Saigon, or Hồ Chí Minh City, is a busy, bustling, crazy and chaotic metropolis home to nearly 9 million people and over 7 million motorbikes.
"All tortoises are turtles, but not all turtles are tortoises—just like not all who wander are lost."
Niall Mackay sits down with James Hunt, an American expat in Vietnam known for his restaurant ventures like Brick and Barrel and Big Boss Bistro. However, James's story extends far beyond the world of fried chicken and culinary pursuits. He delves into his passion for wildlife photography, which initially drew him to Vietnam, and how it eventually led him to explore and document some of the country’s rarest creatures, including King Cobras and critically endangered species like pangolins.
James also shares the challenges and joys of navigating Vietnam’s stunning landscapes, from the rich biodiversity of Cat Tien National Park to remote, unexplored regions along the Laos border. Together, Niall and James discuss the growing awareness of conservation in Vietnam, touching on how recent government policies and grassroots efforts are making a difference. It’s a conversation about adventure, discovery, and the importance of preserving Vietnam's natural beauty.
Takeaways:
Chapters and Timestamps:
02:00 - Meeting James Hunt: From Fried Chicken to Photography
05:30 - How Vietnam Became Home for James
10:15 - Opening Restaurants During COVID: Big Boss Bistro and Brick and Barrel
14:20 - The Hidden Wildlife of Vietnam: Snakes, Birds, and More
18:15 - Conservation Efforts in Vietnam: A Changing Landscape
23:00 - Illegal Wildlife Trade: Challenges and Solutions
28:45 - Discovering Cat Tien Nat
🎙️ Recorded at Saigon Podcast Studio!
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Phuong Truong, "just another lesbian in town", is the owner of Twist coffee bar in Thao Dien, a fun place for everyone and a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community.
We discuss the LQBTQ+ community in Vietnam in the context of religion, region and generational acceptance.
We also talk about sex education in Vietnam in light of a recent story in VNExpress with the headline, It's not working: sex education makes teachers and students squirm and another story about a parent finding her 12 year old child had been watching pornography.
Phuong herself started watching pornography at only 8 years old.
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Theme music composed by Lewis Wright.
Main Cover Art designed by Niall Mackay.
Episode art designed by Niall Mackay, with pictures supplied by guests and used with permission.
Audio Engineer Luke Digweed.
These are the programs we use to create A Vietnam Podcast.
These are affiliate links so they will give us a small commission, only if you sign up , and at no extra cost to you! You'll be directly supporting Seven Million Bikes too.
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Website - 10 Web https://bit.ly/3HNTOoU
🎙️ Recorded at Saigon Podcast Studio!
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“I never thought I was going to have kids here… that wouldn’t have even crossed my mind.” — Claire Simpson
This episode with Claire really opened my eyes to a side of Vietnam I’ve never personally experienced but have always been curious about — what it’s actually like to be an expat parent here. I've interviewed entrepreneurs, creatives, teachers, founders… but motherhood is a whole different universe.
There were parts of this episode that surprised me, like how many expats assume you can’t buy diapers or formula here, or the fact that kindergarten can start as early as 6–9 months. And then the nanny story… wow. It’s one of the wildest behind-the-scenes expat-life stories I’ve ever heard on the podcast.
But the biggest takeaway for me is this: Vietnam can absolutely be an amazing place to raise a child — as long as you’re prepared, informed, and connected.
Key Talking Points
Episode Chapters & Timestamps
02:50 — Awards, Identity & Pregnancy
Claire talks about influencer awards, losing parts of her identity, and finding out she was pregnant.
06:30 — Navigating Healthcare & Maternity Packages
We dive into hospitals, costs, tests, translators, and what the maternity journey looks like in Vietnam.
12:50 — Motherhood Without Family Support
The emotional and practical challenges of being an expat mum, postpartum depression, and building a “tribe.”
17:45 — Raising Kids in Vietnam: Food, Formula, Kindergartens & Safety
Diapers, play areas, pollution, sidewalks, cultural attitudes toward children — the full picture.
28:30 — The Nanny Story: Contracts, Conflict & Lessons Learned
Claire shares the dramatic and eye-opening experience of hiring a nanny and the advice she wishes she had known.
🎙️ Recorded at Saigon Podcast Studio!
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Slawpi Đô, his pseudonym, shares why he is dedicated to learning Vietnamese. why he wants to be on Vietnamese TV, and talks about his military background, trying to start a business in Vietnam and learning to enjoy being unproductive.
In this episode Niall and Slawpi Đô talk about;
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Theme music composed by Lewis Wright.
Episode art designed by Niall Mackay on Canva
Audio Engineer Garrett McLean
These are the programs we use to create A Vietnam Podcast. These are affiliate links so they will give us a small commission, only if you sign up , and at no extra cost to you! You'll be directly supporting Seven Million Bikes too.
NordVPN | Descript | Buzzsprout | Canva | Fiverr | 10 Web
🎙️ Recorded at Saigon Podcast Studio!
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“The first thing I saw that I just loved so much is that the women here are so fearless.” — Amy Wenham
This conversation with Amy was one of those episodes where I found myself nodding almost the entire time. I’ve been talking about how badass Vietnamese women are for years, but Amy put language to things I’ve seen but could never fully articulate.
What I loved most is that she didn’t just compare Vietnam to the UK — she compared it to Dubai, a place where she saw firsthand how a country can transform itself, empower women, and build an entirely new entrepreneurial ecosystem. And according to her, Vietnam is on that trajectory too — maybe even faster.
We also explored identity, expectations, family pressure, and the very real tension between being a modern entrepreneur and living within traditional structures. It’s something every foreigner eventually observes here, but Amy broke it down with empathy and clarity.
Key Talking Points
Chapters & Timestamps
03:00 — Amy’s Journey From London to Dubai to Vietnam
Amy talks about arriving in Dubai, cultural shock, and eventually discovering the same energy in Vietnam.
10:00 — Feminine Power, Subservience & Small-Town vs City Life
We unpack the contrast between modern entrepreneurship and traditional expectations.
18:00 — The Pressures on Vietnamese Women: Family, Work, Marriage
Amy explains the invisible load women carry and how family structure supports — and pressures — them.
27:00 — Social Media Culture & The Myth of Virality
We talk about TikTok culture, “mukbang,” seeding, and why going viral is usually bad for business.
45:00 — Vietnam’s Future & Why It’s a ‘Mother’ Country
Why Vietnam’s growth will be heavily shaped by women — and why the country feels inherently feminine.
🎙️ Recorded at Saigon Podcast Studio!
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This episode’s guest, Tracey Nguyen Mang, is the founder and creator of the award winning podcast: The Vietnamese Boat People. This podcast shares the stories of hope, survival and resilience from the Vietnamese diaspora during 1975-1992.
Tracey was so interesting and engaging an interview it went for nearly two hours. It's been edited into two parts with bonus content available to the Seven Million Bikes Community.
In Part 2 Tracey shares about the Conversation Starter Kit they've developed to help children of Vietnamese Boat People break down barriers and get their family to comfortable open up about their painful past.
Read The Accompanying Blog Post.
Follow and Listen to the Vietnamese Boat People Podcast here.
Season 7 is sponsored by Blue Dragon's Children's Foundation and Saigon Children's Foundation. Please donate if you are in a position to.
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-------------------
Theme music composed by Lewis Wright.
Main Cover Art designed by Niall Mackay and Le Nguyen.
Episode art designed by Niall Mackay, with pictures supplied by guests and used with permission.
🎙️ 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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“If I really spent $4,000 a month, I’d have a villa and a problem.”
Having Markeiz back on Discover Vietnam felt like picking up a conversation we never really finished the first time. When he first joined me back in 2020, I was recording out of my bedroom, praying the iPhone wouldn’t ruin the audio. This time, we were sitting in a full podcast studio — lights, cameras, a technician, the whole lot. It made me think about how much this show has grown, and how much life in Vietnam has shaped both of us.
This episode wasn’t about headlines or clickbait. It was about getting past the noise — especially the noise created after his CNBC video “Living on $4,000 a Month in Vietnam” went viral. That title got people talking, but most of the reactions didn’t include the actual context. And nothing drives me madder than a story taken out of context.
I wanted to let him tell the full story himself — the chaos that brought him to Vietnam, the visa confusion everyone goes through, the reality behind that $4,000 figure, and why life here works for him. What I loved most is that the conversation wasn’t defensive. It was honest. It was grounded. It was two people who love living in Vietnam but also understand the complexities and privilege that come with that.
Key Talking Points
1. The Real Story Behind the “$4,000 in Vietnam” Headline
2. From Military Punishment to a Life Rebuilt Abroad
3. Visa Confusion, Missteps, and the Reality of Living Here
4. What Life in Vietnam Actually Costs — Not the Myths
5. Are Foreigners Really Driving Up Housing Prices?
Chapters & Timestamps
🎙️ Recorded at Saigon Podcast Studio!
👉 www.saigonpodcaststudio.com
🎙️ Start Your Podcast Today!
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This episode’s guest, Tracey Nguyen Mang, is the founder and creator of the Vietnamese Boat People podcast, an award winning podcast which shares the stories of the Vietnamese diaspora, and something that has often been discussed with previous guests on this show. Tracey was born the youngest of seven children, in Nha Trang Vietnam before her family risked their lives to flee Vietnam.
Tracey was just three when her family made it to the United States, where there were few Vietnamese people at the time. Growing up in New Orleans and North Virginia, speaking Vietnamese at home as her first language, she went to a public school where she was one of just a few minorities and in an effort to assimilate suppressing her “history and heritage to adapt and assimilate”. Partly due to the trauma of their journey and the will to fit into their new surroundings the family didn’t talk about their past.
Season 7 is sponsored by Blue Dragon's Children's Foundation and Saigon Children's Foundation. Please donate if you are in a position to.
https://www.bluedragon.org/donate/
https://www.saigonchildren.com/engage/covid-19-crisis-2/
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Buy us a coffee
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Support the show
https://www.patreon.com/AVietnamPodcast
-------------------
Theme music composed by Lewis Wright.
Main Cover Art designed by Niall Mackay and Le Nguyen.
Episode art designed by Niall Mackay, with pictures supplied by guests and used with permission.
🎙️ 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.
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Donate to Ukraine!
I met Anastasia Sokyrka in Government Quarantine in 2020 at the start of the pandemic. You can listen to my episode with her and my wife, Adrie, about our experiences while we were living them.
Since then we have become close friends, a silver lining of a tough experience (17 days with no mattress, no air con and no booze!)
Finally, after two years of the pandemic Anastasia was able to return to her home of Ukraine and reunite with her family. Despite the fact that Russia was escalating it's forces on the Ukrainian border and the threat of was was real, Anastasia needed to see her family and take that risk.
Unfortunately, 5 days after she arrived she awoke at 5am to the sound of the first rocket attack and her life changed in an instant.
In this episode Anastasia shares in detail;
* why she made the decision to return home
* what it felt like to be under attack and sheltering in her basement
* how her family escaped from Kharkiv and eventually made it to the Polish border
* the reality of being a refugee and having to leave behind your home and family members
* how she was able to return to Vietnam with her mother
And how YOU can help support Ukraine.
Click here for a list of trusted websites to donate to.
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-------------------
Theme music composed by Lewis Wright.
Main Cover Art designed by Niall Mackay.
Episode art designed by Niall Mackay, with pictures supplied by guests and used with permission.
Audio Engineer Luke Digweed.
These are the programs we use to create A Vietnam Podcast.
These are affiliate links so they will give us a small commission, only if you sign up , and at no extra cost to you! You'll be directly supporting Seven Million Bikes too.
Editing - Descript
Host - Buzzsprout
Design - Canva
Support - Fiverr
Website - 10 Web
🎙️ 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.
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If you enjoy content about life in Vietnam, food adventures, and great conversations, hit that subscribe button.
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Join The Community with Zion!
Zion Johnson is a former Transactivist, a writer and Seven Million Bikes superfan. He is the only person in the world to have a Seven Million Bikes tattoo!
In this episode we talk about;
- Zion's gender journey
- his trans-activism in the US
- transitioning from a black female to a black man
- woke culture
- why he decided to leave the U.S and settle in Vietnam
- life as a trans person in Vietnam
On The Road To Zion
Zion's Blog.
As mentioned by Zion.
Follow Seven Million Bikes on Facebook or Instagram.
Buy us a coffee.
-------------------
Theme music composed by Lewis Wright.
Main Cover Art designed by Niall Mackay.
Episode art designed by Niall Mackay, with pictures supplied by guests and used with permission.
Audio Engineer Luke Digweed.
These are the programs we use to create A Vietnam Podcast.
These are affiliate links so they will give us a small commission, only if you sign up , and at no extra cost to you! You'll be directly supporting Seven Million Bikes too.
Editing - Descript
Host - Buzzsprout
Design - Canva
Support - Fiverr
Website - 10 Web
🎙️ 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!
The opening guest of Season 7 is Brian Letwin, a New Yorker in Saigon since 2010. Brian is the co-founder and CEO of the Urbanist Network which includes Saigoneer, Urbanist Vietnam and Urbanist Hanoi.
Using his 15 years experience working in digital media both on the agency and publisher side Saigoneer has now been running since 2013.
Recorded in late August when Saigon was still under strict lockdown we try to keep covid and lockdown chat to a minimum. Fortunately being a digital product Saigoneer and the Urbanist Network is still operating without any loss of staff and is still keeping Bryan busy. Like many people, he is enjoying spending time at home with his young daughter, and feels fortunate to have a full fridge.
Season 7 is sponsored by Blue Dragon's Children's Foundation.
and Saigon Children's Foundation.
Please donate if you are in a position to.
-------------------
Theme music composed by Lewis Wright.
Main Cover Art designed by Niall Mackay and Le Nguyen.
Episode art designed by Niall Mackay, with pictures supplied by guests and used with
permission.
Read the Blog Post
Season 6 is sponsored by Eddie's New York Deli & Diner.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
Buy us a coffee or beer!
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!