Dublin-born writer Connla Stokes has released his debut book Falling for Saigon, available online and in shops now.

Published by Brixton Ink Ltd., the book is an insider's introduction to the legendary city, via a collection of 10 essays about Stokes' own experiences, living in what has been renamed Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The book has already been receiving hugely positive reviews.

"Forget the travel guides,” said Elizabeth Becker, author of Overbooked and You Don’t Belong Here. "Read Falling for Saigon, a clear-eyed and lyrical love letter to modern Vietnam that flips the stale wartime image of the city. Connla Stokes eschews politics in his unpretentious testimony to Saigon’s charm: its ambience of food, families, friends, alleys and traffic and, always, more food.”

Born in Dublin just four months after Vietnam was reunified, Stokes moved there in 1999. He worked as a teacher before taking on the role of editor at a local Time Out. He’s written about Vitenam previously for publications like Monocle, the Guardian Weekly, CNN Travel, Travel + Leisure Asia and Mekong Review.

"Fifty years after the war, Ho Chi Minh City is no longer just a city of memory," we are told. "It’s a city of movement, where old and new collide in dazzling, unpredictable ways. In Falling for Saigon, Stokes shares ten vivid, affectionate essays about life in a metropolis that never seems to catch its breath.

"From the joy of nhau — those endless feasts of food, drink, and laughter — to the irresistible pull of a well-worn cafe stool on a rainy afternoon, he captures the nostalgia that so many feel for this place, whether they’ve left it behind or are still caught in its embrace."

The book cover features a hand-embroidered piece by Saigon-based artist Melody Lopez, who referenced an image taken by photographer Morgan Ommer on Nguyễn Công Trứ street in Phuong 19, Binh Thanh District.

Readers can purchase the book here.