Dear readers,

First of all, we – “Loved, Saigon” want to send sincere thanks to you for reading our articles on this website. Project “Loved, Saigon” started its journey because of our fates with this “sleepless” city. We all came from different places throughout the beloved S-shaped land, but none of us was born and raised in Saigon. We haven’t been here for a very time, just about three or four months. But somehow, Saigon attracts us in its own way. And therefore, we decided to explore Saigon, as a traveler, as a friend.

Many topics that we wanted to explore were already done. But, it seems that it was also a strange destiny; we met ordinary workers in Saigon who appear in every street, every ward, every district, but usually are neglected. We want to listen and share their stories with people like us and other “Saigonese” to make them understand, appreciate, and love these idyllic beauties. They often are ignored in daily life, so that through telling their stories, we want to make people understand more about their lives and their thoughts. Therefore, we want people to appreciate their personalities, their jobs, and what they are doing. After all, we hope that people will realize these beauties and love them.

Because writing for people like us – people from a far who had been and will always want to come to Saigon, we do not use an extensive survey or research. We all think that whenever a person wants to go to a particular city and understand people there, we tend to prefer listening to the stories rather than looking at massive data. Our stories, therefore, are neither florid nor rigid. We want to create the closest, dearest space like any normal conversation in Saigon so that you can feel “Saigonese” enough. We all think that those small stories are more effective and meaningful than a large amount of data so that we choose this expression to fully meet our purposes. We know that people who are not yet living here or even living but do not have contact with these ordinary laborers might not know much about them. Therefore, to portray pure Saigonese spirits, those real-life stories will help you ponder your thoughts to better understand Saigon.

Of course, we also expect Saigon people to read and love our articles in the “Loved, Saigon” project. You are the ones who have more experiences and memories here than us and who have witnessed the changes of Saigon in nearly half a century so that you are the ones who will understand the emotions that we had experienced more than anyone else. However, we hope, or can also say, that is ambition, you will have different perspectives on Saigon – a brand new Saigon in the eyes of migrants which might be as exciting as the Saigon you already have known. And perhaps, some of the characters we have written about are familiar to you. These untold stories will give you an insight into them.

Last but not least, being a Vietnamese, we are proud to share with our international friends about the beauty of working people in Saigon – where millions of foreign visitors come to visit each year. That is the reason why we are trying to provide an English version for the “Loved, Saigon” project so that international friends can easily access our information. We know that international newspapers have written a lot about bad experiences here, but we want to tell you that there are still many friendly and hospitable Saigonese. We hope that these stories will make you more excited, determined, and willing to say “Hello, Saigon” because we are always welcome you.

Hoping that our shared stories and experiences can help you understand more about the ordinary workers in Saigon to respect, love, and help them when they need it.

Sincere,

“Loved, Saigon”