Many aliens who have been stranded in Vietnam have tried their best to survive tough times here during the protracted pandemic. In several cases, they have to do all kinds of jobs available to pay for food and accommodation. They have also received hearty support from local communities. Irina Khmylnikova from Belarus is one of them.

Over the past two months, Saigonese passing by Tan Dinh Market in District 1 have seen a Westerner selling cakes to locals. Every day, the vendor appears two times, from seven to eight o’clock in the morning and from four to five o’clock in the afternoon. She is Irina Khmylnikova, 47, who is often addressed as “Irina” by some locals, or simply “the Western cake seller.”