A sudden five-minute monsoon just poured down before I even got moving today, so this one starts in blue skies and puddles. I'm walking along Hồ Tùng Mậu — once an actual canal until it was filled in back in the 1920s — and finally sharing some proper research I did on this neighborhood I keep saying I love. Along the way I point out a cluster of hundred-year-old shophouses, a hidden alley bar, and buildings I really hope survive the next wave of glass-and-concrete development. I also grab a rare bag of tofu with fermented shrimp paste (tofu nắm) before finally sitting down for a bowl of mì gà a few blocks from the studio.

Key Takeaways

• This neighborhood has real history behind it: Hồ Tùng Mậu was once a canal, and many of the surrounding shophouses date back to the early 1900s — built with tall windows and shutters designed for the heat and rain, long before AC existed.
• Preservation is informal, not guaranteed: None of these century-old buildings are officially protected — some survive mostly because they're awkwardly wedged between other structures, not because anyone's actively saving them. One inspiration for wanting this area preserved: George Town in Penang, Malaysia, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• The good stuff is easy to miss and easy to lose: Tofu nắm is a favorite that's genuinely hard to find — worth buying on sight rather than waiting until after lunch, because the seller might be sold out next time.
• Big personal update, worth knowing: After a year since an MS diagnosis and a strong initial recovery, a second round of treatment two months ago has brought lower energy and more frequent illness — though the latest MRI brought good news, with no new lesions and existing ones inactive.
• The podcast keeps growing in unexpected directions: The YouTube channel just crossed 950,000 views, and the "how's your accent understood on national TV" comments keep coming now that the VTV show is underway.

Chapters and Timestamps

• 00:00 – A surprise monsoon, then blue skies along Hồ Tùng Mậu
• 02:00 – The canal-turned-street history and hundred-year-old shophouse architecture
• 06:00 – A hidden alley bar and why some old buildings quietly survive
• 12:00 – Penang as inspiration for preserving this kind of neighborhood
• 20:00 – Podcast milestones and life on VTV's Vietnam Explained
• 24:00 – Sitting down for mì gà and talking through the meal
• 28:00 – Wrapping the walk, more neighborhood history, and heading back in the rain

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A Saigon resident, Lawrence Young has worked in the finance industry worldwide for 30 years, currently with Holborn Assets and created the non-troll Facebook group Ho Chi Minh Expat Group Saigon. Now at nearly 10,500 members in just 14 months.

He has seen the market go up and down over the years and is confident we will come out of the current crisis stronger but different.

We talk about what life has been like in Saigon and what it's like today after the latest guidance, starting April 1st, from the Prime Minister - 2 metre distancing, only leave for your home for essentials, groups of no more than two people outside and only essential services open. He also gives us his take on the state of the financial market, why we shouldn't panic and why it matters to everyone. Whether you own stocks or not.

If you would like to reach out to Lawrence for advice you can email him at lawrence.young@holbornassets.com or message him on LinkedIn.

"Send me a message!"

Book a free call with me here if you want to start your own podcast!

Book your free tour of Saigon Podcast Studio!

Support the show

🎙️ Recorded at Saigon Podcast Studio!

👉 www.saigonpodcaststudio.com

🎙️ Start Your Podcast Today!

👉 Book a FREE Discovery Call with me and let’s bring your idea to life!

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Lunch Walks continues, and this time I've got company — Te from Saigon Podcast Studio joins me, since Carrie had to duck out after we wrapped a Vietnam Content Marketing episode together. It's pouring rain in Nguyễn Thái Bình, but we push on anyway to a fried chicken and rice spot I only found a couple of weeks ago, tucked down a back alley I hadn't explored before. Along the way we talk about the neighborhood getting recognized by Time Out as one of the coolest in the world (or Vietnam — details are fuzzy), the nonstop construction that's part of daily life here, and why Vietnamese people always seem thrilled to end up on camera. Then the rain really sets in, and getting back to the studio turns into its own adventure.

Key Takeaways

• This neighborhood has fans beyond just me: Nguyễn Thái Bình has apparently been named one of the coolest neighborhoods around by Time Out — and between the mix of old buildings, cocktail bars, and hidden local spots, it's easy to see why.
• The best finds are the ones you almost walked past: This fried chicken and rice place had been on this street the whole time, but it took a few passes before it actually got noticed and tried.
• Not all rice is created equal: The rice here isn't broken rice (cơm tấm) — it's fried separately, which gives it a different color, texture, and flavor that's worth asking about if you don't recognize it.
• "Developing country" hits different when you live it: Watching construction happen in real time — new buildings going up constantly, the sound of drilling as a daily backdrop — makes the textbook definition of a developing economy feel a lot more real.
• Rainy season doesn't wait for you to finish lunch: What starts as a light rain can flood a street within minutes, turning a short walk back to the studio into a full production — sandals over sneakers, camera tucked away, and a lot of patience.

Chapters and Timestamps

• 00:00 – Heading out with Tay after wrapping Vietnam Content Marketing, rain already falling
• 02:00 – Nguyễn Thái Bình's reputation, and the neighborhood's mix of old and new
• 04:00 – Arriving at the fried chicken and rice spot, ordering fish sauce and garlic chicken
• 08:00 – Talking construction, development, and life as a foreigner watching Vietnam grow
• 11:00 – The bill, and Vietnamese love of being on camera
• 13:00 – Flash flooding on the walk back and sheltering from the rain
• 16:00 – Back at the studio, wrapping up the episode

"Send me a message!"

Book a free call with me here if you want to start your own podcast!

Support the show

🎙️ Recorded at Saigon Podcast Studio!

👉 www.saigonpodcaststudio.com

🎙️ Start Your Podcast Today!

👉 Book a FREE Discovery Call with me and let’s bring your idea to life!

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These are affiliate links, and I’ll earn a small commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you.

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