Hồn Du Mục

Cracking Southeast Asia’s Scam Economy Washington and London’s recent unprecedented actions showed what global coordination can achieve – and what remains to be done.

Some analysis of the scam center epidemic in SE Asia that is worth the read:

thediplomat.com/2025/11/crac...

A black and white photo of a short, rain slicked alleyway in eastern Hanoi. A pair of motorbikes are parked right against the right side before closed first floor gates. A small tree grows from just within a property on the left and leans out over the alley upwards into the tight space between buildings. A couple plastic bucks sit against the wall just behind it. A single wooden window shutter stands up on the right at the end of the alley.

Kim Quan Alleyway
Long Biên
#Hanoi, #Vietnam

The meaning of Kafka in 21st century Saigon Before the pandemic, one day I went in search of a shop called Kafka but first I got sidetracked by the story about a far-out mystic who believed he would one day be the ruler of Heaven and Earth.

Repost of an essay about the time I went in search of a bookstore in #HCMC called Kafka but before I even got there I was sidetracked by a story about a far-out mystic who believed he could overthrow the French in #Saigon and become the ruler of Heaven and Earth.
connla.substack.com/p/phan-xich-...

We are standing in the middle of a dark side road looking north toward a brightly lit residential area. The silhouettes of trees hang over the road to our right while a long metal fence irregularly reflects light from downstreet and adjacent sources. A white ride-hailing car is parked along the fence in a patch of light. We can just make out a motorbike leaning into a left turn at the far end of the street. Row houses and villa tower over the scene on the left, slight yellow-orange in the reflect vapor light. Clouds high above glow from the metropolis below.

Thạch Cầu - Long Biên
#Hanoi, #Vietnam

A history of Soul Food (and other comforts) for Black soldiers in wartime Saigon In the late 60s and early 70s, Black American soldiers could dig into authentic Soul Food in Saigon. But where were these restaurants and what can they tell us about the men who ate there?

Where were the soul food Restos and soul brother bars of #Saigon? And what can they tell us about the men who frequented them and the #racism they experienced when serving in the US Army in Vietnam? Quite a lot, I’d argue! My latest long read on Substack is here:
connla.substack.com/p/a-history-...

An evening photo of the Red River from the banks of Lông Biên in Hanoi. From where we stand, we see a row of river pilings extending diagonally out into the water. The dark silhouette of a tree frames the left side of the image. Across the wide expanse of the river we see a relatively low-rise skyline of illuminated houses and buildings lining the river with a few larger structures in the faint background. Standing brightly above the scene, however, is the 108 Army Hospital. Its luminous red sign reflects off the river surface. The city lights reflect off splotchy, low clouds.

Sông Hồng
Long Biên
#Hanoi, #Vietnam

A man and a woman tend to their wares in a small, back-alley shop in Hanoi. The woman, in a white shirtsleeve shirt and black-and-white check pants stands behind a row of large receptacles with what appear to be various fermented vegetables waiting to be bagged and taken home. On the right are stacks of eggs in 6x6 foam flats. All sits under a red canopy with yellow lettering. In the background we see a man in a floral-print shirt and black shorts. He has close cropped hair and moves among shelves of ingredients, packaging, and utensils.

Chuyên Đậu Mơ Nóng
Thạch Cầu, #Hanoi, #Vietnam

A three-story Vietnamese home on a corner in a neighborhood on the edge of Hanoi. The first floor exterior, enclosed by a low concrete wall and cage-like metalwork, is brightly illuminated on this darkened street. The second floor windows also glow with a subdued warmth. A pattern of shadow and light radiates outward from the home across the empty concrete of nighttime streets.

Bát Tràng home
#Hanoi, #Vietnam

Kipling in Saigon - and his curious afterlife in Vietnam Once upon a time, Saigon had streets named after several Britons, including Rudyard Kipling. Naturally, I had to find out why, and the digging led me down a curious trail of imperial folly and regret

If you need a Sunday afternoon/ evening read...

About Kipling, imperialism, a consequential British intervention in Vietnam -- and more.

connla.substack.com/p/kipling-in...

A pair of men sit with their backs to us under the orange plastic tarps of a roadside drinks stand in eastern Hanoi. A single motorbike is parked out front of the entrance gate of chain link. Light radiates outward from the loosely enclosed space across the broad sidewalk and rounded curb of a street corner. The irregularly lit leafing of tree canopy undersides produces a reverse dappling with varying shades and intensities of green. Plastic stools, wooden tables, and a red cooler can be made out through the structural and organic clutter.

Drinks stand
Cổ Bi Road
#Hanoi, #Vietnam

Issue 3 is out now! Download a copy of the zine here.

The new Pandan Weekly (issue #3) is out. I have a story in it —and there's lots more (fiction, essays, poetry) from Southeast Asia in there. And it's all free to download.

So, why wouldn't you ....

pandanweekly.substack.com/p/zine-issue-3

A man in a blue shirt and grey pants squats on a sidewalk before his power tools sales and repair shop on a commercial thoroughfare in eastern Hanoi. He appears to be attending to some minor repairs. Beyond him stands the front of his shop with terraced rows of plastic wrapped equipment clustered by type. We can see drills, compressors, and mechanical vibratory concrete tempers. One large such tamper lies on its side before him, possibly the piece of equipment being repaired.

Power tools
Đường Ngô Gia Tự
#Hanoi, #Vietnam

Four men sit at the entrance to a south Hanoi bia hơi. Their yellow plastic chairs surround an end-to-end pair of blue plastic tables. White porcelain bowls and dishes cover the tables while four quintessential bia hơi glasses sit filled with varying amounts of beer. A yellow, red, and white Việt Hà Beer sign stands on the sidewalk just to their left. Empty half kegs sit stacked against a wall of fading yellow paint, crumbling cement, and exposed brick.

Nhậu
Định Công Hạ
#Hanoi, #Vietnam

One Day at the Saigon Zoo — The Shanghai Literary Review 上海文藝評論 Irish writer Connla Stokes revisits Saigon Zoo, uncovering its colonial past, wartime secrets, and enduring place in Vietnam’s urban heart.

Delighted that Shanghai Literary Review has just published this long read of mine about the #Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens, seen through the eyes of the writers who visited through the years starting with Norman Lewis. Please feel free to share.

www.shanghailiterary.com/tslr-online-...

The Milk Tea Alliance by Jeffrey Wasserstrom: 9798217168576 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books Why are activists in Thailand, Hong Kong, and Burma willing to court danger to help one another? The political situations in Burma, Thailand, and Hong Kong are radically different. Only Burma is in a...

.@columbiagr.bsky.social just published my book on resistance & repression in Asia. I think it's timely but know it's hard to read anything but news. If you listen to things while commuting or exercising, it's out as a skillfully read 2 1/2 hour audio book www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/801233...

Sad news. Just heard that the #Vietnamese American #author Andrew X. Pham has died. He is best known for ‘Catfish and Mandala’, a deeply personal memoir about a year-long cycling odyssey through parts of Mexico, Korea, Japan & #Vietnam. His first novel was just published last year. #booksky

The lights of a stylishly designed noodle shop reflect off the upturned side of a wheeled garbage receptacle on a rainy night in Hanoi. We are standing on a sidewalk looking down a misty street onto a row of parked motorbikes in front of the noodle joint. A single patron in a black jacket handles a bike, either parking or leaving.

Nghĩa Tân Ward
#Hanoi, #Vietnam

The cultural scholar Hữu Ngọc has died at the ripe old age of 107. He produced a huge number of #books (in numerous languages) in his lifetime but this is the one that he’s best known for — a huge and rewarding resource that I frequently turned to over the years.

#vietnam #vietnameseculture

My book is officially out today. There's a new cover so this early copy is already vintage :)

It's mostly a tribute to the quotidian charms of Ho Chi Minh City in #Vietnam. The food, the people, the alleys, its inherent musicality, its rapid changes, and even its ghosts.

#booksky #travelwriting

Unifying all 102 wards and communes in Ho Chi Minh City with letter names HCMC - All 102 new wards and communes are named in letters, of which Saigon, Cho Lon, Gia Dinh are named for new wards in Districts 1, 5, Binh Thanh.

Anything that any one writes about #HCMC can abruptly feel dated. This restructuring of its wards would (once it comes into effect) certainly date my book (out May 1)—and so it goes.

Anyway, noteworthy: Saigon + Cholon will soon be formal names—short summary here:
news.laodong.vn/xa-hoi/thong...

The Hidden Side of Ho Chi Minh City Discover the hidden gems of Ho Chi Minh City as we venture off the beaten path into the backstreets and alleyways of old Saigon. Uncover local secrets, authentic cuisine, and rich history in this imme...

On a similar theme, this travel piece (about Ho Chi Minh City's backstreet appeal) is—just two months on—also dated.

One cafe featured relocated. Another resto I mentioned is gone—I guess Ho Chi Minh City wasn't quite ready for a swanky Hawaiian joint...

www.escapeartist.com/blog/the-hid...

An ode to the Shark Jaw building in Hanoi, turning tram depots into opera houses, more lakeside demolition for metro construction, and thoughts on if Hanoi should go full Haussmann.

On luring people away from 2G:

"Vietnam’s plan was simple: Offer free 4G feature phones to help low-income 2G consumers adapt to the change."

Updating #infrastructure, a struggle. It includes many tiny elements, e.g. sensors.

restofworld.org/2025/shut…

A night photo down a rain-soaked alleyway behind an apartment block in the Nghĩa Tân Ward of Hanoi. We are standing on the edge of a small sân chơi that backs an old khrushchevka-style apartment building. A small side street winds its way around the concrete pad of this recreation space as rain water collects by the curb. We can see the outlines of concrete benches and the reflection of a half-shuttered noodle joint at the end of the street. Its still-illuminated sign glows red with yellow text. In clear silhouette, there strides a woman holding an umbrella in one hand and a plastic bag in the other stepping lightly between puddles.

Nghĩa Tân Ward
#Hanoi, #Vietnam

A night photo of a pork offal restaurant (congee and hotpot) near closing time in Hanoi. We are looking across a rain-slicked intersection absent of all vehicles. Yellows, oranges, and faint greens reflect off the damp surface and bring its subtle topography into shadowy relief. The restaurant occupies the first two floors of an aging structuring showing its wear. New, brightly illuminated signs are attached to crumbling concrete facades with patchy, rotting surfaces and the once ubiquitous green wooden shutters.

Tô Hiệu Street
#Hanoi, #Vietnam

A residential alleyway on the outskirts of Hanoi at night. We stand at the darkened end of the alley looking down its very gentle curve to the right. Red lanterns hang along the center of the alley, every so slightly overlapping in our line of sight as they get farther away. Their faint illumination shade the concrete walls on either side in a glancing red. A single Vietnamese flag extends out from the right halfway down. Multicolored banners crisscross overhead and cast corresponding shadows upon the narrow asphalt.

Xuân Thụy - Gia Lâm
#Hanoi, #Vietnam

I’m seeking experts on long term Thai visas for foreigners - please let me know if you’d be willing to answer a few questions (or can suggest a consultant)….

The Hidden Side of Ho Chi Minh City Discover the hidden gems of Ho Chi Minh City as we venture off the beaten path into the backstreets and alleyways of old Saigon. Uncover local secrets, authentic cuisine, and rich history in this imme...

Wrote an old fashioned #travel piece on #Saigon / #HCMC for Escape Artist.

'To discover the #Saigonese soul of #Vietnam’s largest hub, now home to over 10 million, you need to plunge into the side streets and explore the back alleys as much as you can.'

www.escapeartist.com/blog/the-hid...

Hrmmmmmm I don’t think I like this. Can’t really put my finger on why though