519 

www.tictacwatch.com 

Elegant show room displaying some 

of the world’s most recognized Swiss 

brands such as Rolex, Tag Huer, Baume 

& Marcer, Omega and Hirsch. On-site 

watch repair service and complementary 

watch evaluation available. Also carries a 

small collection of vintage Rolexes. 

Tombo 


Of all the embroidered and sequined 

bags, shoes and tidbits (or “Zakka” 

shops) that can be found in Dong Khoi, 

this shop’s has products that are prettier 

than most. Shoes can be custom-made 

and the sales staff is friendly. 

Umbrella 

35 Ly Tu Trong, D1 and 4 Le Loi, D1 

Tel: 6276 2730 

www.umbrella-fashion.com 

Sophisticated boutique showcasing 

a diverse range of imported women’s 

accessories. Also houses women’s garments 

from office wear to cocktail and 

party creations. 

ACTIVE WEAR 

Roxy and Quiksilver 

Parkson Plaza, 39-45 Le Thanh Ton, D1 

The original active living and extreme 

sports brands, Roxy and Quiksilver products 

combine form and function. Choose 

from outdoor gear to cool indoor clothes. 

TBS Sports Centre 


This store stocks a range of good sports 

clothes and equipment from big name 

brands such as Puma, Adidas, Ecco, 

Nike and Converse. 

Volcom 


Chic and funky ladies’ apparel brand from 

America. Lots of tank tops, minis and 

shorts for day tripping with girlfriends or 

lazing on the beach. 

READY TO WEAR 

unisex 

BAM Skate Shop 

174 Bui Vien, D1 Tel: 0903 641 826 

In addition to a range of decks, wheels 

and trucks, this small shop is stocked 

with bookbags, skate sneakers, track 

jackets and t-shirts emblazoned with your 

skateboard company of choice. 

FCUK 





Tel: 3914 7740 

www.frenchconnection.com 

Trendy UK brand with a selection of 

fashion-forward dresses for women and 

smart workwear and funky casual wear 

for men, all at middle-market prices. 

l’Usine 

151/1 Dong Khoi, D1 

Lifestyle store and cafe housed in a period 

building restored to evoke the aesthetic 

of an early 20th-century garment factory. 

Carries an exclusive, frequently refreshed 

line of imported men’s and women’s fashion, 

including T-shirts and footwear, and a 

range of unique accessories. Entrance via 

the street-level Art Arcade. 

Replay 




Tel: 3925 0252 

Wide variety of shoes, clothing, denim 

for teens and university-age men and 

women. Carries boots, sandals, pumps 

and sneakers at mid-range prices. 

Runway 


Tel: 3993 9988 

runway.sg@global-fashion.vn 

Massive and minimalist design-led interior 

lets ultra high-end designer garments 

stand out. Carries men's, women's and 

children’s clothing, swimwear, shoes, accessories 

along with home décor. Brands 

include Chloe, Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga, 

Sergio Rossi and Eres. 

Versace 

26 Dong Khoi 

Designer brand in men’s formal wear. 

Houses suit jackets and trousers, shirts 

as well as an array of men’s accessories. 

Also stocks womens clothing and shoes. 

men 

lucas 

69A Ly Tu Trong, D1 Tel: 3827 9670 

Fashion store housing contemporary 

designs in casual, office and evening 

wear imported from Hong Kong. 

Massimo ferrari 

42-A1 Tran Quoc Thao, D3 

Tel: 3930 6212 

Bespoke menswear shop also boasts 

its own brand of contemporary preppy 

attire tailored for the tropics. Carries a 

line of European-quality shoes, bags and 

accessories designed in-house, as well 

as exclusive Orobianco unisex bags, 

designer fragrances and eyewear. 

Mattre 


This local men’s clothes shop has some 

funky tops and jeans for more fashionforward 

males. Apparel in sizes that fit 

the typical Western man’s frame are 

often available. 

Milano 

Sheraton Hotel, 88 Dong Khoi 

www.milanogoods.com 

A conjoining shop with D&G offering a 

selection of men’s shoes and accessories 

with a sideline in women’s clothing. 

D&G provides a collection of menswear, 

from casual jeans and T-shirts to uniquely 

designed suit jackets. 

Timberland 

Parkson Plaza, 39-45 Le Thanh Ton, D1 

Sells everything the brand is known 

for, from heavy-duty boots to tops and 

trousers that are both smart and casual. 

The emphasis is on muted tones and 

unobtrusive logos for men who don’t like 

to show off. 

women 

axara 

Vincom Center B1, 70 - 72 Le Thanh 

Ton, D1 



Tel: 3993 9399 

www.axara.com 

Carries women’s clothing suitable for 

work, weekends or evening. Luxurious 

fabrics and simple cuts and styles all at 

reasonable prices. Also carries handbags 

and accessories. 

Balenciaga 

Rex Hotel, 155 Nguyen Hue 

Tel: 6291 3572 

Sporting modern shapes and elegant 

items crafted from natural, raw and 

artificial materials. 

BCBGMAXAZRIA 


American brand sells women’s day 

dresses and tops, evening gowns and 

wear-to-work attire in many prints and 

colours. Also carries a small selection of 

accessories, sunglasses and watches. 

Bebe 

Saigon Center, 65 Le Loi, D1 

Tel: 3914 4011 

www.bebe.com 

An international brand that specializes

in contemporary, modern tees and 

sexy, elegant dresse, tops and party 

attire. 

Chloe 


Tel: 6291 3582 

Parisian-influenced fashion house specializes 

in simple, traditional designs 

with a feminine and fashionable twist. 

Jeans, satin dresses and a wide array 

of accessories are on display. 

Gaya 

1 Nguyen Van Trang, D1 Tel: 3925 

1495 

Carries a range of couture and pret-aporter 

garments and silk and organza 

dresses in vibrant colours created by 

Cambodia-based designer Romyda 

Keth. 

Geisha Boutique 

85 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3829 4004 

enquiry@geishaclothing.com 

Facebook: Geisha Boutique 

Australian fashion label offering a 

contemporary range of casual and 

evening wear with an Asian influence. 

Printed tees, singlets, shorts, skirts, 

jeans, summer scarves, dresses, silk 

camisoles and satin maxi dresses. 

Kookai 

Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi 

French brand stocking classic, 

feminine, styles with a twist. Gypsy day 

dresses and classic little black dresses 

at mid- to high-range prices are perfect 

for twenty- and thirty-something 

women. 

la Senza 

47B–47C Nguyen Trai, D1 

Tel: 3925 1700 

65 Le Loi, Saigon Centre, D1 

Tel: 3914 4328 

www.lasenza.com 

Boutique carrying a wide range of bras, 

panties, pyjamas, accessories and 

lounge wear. 

Mango 

96 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 Tel: 3824 6624 



D1 

A favourite with fashion-conscious 

women, this mid-range store stocks 

clothes from simple tees and jeans to 

evening wear. 

Marc Jacobs 

Rex Hotel, 155 Nguyen Hue , D1 

Tel: 6291 3580 

This spacious shop with high-ceilings 

carries up-market clothes, shoes and 

accessories from the internationally 

recognized designer brand. 

Song 


76D Le Thanh Ton 

Offers women’s fashion designs by 

Valerie Gregori McKenzie, including 

evening dress, tops and hats. 

Valenciani 


Tel: 3821 2788 

66-68 Nguyen Trai, D1 Tel: 7302 

4688 

valenciani.sg@gmail.com 

www.valenciani.com 

Homegrown luxury boutique carries 

silk dresses, velvet corsets, chiffon 

shawls and a range of accessories, all 

designed in-house. 

SHOES 

Charles & Keith 

10 Mac Thi Buoi, 18-20 Nguyen Trai 

Tel: 3925 1132 


D1 

www.charleskeith.com 

Singapore brand housing youthful and 

trendy shoes of a contemporary, high 

fashion design. 

Converse 



122 Ba Thang Hai, D10 

Tel: 3827 5584 

www.converse.com.vn 

Sells iconic Chuck Taylor, Jack Purcell 

and All-Star sneakers and Converse 

brand clothing and accessories. Also at 

department stores around HCMC. 

Dr. Marten’s 


Air Wair sandals and shoes here 

feature the classic yellow stitching and 

chunky rubber soles. Also stocked with 

clothes and accessories by Replay and 

Kappa tracksuit tops. 

Sergio Rossi 

146AB Pasteur, D1 


World-renowned Italian brand stocks 

a diverse European-style collection of 

up-market shoes and bags made of 

quality materials, from crocodile and 

python skin laterals to garnishings of 

Swarovski crystals and colourful beads. 

TAILORS 

Dieu Thanh 

140 Pasteur, D1 Tel: 3824 5851 

www.dieuthanh.com 

Experienced tailor shop specializes in 

swimwear and cotton clothing, as well 

as business suits, evening dresses, 

luxury fabrics and accessories. 

Massimo ferrari 

42-A1 Tran Quoc Thao, D3 

Tel: 3930 6212 

Traditional Italian sartorial techniques 

are employed to offer a full wardrobing 

service and custom tailoring for men. 

Stocked with imported fabrics primarily 

from Italy. In-office and workplace fittings 

available. 

LINH‘S WHITE 

PLEASANT LIVING MINIMALISM 

37 THAO DIEN 

(OPPOSITE AN PHU SUPERMARKET) 

67 XUAN THUY - DISTRICT 2 

PHONE: (84) - 62819863 

- 62818488 

E : linhnguyen@hbdecor.com.vn - www.linhfurniture.com 

asialife HCMC 77

Bobby Chinn Opening 

Gartenstadt 20th Anniversary 

Photos by Alex McMillan and Johnny Murphy. 

78 asialife HCMC

Grandmaster Flash 

Saigon Beerfest 

asialife HCMC 79

Street Guide 

3 Thang 2 D1 

Alexandre de Rhodes C4 

Ba Huyen Thanh Quan C1, C2, D2, D3 

Ban Co D1 

Ben Chuong Duong E4 

Ben Van Don E4, E5 

Bui Thi Xuan D3 

Bui Vien E3 

Cach Mang Thang Tam C1, D2, D3 

Calmette E4 

Cao Ba Nha E3 

Cao Thang D1, D2, E2 

Chu Manh Trinh C4, C5 

Co Bac E3 

Co Giang E3 

De Tham E3 

Dien Bien Phu B4, C3, C2, D1, D2 

Dinh Cong Trang B3 

Dinh Tien Hoang B3, B4, C4 

Do Quang Dau E3 

Do Thanh D1 

Doan Nhu Hai E5 

Doan Van Bo E4, E5 

Dong Du D5 

Dong Khoi C4, D4, D5 

Hai Cua B5 

Huynh Tinh Cua B2 

Huynh Van Banh B1 

Khanh Hoi E4 

Ky Con B3, C3, C4, D5 

Hai Trieu C5 

Ham Nghi D4, C5 

Han Thuyen C4 

Ho Hao Hon E3 

Ho Huan Nghiep D5 

Ho Tung Mau D4, D5 

Ho Xuan Huong C3, D2 

Hoa Hung B1 

Hoang Dieu E4, E5 

Hung Vuong E1 

Huyen Tran Cong Chua D3 

Huynh Man Dat B5 

Huynh Thuc Khang D4 

Ky Dong C1, C2 

Le Cong Kieu D4 

Le Duan C4, C5 

Le Hong Phong D1 

Le Lai C3, C4, D3 

Le Loi D4 

Le Quoc Hung E4, E5 

Le Quy Don C3 

Le Thanh Ton C4, C5, D3, D4 

Le Thi Hong Gam D4, E3, E4 

Le Thi Rieng D3 

Le Van Phuc B3 

Le Van Sy C1, C2 

Luong Huu Khanh D2, E2 

Luu Van Lang D4 

Ly Chinh Thang B2, C2 

Ly Thai To E1 

Ly Tu Trong C4, C5, D4, D5 

Mac Dinh Chi B3, C4 

Mac Thi Buoi D5 

Mai Thi Luu B4 

Mai Van Ngoc B1 

Me Linh B5 

Nam Ky Khoi Nghia B2, C2, C3, D4, E4 

Ngo Duc Ke D5 

Ngo Thoi Nhiem C2, D2 

Ngo Van Nam C5 

Nguyen Binh Khiem B4, B5, C5 

Nguyen Cong Tru E4 

Nguyen Cu Trinh E2, E3 

Nguyen Dinh Chieu B4, C3, C4, D1, D2, D3 

Nguyen Dinh Chinh B1 


Nguyen Du C4, D3, D4 

Nguyen Hai Tu B4 

Nguyen Hue D4, D5 

Nguyen Huu Canh B2 

Nguyen Huu Canh C5 

Nguyen Huu Cau B3 

Nguyen Khac Nhu E3 

Nguyen Khoai F3 

Nguyen Ngoc Phuong B5 

Nguyen Phi Khanh B3 

Nguyen Sieu C5, D5 

Nguyen Son Ha D2 

Nguyen Tat Thanh E5 

Nguyen Thai Binh D4, E4 

Nguyen Thai Hoc D3, E3, E4 

Nguyen Thi Dieu D2, D3 

Nguyen Thien Thuat D1, E1, E2 

Nguyen Thong C1, C2, D2 

Nguyen Thuong Hien D2 

Nguyen Trai D3, E2 

Nguyen Trung Ngan C5 

Nguyen Trung Truc D4 

Nguyen Truong To E4, E5 

Nguyen Van Cu E2 

Nguyen Van Hai B3 

Nguyen Van Lac B5 

Nguyen Van Thu B4, C3, C4 

Nguyen Van Troi B1 

Pasteur C2, C3, C4, D4 

Pham Hong Thai D2, D3 

Pham Ngoc Thach C3 

Pham Ngu Lao D3, D4, E3 

Pham Viet Chanh B5 

Pham Viet Chanh E2 

Phan Dinh Phung B2 

Phan Ke Binh B4 

Phan Van Han B4, B5 

Pho Duc Chinh D4, E4 

Phung Khac Khoan C3, C4 

Suong Nguyet Anh D2, D3 

Tan Vinh E4 

Thach Thi Thanh B3 

Thai Van Lung C5 

Thi Sach C5 

Thu Khoa Huan D4 

Ton Duc Thang C5, D4, D5, E4 

Ton That Dam D4 

Ton That Thiep D4 

Ton That Tung D2, D3 

Tran Binh Trong E1 

Tran Canh Chan E2 

Tran Cao Van C4 

Tran Dinh Xu E2, E3 

Tran Hung Dao D4, E2, E3 

Tran Khac Chan B3 

Tran Khanh Du B2, B3 

Tran Minh Quyen D1 

Tran Minh Quyen C1 

Tran Nhan Ton E1 

Tran Nhat Duat B3 

Tran Phu E1 

Tran Quang Dieu B1, B2 

Tran Quang Khai B3, B2 

Tran Quoc Thao C2, C3 

Tran Quoc Toan B2, B3, B2 

Tran Van Dang C1, C2 

Truong Chinh C3 

Truong Dinh C2, D3 

Tu Xuong C2, C3, D2 

Vinh Khanh E4, E5 

Vo Thi Sau B3, C2, C3 

Vo Van Tan C3, D2, D3 

Vuon Chuoi D2 

Xo Viet Nghe Tinh B4, B5 

Yersin E4 

A 

Airport 

3km 

B 

Tran Van Dang 

C 

Tan Binh 

0.5km 

Hoa Hung 

District 11 

2km 

Tran Minh Quyen 

Tran Nhan Ton 

Huynh Van Banh 


Dien Bien Phu 

Le Hong Phong 

Saigon 

Train Station 

Lan Anh 

Sports & 

Leisure Club 

Ly Thai To 

Tran Quang Dieu 

Tran Quang Dieu 

Hung Vuong 

Nguyen Van Troi 

Cach Mang Thang Tam 

3 Thang 2 

Ban Co 

Nguyen Th ong 

Nguyen Thien Thuat 

Tran Binh Trong 

Ng Dinh Chinh 

Tran Phu 

Le Van Sy 


DISTRICT 10 

D 

E 

1 

PHU NHUAN 

An Duong Vuong 

Tran Van Dang 

Cao Thang 

Do Thanh 

DISTRICT 5 

Huyn h Van Banh 

Ky Dong 

University 

of Natural 

Sciences 

Ng. Thuong 

V. Chuoi 

Nguyen Van Cu 

Teacher 

Training 

University 

Ly Chinh T hang 

Hien 

Vuon 

Chuoi 

Market 

Nguyen Trai 

2 

Phan Dinh Phung 

Truong Dinh 

Tu Xuong 

Nam Ky Kh 

Vo Thi Sau 

Nguyen Son Ha 

Dien B 

Nguyen Thi Minh K 

Pham Viet Chanh 

Nguyen Tho 

Nguyen Dinh 

V 

DISTR

Ky Khoi Nghia Nam Ky Khoi Nghia 

Sau Vo Thi Sau 

Dien Bien Phu 

yen Thong 

Minh Khai 

Nguyen 

Van 

Tran Quoc Toan Tran Quoc Toan 

en Dinh Chieu 

Nguyen Trai 

Tran Khanh Du 

Huynh Tinh Cua 

Ba Huyen Thanh Quan 

Ngo Thoi Nhiem 

Luong Huu Khanh 

Suong Nguyet Anh 

Ton That Tung 

Thai Binh 

Market 

Cong Quynh 

Tran Dinh Xu 

War 

Remnants 

Museum 

Cultural Park 

Cach Mang Thang Tam 

Cao Ba Nha 

Ng. Huu Cau 

Le Thi Rieng 

Nguyen Trai 

Do Q. Dau 

Le Lai 

Thach Thi Thanh 

D. C. Trang 

Vo Van Tan Vo Van Tan 

Cao Thang 

N. V. Hai 

Ho Xuan Huong 

RICT 1 

4th Floor ONG&ONG Building 

159 Phan Xich Long St 

Ward 7, Phu Nhuan District 

Nguyen 

Cu Lao 

Tran Nhat Duat 

Nguyen Thi Dieu 

Hai Ba Trung 

Tran Quoc Thao 

Bui Thi Xuan 

Nguyen Cu Trinh 

Tran Khac Chan 

DISTRICT 3 

Nguyen Gia Thieu 

Le Quy Don 

Pham Ngu Lao 

Ho H. Hon 

3 

Phan Xich Long 

Truong Quyen 

Bui Vien 

Tran Quang Khai 

Le Van Tam 

Park 

Pham Ngoc Thach 

Pasteur 

Truong Dinh 

Vo Huy Tan 

Re-uni�cation 

Palace 

Nguyen Thai Hoc 

De Tham 

Co Bac Ng Kh Nhu 

Ng. Phi Khanh 

L. V. Phuc 

Huyen Tran Cong Chua 

Co Giang 

Thu Kh Huan 

Pham Hong Thai 

De Tham 

Tran Hung Dao Tran Hung Dao 

Dinh Tien Hoang 

Ly Tu Trong 

Gia Dinh 

Hospital 

Ng Hai Tu 

Nguyen Van Thu 

Alexandre De Rhodes 

Nguyen Du 

Nguyen An Ninh 

Le Thi Hong Gam 

Mac Dinh Chi 

Nguyen Dinh Chieu 

Tran Cao Van 

Ben 

Thanh 

Market 

Bus 

Station 

Central 

Post Of�ce 

Le Loi 

Nguyen Binh Khiem 

Hoa Lu 

Stadium 

Dinh Tien Hoang 

Hai Ba Trung 

Town Hall 

HTV 

television 

Le Duan Le Duan 

Pasteur 

Nguyen Trung Truc 

Ky Con 

Mai Thi Luu 

Phan Ke Binh 

Dong Khoi 

Nguyen Thai Binh Pho Duc Chinh 

Yersin 

Han Thuyen 

L. V. Lang 

Ng. Cong Tru 

4 

Le Cong Kieu 

Calmette 

Ben Van Don 

BINH THANH 

Nguyen Du 

Hoang Sa 

Ham Nghi 

Le Loi 

Ton Th at Thiep 

T. T. Dam 

Xo Viet Nghe Tinh 

Chu Manh Trinh 

Ly Tu Trong 

Nguyen Hue 

Ton Duc Thang 

Thi Sach 

Le Quoc Hung 

Mac 

Thai Van Lung 

Dong Du 

Ngo 

Ng Sieu 

Cao Ba Quat 

Pham Van Han 

Le Thanh Ton Le Thanh Ton 

Pasteur 

Truong Sa 

DISTRICT 1 

Huynh Thuc Khang 

Vinh Khanh 

Hoang Dieu 

Ho Tung Mau 

Ng. Cong Tru 

Nguyen 

Trung Ngan 

Ng Truong To 

Hai Trieu 

Zoo & Botanical 

Gardens 

Nguyen Binh Khiem 

Thi Buoi 

H.H. 

Phan Van Dat 

Nghiep 

Duc Ke 

Doan Nhu Hai 

Doan Van Bo 

DISTRICT 4 

Ngo Van Nam 

Nguyen Tat Thanh 

5 

Nguyen Cuu Van 

Nguyen Ngoc Phuong 

Nguyen Huu Canh 

Ton Duc 

Thang Museum 

Thu Thiem 

Ferry Port 

(for District 2) 

HCM City 

Boat Quay 

(for Vung Tau) 

asialife HCMC 81 

Huynh Tinh Cua 

Huynh Man Dat 

Saigon Bridge 

& Highway 1 

3km 

Cat Lai Ferry 

9km 

District 7 

& Nha Be 

Nguyen Van Lac 

Me Linh 

Vung Tau

adar 


Manning up 

artofmanliness.com 

In the modern, politically correct world it can sometimes be confusing to 

be a guy. Finding that balance between sensitivity and masculinity can be 

difficult, and that is where The Art of Manliness aims to help out. A lifestyle 

compendium of all things ‘guys’, the site’s creators say they want to help men 

everywhere become better people, fathers, husbands, brothers and sons. 

Filled with interesting and informative articles in sections on relationships, 

health and sports, grooming, lifestyle, and general man skills and knowledge, 

the site embraces guy stuff without being buffoonish. On this one site you can 

learn useful man things as diverse as how to build a snare trap and field-dress 

game, choose the right suit or improve your listening skills. Everything you 

need, really, to be the fully rounded modern male. 

List bliss 

teuxdeux.com 

If you are one of those people (just like me) who loves to make lists of your daily 

tasks and then derive even greater satisfaction from crossing items off, then 

this little site is for you. As with much technology, Teux Deux does away with 

the pen and paper and presents an elegantly simple interface to create datebased 

lists. Adding an item is as simple as writing it in the text bar at the top 

of the day’s list, and then clicking on the item when complete to put that lovely 

line through it. Uncrossed items automatically roll over to the next day. There 

is even a ‘Someday’ section for those tasks you are meaning to get around to. 

An iPhone app is also available so Teux Deux is just as portable as your trusty 

old notepads. 

Pass the hat around 

chipin.com 

If you are collecting money for a cause or just pooling funds between friends 

to buy a birthday gift, it is a cinch with Chip In. Getting started is as simple as 

creating an account detailing what the money is being raised for, how much you 

are aiming to raise and when it is needed by. To help promote your campaign 

you receive a special widget that has details of your campaign and how people 

can contribute which you can embed on your favourite social networking sites, 

blogs or web pages. If you don’t have any of these, they can also provide a web 

page of your own at no charge to help you get the word out. People are then 

able to contribute to your campaign via PayPal and you can track donations as 

they come in.

oxoffice 

Snow White and the 

Huntsman 

In the epic action-adventure 

Snow White and the Huntsman, 

Kristen Stewart plays the 

only person in the land fairer 

than the evil queen (Charlize 

Theron) out to destroy her. But 

what the wicked ruler never 

imagined is that the young 

woman threatening her reign 

has been training in the art of 

war with a huntsman (Chris 

Hemsworth) dispatched to kill 

her. 

Opening Dates 

CINEMAS 

M: Megastar Cinema 

www.megastar.vn 

G: Galaxy 

www.galaxycine.vn 


Prometheus The Intouchables 

Ridley Scott, director of Alien 

and Blade Runner, returns to 

the genre he helped define. 

With Prometheus, he creates 

a groundbreaking mythology, 

in which a team of explorers 

discovers a clue to the origins of 

mankind on Earth, leading them 

on a thrilling journey to the 

darkest corners of the universe. 

There, they must fight a terrifying 

battle to save the future of 

the human race. 

The Intouchables (15 June) 

Madagascar 3 (1 June ) 

Prometheus (22 June ) 

Snow White and the Huntsman (1 June ) 

An irreverent, uplifting comedy 

about friendship, trust 

and human possibility. Based 

on a true story of friendship 

between a handicap millionaire 

(Francois Cluzet) and his street 

smart ex-con caretaker (Omar 

Sy), The Intouchables depicts 

an unlikely camaraderie 

rooted in honesty and humour 

between two individuals who, 

on the surface, would seem to 

have nothing in common. 

Madagascar 3 

Alex the Lion, Marty the 

Zebra, Gloria the Hippo, and 

Melman the Giraffe are still 

fighting to get home to their 

beloved Big Apple and of 

course, King Julien, Maurice 

and the Penguins are all along 

for the comedic adventure. 

Their journey takes them 

through Europe where they 

find the perfect cover: a traveling 

circus, which they reinvent 

- Madagascar style. 

The information on this page was 

correct at the time of printing. Check 

cinema websites for screenings.

ookshelf 

The Newlyweds 

Nell Freudenberger 

Knopf 

Amina and George are newlyweds, but their union is not 

exactly lovey-dovey. Nell Freudenberger’s novel begins 

when Amina leaves her native Bangladesh to live with 

George in an upstate New York town. The couple have 

met over the internet and, after some email correspondence 

and a visit from George, they decided to marry. 

Freudenberger has focused on culture clash in her previous 

novels, and The Newlyweds follows along the same 

lines. But as Amina and George come to know each other, 

it is not only their cultural differences but their secrets that 

they must confront. 

This Will Be Difficult 

to Explain: And Other 

Stories 

Johanna Skibsrud 

W.W. Norton & Company 

Canadian poet Johanna Skibsrud tackles the short story 

form with her first collection This Will Be Difficult to 

Explain. As with her novel, The Sentimentalists, Skibsrud 

writes prose with a poetic sensibility, describing the mundane 

details of everyday existence with a delicate melancholia. 

The stories take place in settings as far-reaching as 

South Dakota, Paris and Japan, with characters traversing 

memories of the past and tensions within the present. At 

the heart of these tales is the struggle of communication, as 

the narrators attempt to connect with those around them 

and find some understanding of their own lives. 

On The Front Line: 

The Collected Journalism 

of Marie Colvin 

Marie Colvin 

HarperPress 

Published three months after her death in Syria, this collection 

features the writings of American war correspondent 

Marie Colvin. Her work spans from 1986 to 2012, covering 

Iraq, Kosovo, Chechnya, Libya and most of the major conflicts 

of recent history. On The Front Line is a powerful collection 

of articles, highlighting humanity within some of 

the most horrifying situations imaginable. Colvin’s writing 

reveals a woman committed to sharing stories of suffering, 

despite the dangers. Also included is her final dispatch 

from Homs, sent days before the fatal bombing. Not only a 

tribute to Colvin’s legacy, the book also provides valuable 

insight into the art of war reporting. 

Imagine: How 

Creativity Works 

Jonah Lehrer 

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 

Where does creativity come from? New York Times journalist 

Jonah Lehrer explores the process of forming bright 

ideas in Imagine. Using varied examples of brilliance — 

such as Bob Dylan’s song writing process, the work of 

animation studio Pixar and the invention of the Post-it 

Note — Lehrer deconstructs the catalysts for developing 

innovation. A hodgepodge of historical and cultural references, 

the book takes a scientific approach that is accessible 

to the layman reader. With possibilities to engender both 

enlightenment and inspiration, this is an intriguing look at 

how people can foster creativity and spark epiphanies. 

asialife HCMC 85

soundfix 

album review by Mai Lynn Miller Nguyen 

JACk WHITE 

Blunderbuss 

In the 15 minutes of fame music 

industry, game changers are few 

and far between. Jack White is 

one exception. With his bands 

The White Stripes, The Raconteurs 

and The Dead Weather, 

White has swept up both critical 

and commercial success. Performing 

since 1990, the singer/ 

multi-instrumentalist/songwriter/producer 

has defined a sound 

which is unmistakeably his own 

— a mix of garage rock, folk and 

blues. White’s long awaited debut 

solo album, Blunderbuss, is 

pretty much what you’d expect 

it to be: A consistent example 

of adept musicianship, with 

electrifying guitar, earnest vocals 

and pensive lyrics. Although 

his more recent ventures — 

such as collaborating with and 

producing Loretta Lynn — have 

inclined more towards an American 

sound, White mostly returns 

to the rock ‘n’ roll attitude he 

finessed with The White Stripes. 

Although it’s difficult to pick 

a favourite, the twangy ‘Love 

Interruption’ is a strong example 

of the Jack White sound. 


BEACH HOuSE 

Bloom 

Beach House’s fourth album 

starts out on a high with Myth, 

a heady opener with a melody 

that’s hard to forget. The song 

is destined to be snatched up 

for indie film soundtracks, but 

cinematic in a way that’s still 

subtle. It’s such a good start 

that one might be tempted to 

think that album can’t build 

any further. But Bloom does 

just that. The Baltimore-based 

duo has, simply put, blossomed. 

This album’s take 

on electronic pop is soft and 

dreamy, yet still controlled in 

structure. The band’s two members 

trade off on the vocals, and 

each complements the other’s 

voice in a way that just feels 

right. ‘Wishes’ is perhaps the 

album’s most impressive song, 

with an earnest wistfulness 

that listeners can’t help but be 

moved by. Bloom resonates 

with hope and inner-reflection, 

creating quiet moments of 

inspiration. 

kILLEr MIkE 

R.A.P. Music 

Listen up, California and New 

York. Although the rap game is 

dominated by the two American 

states, there’s still reason 

to pay attention to what’s 

going on in the South. Killer 

Mike represents Atlanta hip 

hop, with a distinctly southern 

style that’s heavy, confident 

and yet relaxed. Although he’s 

stayed largely under the radar 

— most notably known for his 

part on OutKast’s ‘The Whole 

World’ in 2000 — R.A.P. Music 

seems to be the album that 

propels him into the spotlight. 

The record is a consistent 

exercise in rhythmic hip hop, 

with Killer Mike’s MC skills in 

fine form. Rather than dwell 

on the familiar topics of most 

chart-topping hip hop, Killer 

Mike takes a critical stance on 

politics with tracks like ‘Reagan’ 

and ‘War on Drugs’. Not 

only thought-provoking, the 

album’s flow is strong enough 

to stand out as one of Killer 

Mike’s best efforts. 

SANTIgOLD 

Master of My 

Make-Believe 

On her 2008 debut album, 

Santi White — then Santogold, 

now Santigold 

— showed us how hard 

Brooklyn can go. White’s appeal 

expanded from her initial 

hipster fan base when the 

chorus of her single ‘Shove It’ 

was picked up by Jay-Z for a 

rap single. Like her contemporary 

M.I.A., to whom she 

is often compared, White is 

all about crossing genres. She 

mines the fields of hip hop, 

dancehall and dub to create 

fun, textured pop. Kicking off 

with the bouncy ‘Freak Like 

Me’, which re-imagines Fiddler 

on the Roof’s ‘Rich Girl’, 

the album’s other highlights 

include the mellow ‘Pirate In 

The Water’ and the anthem 

‘Disparate Youth’. On first listen, 

Master of My Make-Believe 

isn’t as impressive as White’s 

debut, but it’s nonetheless a 

rousing, versatile record that 

lends itself to either the dance 

floor or road trip soundtracks.

Official xonefM Vietnam Top 10 

this last title artist 

week week 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

4 

10 

2 

Re 

9 

1 

5 

3 

6 

New 

boyfriend 

Chasing the Sun 

Safe & Sound 

Up All Night 

Payphone 

burn it Down 

Everything is Sound 

Call Me Maybe 

Somebody That I 

Used to Know 

break Yah back 

US Top 10 


week week 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

2 

1 

3 

4 

6 

5 

9 

10 

8 

7 


Used to Know 

We Are Young 

Wild Ones 

Starships 

What Makes You 

beautiful 

glad You Came 

Call Me Maybe 

Payphone 

Rumour Has It 

Part of Me 

UK Top 10 


week week 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

xoneFM top ten endorsed 

1 

5 

3 

4 

2 

8 

New 

6 

New 

9 

R.I.P 

We Are Young 

Call Me Maybe 

Too Close 

Young 

Where Have You been 

30 Days 

Drive by 

Oliver Twist 


Used to Know 

Justin bieber 

The Wanted 

Taylor Swift feat The 

Civil War 

One Direction 

Maroon5 feat Wiz 

Khalifa 

Linkin Park 

Jason Marz 

Carly Rae Jepsen 

gotye feat Kimbra 

Timberland feat Dev 


Fun feat Janelle Monae 

Flo Rider feat Sia Poe 

boy 

Nicki Minaj 

One Direction 

The Wanted 


Maroon 5 feat Wiz 

Khalifa 

Adele 

Katy Perry 

Rita Ora feat Tinie 

Tempah 

Fun feat Janelle Monae 


Alex Clare 

Tulisa 

Rihanna 

Saturdays 

Train 

D'banj 


Ngan Nam Tinh Su 

by Vu Thi Quynh Giao 

Ngan Nam Tinh Su is a recent 

musical produced by Idecaf. It 

tells of Ly Thuong Kiet, a brilliant 

Vietnamese military commander 

back in the 11th century. 

The VND-400-million production 

particularly depicts the 

so-called ‘Vietnamese psyche’, 

always sandwiched between 

big and small, grief and optimism, 

fighting and winning. 

It’s not surprising that an 

important part of the musical 

is about an unsolvable tension 

between China and Vietnam 

that leads to war, because 

‘war’ is still very much ingrained 

within the Vietnamese mind. 

To many people, especially the 

older ones, war is something as 

recent as last Sunday when you 

awakened in the middle of the 

night to find your house burning. 

The fight led by Ly Thuong 

Kiet resulted in an ultimate 

victory, and Vietnam’s first ever 

declaration of independence 

in 1077. The rest of the play 

focuses on another side of the 

hero’s life, in which he struggles 

to serve his country and be with 

the woman he loves. She loved 

him in return, but ultimately 

became the wife of the king. 

As depicted in the show, Ly 

Thuong Kiet became a eunuch 

because he wanted to be a 

dedicated public servant and to 

stay close to his love, knowing 

that only females and eunuchs 

could interact with the King’s 

wives. 

A Vietnamese living a 

thousand years after him may 

feel equally tortured wondering 

how, in the collective history of 

the country and a culture that 

endorses heroism and selfsacrifice, 

we can ever find our 

personal narratives, those with 

true sentiments. In his case, 

as symbolized by the Idecaf 

production, the hero poured 

the purest water over his body, 

trying to relive as Ngo Tuan, his 

birth name and his true self, 

instead of Ly Thuong Kiet, a 

name given by the King. 

The performance of Thanh 

Loc, playing Ly Thuong Kiet, is 

simply exhilarating. His voice 

changes dramatically as he portrays 

the hero’s development 

from when he was 18 to finally 

an accomplished but lonely 

86-year-old. The music for this 

historical play, composed by 

Duc Tri, paradoxically belongs 

to the pop category, through 

which the hero’s ups and 

downs are contrasted. When 

beautiful, joyous music rises 

you know Ly Thuong Kiet has 

found his soul mate, and Thanh 

sings as purely as new morning 

dew. Then the heavy music 

rolls across the theatre making 

you see in your own heart the 

weight of Vietnam totally losing 

direction because of the King’s 

death. 

In recent years it has been 

reported that 98 percent of 

Vietnam’s 12th graders scores 

below average on History when 

taking the entrance exam to 

universities. Perhaps if there 

were more musicals about 

history and love like this, those 

score might start to improve. 

asialife HCMC 87

In her first column for AsiaLIFE, Dana Filek-Gibson 

discovers that persistence can pay off when settling 

into a new environment. 

Everything becomes relative 

over time. The death-defying 

dash you made your first week 

in Vietnam is now known as 

crossing the street, 4am construction 

has turned from an 

unwelcome wake-up call to the 

soundtrack beneath your earlymorning 

dreams (or, perhaps, 

still an unwelcome wake-up 

call), and what you might have 

previously termed ‘torrential 

downpour’ has been reduced 

to ‘rain’. 

After 18 months in Vietnam, 

I too have become about as normal 

as I can be. In my apartment 

building, the security guards are 

used to the odd hours I keep, 

my strange teacher-luggage, 

and the bags upon bags of takeaway 

food I bring home to my 

shiny, unused kitchen. They are 

patient with my Vietnamese, 

which rivals that of a six-yearold. 

Even when I turn up at 

3am and have to slip sideways 

through the front gate, they say 

hello. I like to think I've become 


an odd-but-loveable tenant. Yet, 

every so often, I am reminded 

that no matter how routine my 

take-out orders become, I am far 

from inconspicuous. 

A few weeks ago, heading to 

a local cafe, I passed the motorbike 

repair shop near my home. 

The boss sat across the street in 

the shade, chain-smoking and 

shirtless. “OI!” he shouted to 

me, loud enough that I jumped. 

This expression is stress-inducing: 

I was always taught that 

interjections are for emergencies, 

like when a building has 

caught fire – not for when you 

see someone on the street. No 

matter how long I live here, this 

will never fail to startle me. But 

once the adrenaline subsided 

and he had my attention, the 

motorbike man put down his 

cigarette and shouted, “HEL- 

LO”. Slightly startled, I replied, 

“Hello”. 

And then, as I rounded the 

corner, laughter erupted behind 

me. Loud, knee-slapping peals 

of laughter. My odd-but-loveable 

character was a little disappointed. 

This was a distinction 

I'd been hoping to earn throughout 

the neighbourhood, or at the 

very least in places where food 

and coffee are served. 

The next day, I retraced my 

route past the repair shop. 

Again, Motorbike Man shouted 

his greetings, and I replied. 

Again, he laughed. I get it: my 

freckles are a little weird and 

my front teeth overlap one 

another. There are plenty of 

reasons to find me strange and 

amusing. But apparently the 

humour has nothing to do with 

my appearance. Instead, it's my 

“hello” that's hilarious, though, 

as far as I can tell, it's pretty ordinary. 

To this day, I'm not sure 

what the joke is. 

For the rest of the week, we 

went back and forth: Motorbike 

Man shouting, me saying hello, 

everyone at the repair shop 

doubled over in stitches. I tried 

new responses to test whether 

“how are you” and “xin chao” 

elicit the same amusement as 

a standard “hello”. They do. 

Stumped at how to make myself 

odd-but-loveable to the repair 

shop, I decided that repetitive 

contact was the best I could do. 

If I kept showing up, the joke 

had to get old sometime. 

Finally, I made progress. One 

day, on my way into District 1, 

I pulled up to the repair shop to 

get a flat tyre inflated. Motorbike 

Man and I exchanged our 

usual hellos, but instead of 

riding away I got off my bike. 

He stared at me, uncertain, 

and in my child's Vietnamese, 

I explained the predicament. 

Motorbike Man not only solved 

my problem but, to my surprise, 

insisted that the tyre air was free 

of charge. As I set off, Motorbike 

Man eyeing up my bicycle, that 

flat tyre got me downgraded 

from full-blown laughter to 

a chuckle. Odd-but-loveable 

qualities prevailed. I think we're 

going to be friends.

Clara 

THE TWO OF US 

RMIT Lecturers and Malawi natives, Clara and Matthews Nkhoma tell Nancy Pappas the story 

of how they met and what life is like as a travelling family. Photo by alex McMillan. 

I’m from Lilongwe, Malawi. 

I teach management and accounting 

at RMIT here in Vietnam 

where I live with my husband 

and two children. I grew 

up in Lilongwe, the capital city 

of Malawi, and I did the first 

part of my education there up 

to my first degree. Then I went 

to England for better studies 

where I received an MBA in 

Finance – that’s where I met 

Matthews and now we’ve been 

married for six years. So we’ve 

been moving around together, 

went to the Middle East and 

here we are. We got married 

in Malawi. We partly had a 

traditional wedding. On the 

evening before the wedding 

they did the traditional thing. 

My parents and I had to drop 

into his parent’s place and do 

a traditional ceremony. About 

three girls come covered in 

their African cloth and they 

have to identify whether its me 

or not. They’ll bring in the first 

girl and say that’s not her and 

bring in the next one and say 

that’s not her and finally they 

bring me in and they need to 

identify me as the one joining 

their family. So we had that 

kind of ceremony. We moved 

back to England after the 

wedding and started talking of 

travel. Once you leave home 

for the first time you become 

more curious, you just want 

to see more and more. Our 

children are two and four; 

they were born in London and 

Dubai. As young as they are, 

they are not so sure, they are 

just excited. As long as they 

have friends and they go to 

school, they can’t see much 

difference. Moving around is 

great but we will reach a point 

where we need to consider the 

children since as they get older 

they will become a bit more 

sensitive. But concerning Vietnam, 

there are so many things 

about the culture and the place 

that remind me of home so, I 

feel comfortable here. 

Matthews 

I’m from Blantyre, Malawi. I 

did my masters in internet engineering 

and PhD in London, 

and I specialize in information 

security. I lectured in London 

at the same university I attended 

and then we moved to the 

Middle East where I worked 

as an assistant professor. After 

the Middle East is when we 

moved to Vietnam. Now I’m 

a lecturer with the Bachelor of 

Business at RMIT. Clara and I 

met while studying in London. 

There was no chance we would 

have met in Malawi because 

we are from different regions. 

We met through my cousin. It 

was by chance, well I wouldn’t 

say chance. I wanted to marry 

a Malawian so my cousin and 

Clara were sort of friends and 

that’s how I met her and we 

started a relationship from 

there. We got married in 2006 

in Malawi where I paid dowry 

to Clara’s family. After we 

went back to London and it 

was after that we decided 

we needed to start moving 

around, just to see other places 

and travelling as well so that 

we can experience other cultures. 

The more you travel the 

more you learn about different 

cultures and how you can 

approach people and stuff like 

that. We’ve been out of Malawi 

for years. Right now, we just 

want to keep on travelling 

until we reach a point where 

we say enough is enough, we 

have to go back to Malawi and 

settle down. With our children 

we try and emphasise that they 

have friends that they can talk 

to and though we are working 

parents we try to provide 

time for them as well. I’d say 

so far so good in Vietnam – the 

culture, the people and the 

expat community are so open 

and welcoming. RMIT has a 

diverse culture and everyone 

is just so open. We don’t have 

any other plans for now. So far 

I can say that we will stay in 

Vietnam. 

asialife HCMC 89

pub quiz 

A Numbers Game 

1) How many letters are there in 

the Greek alphabet? 

2) How many is DLV in Roman 

numerals? 

3) How many astronauts manned 

each Apollo flight? 

4) How many people appear in 

Leonardo da Vinci's painting 

The Last Supper? 

5) In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet's 

birthday is revealed to be on 

Aug. 1. How old does she 

expect to turn? 

Birds of a Feather 

6) Who played DJ Adrian Cronoir 

in a 1987 film? 

7) Whose cricket score of 299 is 

the highest innings by a New 

Zealander in Test history? 

8) In the nursery rhyme, how many 

blackbirds were baked in a pie? 

9) Which explorer had the middle 

name Falcon? 

10) Which politician set a record 

by downing a yard of ale in 11 

seconds? 

Service 

11) Who has a valet called Alfred 

Pennyworth? 

12) What was the name of the 

Addams Family butler? 

13) What famous butler was 

created by P G Wodehouse? 

14) Whose butler was Paul 

Burrell? 

15) Where would you see the 

Maid of the Mist? 

Hello John! 

16) Which John refused The 

Nobel Prize for Literature in 

1964? 

17) Who won four Wimbledon 

Men’s Doubles titles with 

Peter Fleming? 

18) Ullo John! Gotta New Motor? 

was a chart success for 

which comedian? 

19) Who played Vincent Vega in 

Pulp Fiction? 

20) At a Royal Variety Show, who 

asked “Would the people 

in the cheaper seats clap 

your hands. And the rest of 

you, if you'll just rattle your 

jewellery”? 

Jane 

21) Who wrote the novel Jane 

Eyre? 

22) What name is shared by a 

former Bond girl and a wife of 

Henry VIII? 

23) Who played the title role 


in the science fiction film 

Barbarella? 

24) Which actress co-starred with 

Marylin Monroe in Gentlemen 

Prefer Blondes? 

25) What was the nickname 

of Martha Jane Cannary, 

famous in the late 19th 

century? 

Celebrity Mimes 

26) 

27) 

28) 

29) 

30) 

Thoâng tin du lòch vaø vaên hoaù ôû Vieät Nam ASIALIFE HCMC 

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Trình baøy: Coâng ty TNHH QC TM DV Ba traêm saùu möôi laêm ngaøy 

Bìa: Coâng ty TNHH QC TM DV Ba traêm saùu möôi laêm ngaøy 

NHAø XuAáT BAûN ToåNg Hôïp 

Tp. Hoà CHí MINH 

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ÑT: 38225340 – 38296764 – 38220405 – 38296713 – 38223637 

Fax: 84.8.38222726 Email: tonghop@nxbhcm.com.vn 

Website:www.nxbhcm.com.vn - www.fiditour.com 

Thöïc hieän lieân keát xuaát baûn: Coâng ty TNHH QC TM DV 

Ba traêm saùu möôi laêm ngaøy 

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gpXB soá: 79-12/CXB/536-04/THTpHCM 

Ngaøy 04/02/2012 

In taïi Coâng ty ITAXA, ñòa chæ 126 Nguyeãn Thò Minh Khai, Q.3. 

In xong vaø noäp löu chieåu thaùng 06/ 2012 

365 Days Advertising Trading Services Co.,Ltd 

L4,159 Phan Xich Long, P7, Phu Nhuan District Tel: +84 8 3517 2208 

Director: 

Jonny Edbrooke 

jonny@threesixfive-days.com 

Photo Editor: Fred Wissink 

fred@asialifehcmc.com 

Art Director: Johnny Murphy 

johnny@threesixfive-days.com 

Senior Designer: Nguyen Mai Anh 

maianh@threesixfive-days.com 

Photography Interns: 

Alex Belikov, Alex McMillan 

Managing Editor: Brett Davis 

brett@asialifehcmc.com 

Deputy Editor: Chris Mueller 

chris.mueller@asialifehcmc.com 

Contributing Editor: Michael Tatarski 

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Editorial Interns: Claire Jowell, Lieu Anh Vu 

For advertising and marketing enquiries please call: 

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Distribution: Super Long +84 937 633283 

AsiaLIFE is a registered trademark. No content may be reproduced in any 

form without prior authorisation of the owners. 

© Ba Sau Nam Co,Ltd Vietnam 

6 4 

1 8 5 

7 5 3 9 

4 8 7 2 

4 9 

2 3 6 4 

9 2 8 3 

6 1 5 

7 6 

Pub Quiz Answers 

1) 24 2) 555 3) 3 4) 13 5) 14 6) Robin Williams 7) Martin Crowe 8) 24 9) Robert 

Scott 10) bob Hawke 11) bruce Wayne/batman 12) Lurch 13) Jeeves 

14) Diana, Princess of Wales 15) Niagara Falls 16) John Paul Satre 17) John 

McEnroe 18) Alexei Sayle 19) John Travolta 20) John Lennon 21) Charlotte 

bronte 22) Jane Seymour 23) Jane Fonda 24) Jane Russel 25) Calamity 

Jane 26) bruce Willis 27) Rihanna 28) Sandra bullock 29) Jean Paul gaultier 

30) Eddie Murphy

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 

CLASS OF 2012 

The Year 13 Graduation Ceremony took place on Saturday, 26th May 2012, at the Intercontinental Asiana Hotel, Ho 

Chi Minh City with Mr. Douglas Barnes - HM Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, Director for UK Trade and Investment 

in Vietnam as the guest speaker. Congratulating and celebrating with the students were 250 teachers, close family 

members and friends. 

Front row L to R 

Ting Ting Cooper, Christiana Louise Gentile, Young In Choi, Holly Anne Keel, Lisa Fawcett, Anh Phuc Yeo, Patricia Noble Gonzalez, Sutinie Srisatitvatana, 

Meemee Ploem, Chang Yu-Hsing, Yun Ji Choi, Da Seul Jung, Kim Keun Young, Mai Ngo, Tran Thi Thien Trang 

Second row L to R 

Hsu Chia Yu, Fiona Nguyen, Quynh Anh Do, Arianna Dominique C. Danganan, Tram Tran, Melissa Mary Tobin, Lauren Michelle Carr, Clementine May Planchon, 

Heather Jean Forrer, Charlotte Chu-Wen Huang, Achira Kapoor, Subinh Noh, Kim Grosvenor, Aqsa Javaid 

Third row L to R 

Min Yeol Yoon, Dylan Rhys Long, Pham Minh Quan, Nguyen Vu Tri Kien, Ho Minh Phat, Huang Wei Hsiang, Teoh Jhik Shern, Seung Jun Oh, Bryne Patrick V. Rodil, 

Nguyen Phuong Dong, Irene Yun-Hsuan Wu, Duy Le, Tran Huong Giang 

Back row L to R 

Paul Pham Arnald, Osvaldo Joaquim Kallabinski, Paul Minogue, Phuong Pham, Thomas Alexander Schmitt, Lee Yeong Ho, Josh Nixon, Jim Cullen, Nguyen 

Huynh Thanh Phuc 

UK 

Central St Martins University of the Arts, London 

University of Durham 

University of Essex 

University of Exeter 

University of Glasgow 

University of Leeds 

University of Liverpool 

University College London 

University of Nottingham 

University of Reading 

University of Warwick 

University of York 

Canada 

Carleton University 

University of British Columbia 

University of Toronto 

USA 

Duke University 

Emory University 

Indiana University Bloomington 

University of Massachusetts Amherst 

Northeastern University 

Northwestern University 

University of Pennsylvania 

Savannah College of Art and Design 

University of San Francisco 

University of Southern California 

Australia 

Australian National University 

Curtin University 

University of Melbourne 

Monash University 

University of Queensland 

Switzerland 

Lausanne School of Hospitality 

Les Roches International School of Hotel Management 

Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality 

South Africa 

University of Cape Town 

The Netherlands 

University College Utrecht 

Philippines 

University of the Philippines

BANGKOK 

LONDON 

FRANKFURT 

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