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L’Usine Journal is a round-up of what’s happening at L’Usine and in town, published every other month.
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HOLIDAY EDITION
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ISSUE #3
Winter Wonderland
T
he holidays are here! It’s our favourite time of year - time for mince pies, mulled wine, and lots of festive cheer. It may not feel like Christmas down on the steamy streets of Saigon, but we’ve been hard at it decking the halls for the last few months, to ensure it feels a lot like Christmas at L’Usine. Thanks to the army of talented elves we have been working with, we have got hand-made rustic wreaths, fuss-free christmas trees, statement wire reindeer and snow-white leather stools, plus Christmas decorations galore and a full-proof gift guide to ensure there is something for everyone under the tree.
We’ve also got a new menu of seasonal specials for a little taste of home - a killer turkey lettuce and tomato sandwich, roast turkey roulade with cranberry sauce, and a twist on our fave soup, chestnut and pumpkin, plus two holiday drinks that no Christmas would be complete without. In this issue we catch up with supermodel Ha Anh Vu to find out what Christmas in Saigon means for her. We’ve got the recipe for our classic eggnog, plus we give you the inside scoop on what L’Usine’s little helpers have been up to in the lead up to Christmas. We hope you enjoy, and wish you all a very happy holiday.
my Christmas in saigon An interview with Ha Anh Vu
brand profile Trois Filles
Recipe Eggnog
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old saigon
m uch more inside
How Saigon has done Christmas through the years
L’USINE JOURNAL - August 2015
@goldfjsh
@housedoctordk
@vjkaylee
@voluspa
Nhã Trúc spotted in our new Trois Filles kimono dress for Yeah1!TV in D5’s accessories market
For a super-chic Chrstmas with a Skandi twist, stock up on House Doctor homewares and follow their account for chic decor inspo
Our fave MTV VJ Kaylee has been hanging out at L’Usine lately. For eclectic style snaps and a glimpse into life as a girl about town.
Christmas fragrances in a rainbox of jewel tones make these Voluspa a perfect pressie for a lucky friend.
trois filles
trendsetter
T
rois Filles was born with L’Usine and nearly five years on, it remains one of our our best selling brands. The ethos behind Trois filles is simple - easy, wearable, hard-working fashion for women, that will take them from board meeting to bar and on to Sunday brunch.
We’ve got a special holiday collection in stores this month, a feast of Christmas sparkles and metallics to keep you rocking around the Christmas tree.
KAY LEE- VJ Top: Topshop Skirt: Vintage Bag : Valerie Cordier @L’Usine Ankle boots: Vintage Sunglasses: Sunday Somewhere @L’Usine
MY SAIGON AS X-MIN
HA ANH VU Model, presenter, goodwill ambassador, author and all round superstar, Ha Anh is one of the most talked about personalities in Vietnam. She’s become the face of a new generation of young, forward thinking, cosmopolitan Vietnamese women who is both fiercely proud of her home country but also partial to a bit of international shopping! We caught up with her, to hear what happens at Christmas chez Ha Anh Vu...
How do you celebrate the holidays in Saigon? I work in Saigon so, for the holidays I try get out to the beach or abroad. Occassionally I have to work over the holidays, and so I’ll either book a space and throw a party or cook and have dinner at home. Either way, it’s always fun! Where is your favourite place for Christmas shopping? London! I spent nine years studying and working as a model in England, four of which I spent in London. It’s always a great buzz walking around, listening to Christmas music, admiring the Christmas decorations. The displays are always so beautiful to look at and the energy of the city is incredible. I always love going shopping there even though it’s known to be the most expensive city in the world. But it’s worth it! What is your earliest Christmas memory? I was born and raised in Vietnam so we didn’t celebrate Christmas. However my family are writers and filmmakers, and therefore they travelled a lot and so they brought Christmas back with them. Me and my little sister as kids often put our shoes under the Christmas tree (that we also decorated) and waited for gifts from Santa. We also wrote to him every year. My sister always wished for lots of gifts while I usually just wanted to thank him for what I got the year before.
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We truly believed in Santa and it was an amazing gift from our parents even though it was hard to convince the other kids that Santa existed because they never received any gifts from him! Where’s the best place in Saigon for New Year? Sometimes I am asked to do a count down at a bar or club in town, which is great because all of my friends come and we dance a lot and have lots of fun. Sometimes we’ll go to a friend’s gig, or they come to us and we celebrate new year together. It always involves food, fun and an occasional sunrise. What are you plans for Christmas this year? Me and my fiance Olly will be in London to see our family and friends. He is from London and I have spent a lot of my time there so we are excited to be going together. What’s your most memorable New Year’s Eve? When I was a little girl in Hanoi, we had fire crackers. Right on the dot of midnight you could hear them everywhere and I would stand on the pavement down from my grandparents apartment with all of my family to welcome that special hour in the chill weather of Hanoi, with maybe a bit of spring rain. Then we went for a spring walk and came back to drink wine, eat food and as kids, we were given lucky money. It was always a lot of culture and tradition, which is how it should be - I love it!
@komono According men’s lifestyle bible GQ, Komono are one of the world’s top watch brands - we are not going to argue. In stores now.
eggnog ingredients 2 eggs 15gm brown sugar 2gm nutmeg
150ml fresh milk 150ml whipping cream 1 vanilla stick
Separate the yolks from the whites. Whisk the yolks with all the other ingredients until light and fluffy. Over a low heat, slowly bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Put it in the fridge to cool, while you wrap your presents, and enjoy! (Add a slug of rum for extra festive cheer).
L’USINE’s little HELPERs
FOR YOUR MOTHER IN LAW
Skinny Coconut beauty box
FOR DIFFICULT DADS
Native Union accessories
saying merry christmas in different languagues
A taste of Christmas ‘Tis the season to be greedy! Turkey sandwiches and mulled wine. Close your eyes and you could be at home A bar of Marou Hidden in selected bars of Marou at L’Usine are golden tickets each of which can be redeemed for a surprise prize!
S A N T A
L’Usine tote bag Gym kit, laptop, groceries, and all your Christmas shopping. Our new L’ Usine totes fit it all. String Theory Blankets Nothing quite like curling up in a blanket after a Christmas feast, to watch an old movie.
Hand made Christmas cards Send some festive cheer to loved ones on a hand-made Christmas card Richer for Poorer Socks Festive feet for the holidays
A MERRY L’USINE
CHRISTMAS IN NUMBERS
FOR LITTLE BOYS
Londji games
M E T E R S
Giáng sinh vui vẻ VIETNAMESE
Joyeux Noël
Sita Raiter Kids dresses
FOR HIM
Daniel Wellington & Briston watches
FOR THE FRIEND YOU WANT TO SPOIL
L’Usine jewelry
FRENCH
Meri Kurisumasu JAPANESE
how to DECORATE YOUR OWN L’USINE CHRISMAS TREE
SPANISH
Frohe Weihnachten GERMAN
Merry Christmas ENGLISH
Seng Dan Fai Lok CHINESE (MADARIN)
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CONTAIN
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CAN COVER UP THE STAIRCASE TO L’USINE DONG KHOI
DOMES
50
DEERS
60 SKIS
15 PINE TREES
IN A PEAR
TREE
TWINKLING LIGHTS
120SNOW HANDMADE
A partridge
METERS OF FAIRY LIGHTS
150
CHRISTMAS TREES 0 0L L ITR OO ES O SCH F MULL ED WINE EQUAL 1 SNOWMEN
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We all love the idea of an evergreen tree adorned with ornaments you’ve collected over the years, standly proudly in your living room over Christmas.... The reality however, is harder to pull off, especially in the tropics. Save yourself a whole load of hassle with our all new minimalist trees. Motor-bike friendly, get it home, turn on the lights and hey presto! All you need now are the presents to pile underneath it.
Feliz Navidaz
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FOR A MINI FASHIONISTA
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SW IMMING PO
A sneak peak behind our fave instagram accounts this month
D E A R
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as d like m t s i r h for C I woul
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FIR CONES
L’USINE JOURNAL - June 2015
brought to you by
six rare photos of christmas in old saigon
FRIENDS EAT
SLEEP
Cuc Gach Quan - VN resto Classic Vietnamese home-style food, set in charming traditional Vietnamese house (+84)8 3848 0144 www.cucgach.com.vn 10 Đặng Tất, Tân Định Ward, District 1, Hồ Chí Minh
Villa Song - Luxury hotel Set on a stretch of the atmospheric Saigon River, Villa Song is one of Saigon’s top boutique hotels (+84)8 3744 6090 www.villasong.com | info@ villasong.com 197/2 Nguyễn Văn Hưởng, Thảo Điền, Quận 2, Ho Chi Minh City
Lubu - Mediterranean resto Excellent Mediterranean in the leafy suburbs of District 2 (+84)8 6281 8371 www.luburestaurant.com 97 Thảo Điền, An Phú, Distrct 2, Hồ Chí Minh Tib - VN resto Excellent Vietnamese serving specialities from the former imperial capital Hue. (+84)8 3829 7242 www.tibrestaurant.com.vn 187 Hai Bà Trưng, Ward 6, District 3, Hồ Chí Minh
Alcove Hotel - Boutique hotel Off-the beaten track boutique hotel, for culture lovers www.alcovehotel.com.vn | alcove@alcovehotel.com.vn (+84)8 6256 9966 / 9977 Hotline: +84. 938 979 000 133A Nguyễn Đình Chính, Ward 8, Phú Nhuận District, Ho Chi Minh Hotel Des Arts - Boutique hotel New boutique hotel on the block, the Hotel Des Arts, is super chic, right in the centre of town, and has
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he brightly lit Christmas decorations of downtown Saigon get more elaborate each year. In the 1960s, though still a popular holiday in the South, Christmas was decidedly analogue as these awesome picture attest.
a killer rooftop bar (+84) 8 3989 8888 | h9231@ accor.com 76 78 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai St District 3
PAMPER The Hair Bar - Blow-dry bar For a little last minute pampering stop by Hair Bar for a pre-party blow dry and a glass of fizz 18001108 www.hairbar.vn | lienhe@hairbar.vn 68 Ngô Đức Kế, Bến Nghé Ward, District 1, Hồ Chí Minh City
EXPLORE Les Rives - Boat Tour agency See Saigon in style, on one of Les Rives glam speedboat tours, or book the yacht for sundowners on the river (+84 ) 128 592 0018 http://lesrivesexperience.com bookings@lesrivesexperience.com
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L’USINE
10 Tôn Đức Thắng, Bến Nghé, 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam Detoured Asia - Alternative tour agency To see a side of Saigon the guidebooks won’t tell you about, get in touch with Detoured Asia. (+84)168 597 6136 http://detouredasia.com/ detouredasia@gmail.com
PARTY Glow - Rooftop bar Killer roof-top views, mean cocktails and a club called Play, downstairs to continue the party. (+84)9388 74569 www.glowsaigon.vn President Palace, Floor 13, 93 Nguyen Du, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City Observatory - Club If there’s a new act in town or cool kid on the block, the Observatory will know about it
(+84) 8 3925 9415 www.theobservatory-hcmc.com 5 Nguyễn Tất Thành, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City
SHOP District Eight - Furniture store An iconic modern industrial furniture store and factory in a restored colonical townhouse in District 8. (+84) 8 39 516 467 www.districteightdesign.com | info@districteightdesign.com 343 - 345 Ben Binh Dong Street, Ward 11, District 8, Hồ Chí Minh Saigon Art Book - Art shop and Gallery Gallery and shop showcasing Saigon’s most exciting up-andcoming artists and illustrators (+84)8 3502 1559 www.saigonartbook.com | info@ saigonartbook.com 43 Đồng Khởi, Bến Nghé Ward, District 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam