252: 5 urban lessons from Vietnam
Welcome to 2026 — and to the first English episode of the seventh season of Urbcast.
In this solo episode, I take you to Vietnam, not as a tourist, but as an urbanist.
After almost three weeks spent in Vietnamese cities and rural areas, I share five urban reflections that strongly contrast with European ways of thinking about planning, mobility, daily rhythms, and the relationship between cities and everyday life.
We’ll talk about: – the street as the living room of the city – the scooter as the backbone of the transport system – religion that “doesn’t officially exist,” yet is everywhere – early mornings and the rhythm of the day – the symbiosis between city and countryside
At the end, there’s also a bonus topic on communism as background, design, and pop culture.
🎁 Here you’ll find a short, practical travel PDF with my Vietnam itinerary, tested on the ground: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ubqjkjarHFskl67_oQfq-Zfd-JR7rYxzQZCc3xrFo0k/edit?usp=sharing File → Download → PDF
