April 2026
What was supposed to be a simple, breezy week-long border run to Phnom Penh has turned into a bureaucratic existential crisis. But hey, at least the coffee is keeping me going. Here is how my week tasted:
1. ENSO Cafe
The Vibe: I woke up way earlier than most sensible cafes care to open. After a morning stroll to the Independence Monument, I stumbled on this spot. I’m sitting outside under a roof with a nice breeze, learning a little Khmer: Some cafe trojeak moo-oy (an iced coffee, please).
The Damage: 12,300 Riels (about $3).
The Brew: It’s not even 7:30 AM yet and the heat from the sun is already intense. The cold brew is absolute perfection.
Socials: IG: @ensocafe
Language practice: Good Morning = Arun Suostei. Thank you = Orkūn.
2. 1987 Pang + Café
The Brew: I ordered an Iced Coconut Coffee. It’s notably less sweet than the ones you get across the border in Vietnam—and honestly, that’s probably a good thing.
The Vibe: The staff here were polite enough to actually ask, “Normal sweet or extra sweet?” In Vietnam, they don’t ask; they just drop the sugar bomb. I respect both approaches, but I told them, “Normal. The way you do it in Cambodia!” Et voilà, here we are.
Soundtrack of the moment: Charles Mingus – Myself When I’m Real 🎶
Socials: IG: @1987_pangcafe / TT: @1987.pang.and.cafe
3. Misterbrew Coffee (Norodom)
The Vibe: Upon walking in, the staff strategically deployed their most capable English speaker—a young, quaking guy whom I unintentionally accosted with a barrage of investigative questions about what I should order. Bless him, he walked me through an impressive explanation of three different specialty coffees. Together, we decided I should try the Café Samai Derm (the original/traditional style). Side note: Samai means “era” or “generation”.
The Brew: I got it because the barista told me it was his personal favorite and that he drinks it every single day. He wasn’t lying. It’s good. I’m happy.
Socials: IG: @misterbrew_kh / TT: @misterbrewcoffee
4. Brown Coffee
The Brew: Iced Americano.
The Reality Check: To be totally honest, I didn’t even finish it, and I was hardly conscious of what it tasted like. It was definitely good and strong, but my head was entirely somewhere else.
The Visa Intermission (Where things go sideways)
I am currently having serious visa issues. I thought this was going to be an easy run: leave Vietnam on a bus at 9:45 AM on Monday, June 1st, cross the border, apply for a new 90-day visa online, and just hang out and enjoy Phnom Penh for a week. I’d get my approved visa, be happy, and board a return bus on Sunday, June 7th.
The universe—or rather, the Vietnam Embassy in Hanoi—had completely different plans.
On Tuesday, they replied: “You must leave VN before applying for a visa.” But I did leave! I received that same exact automated message again on Thursday, and again on Friday. I have been frantically trying to send them proof, namely a clear photo of the VN exit stamp in my passport dated June 1st. I thought all they needed to see was that my IP address was in Cambodia, but apparently not.
So now, here I sit on Friday, June 5th. I took a speeding tuk-tuk to the VN Embassy here in Phnom Penh this morning to literally plead for help. Then, I had to take another frantic return tuk-tuk ride in the afternoon after getting ANOTHER “please leave VN” email from Hanoi. We took yet another photo of my exit stamp and blasted it off to them.
The Phnom Penh Embassy finally told me that if Hanoi refuses me again, I need to come back to them with my physical passport and $80, and they will expedite it. Because of this mess, I’ve already had to extend my hotel stay through Thursday and haven’t even booked a return bus yet. I can’t. I have no idea how long I’ll be here. Riding in the tuk-tuk today, watching the city blur past, I seriously questioned myself: “Why am I doing this? What’s the point? Should I just stop?”
5. Slope Coffee
The Brew: Back on the horse. Iced Americano.
The Damage: 6,000 Riels (an incredibly reasonable $1.50).
Socials: IG: @theslope_coffee / TT: @theslopecoffee
The coffee is cheap, the cafes are beautiful, but please, Hanoi… just approve my stamp so I can get back to Nam.
June 2026
2april26
The Saint Matthew Lê Văn Gẫm Shrine (Đền Thánh Matthêu Lê Văn Gẫm) perfectly encapsulates the spiritual and historical complexity of Saigon.
Located at 47D Nguyen Trai Street.
The shrine isn’t just a pretty building; it’s a site of deep significance for the Vietnamese Catholic community. It is dedicated to Matthêu Lê Văn Gẫm, a local merchant and martyr who was executed nearby in 1847 for his faith.
The small monument you see in the courtyard marks the spot associated with his sacrifice. For locals, this isn’t just a historic site—it’s a living space of prayer and remembrance.
In the glass case, is The Instrument of Martyrdom.
The wooden bar in the case is the actual shackle (or a faithful replica of the one) that was locked around Matthew Lê Văn Gẫm’s neck and wrists during his imprisonment. In 19th-century Vietnam, the cangue was a standard method of punishing and humiliating prisoners. They were forced to wear it while walking from the prison to the execution grounds to exhaust and shame them publicly.
For the local Catholic community, this isn’t just a piece of wood—it’s a symbol of his “Way of the Cross.”
The Arrest: Matthew was a merchant who used his boat to secretly transport European missionaries into Vietnam.
The Trial: He was arrested at the Cần Giờ coast and spent nearly a year in prison. He was repeatedly pressured to “trample the cross” (renounce his faith) to earn his freedom, but he refused.
The Execution: On May 11, 1847, he was led to this very spot—then an open field called the “Da Còm” execution ground—wearing this heavy yoke before being beheaded.
Fascinating! And I just stumbled upon it on one of my wanderings. The attendant was so kind and she came up to me and explained anything I had questions about. From what I gathered, Saint Matthew Lê Văn Gẫm’s bones are constantly on tour throughout Vietnam for people to see him and pray. They used to be housed here in a mausoleum. Don’t quote me on that, it’s just what I understood from our conversation.
1april2026
She is the most beloved figure in Southern Vietnamese Buddhism, seen as a protector who hears the cries of those in distress. You’ll find her at the entrance of many alleys to “guard” the residents living inside.
1april2026
The main slogan:
“Đảng gắn bó mật thiết với nhân dân, dựa vào nhân dân để xây dựng Đảng!”
“The Party is closely bound to the people, relying on the people to build the Party!”
The small text at the top reads: celebrating the 96th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam (3/2/1930 – 3/2/2026). So this is a fresh one, printed this year for the February 3rd anniversary.
The cast of characters is textbook socialist realism: soldier, construction worker, businesswoman, farmer/worker woman, and a Young Pioneer child with the red scarf. The modern skyline behind them includes what looks like Landmark 81 and the Thu Thiem Bridge. Lotus flowers along the bottom, Vietnam’s national flower. The hammer and sickle on a red banner flying over all of it.
The message is the party’s core pitch: we exist because of you, we serve you, we need you. The reality is a one-party state where nobody voted for any of the people who approved this poster. But the lotus flowers are nice.
This mural depicts one of Vietnam’s most iconic architectural landmarks: the Khue Van Cac (Pavilion of the Constellation of Literature), located within the Temple of Literature (Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám) in Hanoi.
Above: A shutter in Central Saigon.
Below: You see these xích lô drivers everywhere in Saigon, but I love how this one looks parked in front of the mural. It’s like a living gallery wall where the traditional meets the modern street scene.
March 2026
I’m sitting here watching the street breathe. It’s organized chaos in its purest form. You see it in the way a motorbike glides past, carrying a giant framed mirror like it’s nothing more than a backpack, reflecting the city back at itself. It’s in the quiet dignity of nón lás (conical hats) resting against a green lamppost, a flash of tradition pinned against the grit of the modern pavement.
March2026
March 2026
May 2026
