The honey-coloured Cha Tam Church in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 5. (Photo: The New York Times Style Magazine)

A short period of enthusiastic foreign investment, rapid urbanization, and a burgeoning labor force have made Vietnam one of the fastest growing economies in the world, with vibrant, stylish, youthful Ho Chi Minh City as its spearhead, the article said. While taller and taller buildings reshape its skyline, the city manages to stay firmly in touch with tradition.

The article describes popular streets, daily life, cuisine, famous fashion brands created by Vietnamese designers, and an exploding number of art spaces in Ho Chi Minh City.