Discover Vietnam: A Vietnam Podcast

I’m your host, Niall Mackay. Each week I share my personal stories, my wife and I's and with guests connected to Vietnam — entrepreneurs, artists, locals, Viet Kieu, expats, and voices from across the community, including the LGBTQ+ world. Discover Vietnam: A Vietnam Podcast takes you inside the stories shaping life in one of the world’s most dynamic countries. The conversations are honest and unscripted. Sometimes funny, sometimes challenging — always real. Together, we discover what it means to live, work, and thrive in modern Vietnam. If you’re curious about Vietnam beyond the headlines and guidebooks, this podcast offers the insights and perspectives you won’t hear anywhere else.

Discover Vietnam: A Vietnam Podcast is a society podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 434 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Discover Vietnam: A Vietnam Podcast, a society show with 434 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Discover Vietnam: A Vietnam Podcast

  Rewind: Being An Influencer, Starting A Blog, Break Ups and Dating In Saigon | Frances Fraser-Reid S4 E1

  Sep 7, 20261h 5m

  Recorded pre-quarantine, pre-lockdown this episode was intended to be the first of Season 3, recorded at Waves studio. As you may well know, season 3 became the Quarantine Season and I haven't been able to record any more episodes yet for season 4. So to celebrate one year of Seven Million Bikes I dusted down the file off the shelf and am releasing it for your listening pleasure as a bonus episode to start Season 4. Look out for new episodes as soon as I am able to! Frances is a travel blogger with the well-know blog So The Adventure Begins . She is also well-known for her pink Honda cub she is often seen driving around Saigon. She has been living in Saigon now for three years and is the first Scottish guest to join me on the show. Don't worry, you can understand us! We talk about her not being an influencer, why she started a blog, breaking up and dating in Saigon, out homeland and of course Scottish accents. There is the unplanned ubiquitous shout out as always for Matt Ryan! And his deep-fried Mars Bars. "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! Edit Videos Like a Pro with Descript! I use Descript to create my content—try it for FREE here: Protect Your Privacy with NordVPN! Get 70% OFF their 2-year plan and enjoy a secure, ad-free internet! These are affiliate links, and I’ll earn a small commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you. ✅ Subscribe for More! If you enjoy content about life in Vietnam, food adventures, and great conversations, hit that subscribe button. Follow Me on Instagram Visit My Website Join Our Community !

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  Discover Vietnam: A Vietnam Podcast

  Bún bò | Lunch Walks #5

  Sep 3, 202626 min

  Welcome back to Lunch Walk #5! Starting from Saigon Podcast Studio on Pasteur Street in the Nguyen Thai Binh neighborhood (District 1), we go down a history rabbit hole — a vanished canal, a 150-year-old bridge tied to Gustave Eiffel's company, and the wild engineering behind the Thủ Thiêm Tunnel — before finishing up with a bowl of bún bò at a historic building on Ton That Dam Street. Key Takeaways: The lost canal: Pasteur Street (formerly Pellerin) once ran along a canal through the heart of Saigon, filled in decades ago. A look at the shophouses and Cantonese and Tamil immigrant communities that once lined the route. Cầu Mống ("Rainbow Bridge"): Built around 1880, ~150 years old, and engineered by a company linked to Gustave Eiffel. Originally a road bridge connecting District 1 and District 4, later dismantled and rebuilt during tunnel construction. The Thủ Thiêm Tunnel: Finished in 2011 (years behind schedule thanks to unexpectedly soft riverbed soil), built using the "tube tunnel" method: four ~26,000-ton tubes dredged into a trench under the Saigon River and connected with millimeter-level precision. A functional building with character: The unassuming structure managing the tunnel's ventilation, drainage, and lighting — designed to actually fit the neighborhood. Lunch stop: Bún bò at a historic building on Ton That Dam Street, now home to cafes, vintage shops, and cocktail bars tucked above a street of Vietnamese-only menus. Timestamps 00:00 — Intro from Saigon Podcast Studio 03:07 — Cầu Mống, the Rainbow Bridge & its Eiffel connection 09:16 — How the Thủ Thiêm "tube tunnel" was built 13:56 — Arriving at the lunch spot on Ton That Dam Street 18:33 — Plans for a "Discover Vietnam" series & walking tours 20:33 — Bún bò arrives "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! Edit Videos Like a Pro with Descript! I use Descript to create my content—try it for FREE here: Protect Your Privacy with NordVPN! Get 70% OFF their 2-year plan and enjoy a secure, ad-free internet! These are affiliate links, and I’ll earn a small commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you. ✅ Subscribe for More! If you enjoy content about life in Vietnam, food adventures, and great conversations, hit that subscribe button. Follow Me on Instagram Visit My Website Join Our Community !

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  Discover Vietnam: A Vietnam Podcast

  Rewind: Catching up with JK Hobson | S3 E5

  Aug 31, 202659 min

  This was recorded via Skype from quarantine, you may have to turn the volume up. For no other real reason than I haven't spoken to Jay in nearly a month and is one of my favourite people to talk to, I call up JK Hobson to have a chat about the state of the world today, life on the outside and how he is coping with quarantine. "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! Edit Videos Like a Pro with Descript! I use Descript to create my content—try it for FREE here: Protect Your Privacy with NordVPN! Get 70% OFF their 2-year plan and enjoy a secure, ad-free internet! These are affiliate links, and I’ll earn a small commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you. ✅ Subscribe for More! If you enjoy content about life in Vietnam, food adventures, and great conversations, hit that subscribe button. Follow Me on Instagram Visit My Website Join Our Community !

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  Discover Vietnam: A Vietnam Podcast

  Mì gà | Lunch Walks #4

  Aug 27, 202639 min

  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 "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! Edit Videos Like a Pro with Descript! I use Descript to create my content—try it for FREE here: Protect Your Privacy with NordVPN! Get 70% OFF their 2-year plan and enjoy a secure, ad-free internet! These are affiliate links, and I’ll earn a small commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you. ✅ Subscribe for More! If you enjoy content about life in Vietnam, food adventures, and great conversations, hit that subscribe button. Follow Me on Instagram Visit My Website Join Our Community !

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  Discover Vietnam: A Vietnam Podcast

  Rewind: Life on the outside; Lawrence Young | S3 E4

  Aug 24, 202650 min

  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! Edit Videos Like a Pro with Descript! I use Descript to create my content—try it for FREE here: Protect Your Privacy with NordVPN! Get 70% OFF their 2-year plan and enjoy a secure, ad-free internet! These are affiliate links, and I’ll earn a small commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you. ✅ Subscribe for More! If you enjoy content about life in Vietnam, food adventures, and great conversations, hit that subscribe button. Follow Me on Instagram Visit My Website Join Our Community !

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