Ho Ho Hong Kong

With four massive sold-out Coldplay concerts, and the Rugby 7s weekend, the new Hong Kong Kai Tai Stadium has finally opened its doors! And there is no one better at giving a full review of the events, the stadium and all the fun trivia, than our guest, comedian Garron Chiu. Garron worked on multiple ad campaigns for those events as part of his job, and he saw 2 Coldplay concerts in the same week!...

Malaysian comedian Rizal Van Geyzel's show "Arrested" tells an incredible story of what happens when a perfect mix of self-absorbed "influencer" foolishness, government inefficiency, and social media frenzy ultimately leads to his arrest and him losing his comedy club. Rizal tells us the full story.   Catch Rizal's show "Arrested" at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival: https://www.comedyf...

We are back after a quick one-week break as Vivek heads to Australia and NZ for a tour, but we catch up right before he leaves. Big news: Vivek is technically single, and he is taking the opportunity to do the most useless "optimization" tasks. Bakehouse long lines are kind of disappearing? And Christian Action opens Hong Kong's first ethnic minorities museum, Diversity Hub.   Check out Diversity...

Apologies for the late upload! You might understand why when you listen to this episode. Host Mohammed Magdi witnesses a horrific incident in his neighborhood. He shares the details of his experience as we try to process it.  Warning: This episode has many references to self-harm and some graphic details. Dim Sum Daily coverage: https://www.dimsumdaily.hk/26-year-old-woman-found-dead-after-fall-in...

It's not a new phenomenon for local residents of a place with high tourist traffic to be annoyed by the inconvenience tourists cause sometimes; it's normal. What is new is tourists in Hong Kong not really caring much for Hong Kong's world-famous skyline or its beautiful nature and instead going to some random coffee shops and posing for photos for long photo sessions, all doing the same poses, jus...

Ramadan is here, and we chat all about Ramadan in Hong Kong. Host Mohammed Magdi explains why he believes observing Ramadan is a good practice, while the other host, Vivek Mahbubani, tries really hard to find "cheat codes."   Get tickets for Backstage Comedy shows:  https://linktr.ee/backstagecomedy Subscribe to our Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/hohopod Leave us a review: (please!)  https://ww...

It's not uncommon for Hong Kongers to cross the border to the mainland to buy some "high copy" luxury items. While fake markets have been around China for a long time, host Mohammed Magdi remembers a time where a huge fake market was located in the middle of Shanghai, selling everything from questionable Beats by Dr. Dre to a flashlight that's also a taser.   Check out "Broken" on Netflix Get tick...

This episode is not for the faint-hearted! Mohammed Magdi heads to the Philippines for a quick "holiday and a show" with Annie Louey, and boy, oh boy, do they have a rough time. Annie recounts the benefits of a power spew and how Dr. Showbiz always comes to the rescue. And of course, Vivek Mahbubani smugly reminds us all why he doesn't like to leave his house, ever.  Check out the "Cross Border Co...

Another week, another adventure, and another tale from some of the unusual gigs that we do. This week, host Mohammed Magdi shares the details of a gig he did recently, doing standup for an opera show produced by the Hong Kong Grand Opera, and if that sounds random, that's because it is, but "Standup Opera" is a thing, and you can go see the next one on March 6!   Get tickets for Backstage Comedy s...

On our first episode of the Year of The Snake, Vivek gambles with his luck and cleans his house on CNY, and on the topic of gambling, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Mark Six lottery winner gets over 193 million HKD. How does this thing even work? This episode is not sponsored by Dyson or the Hong Kong Jockey Club! Get tickets for Backstage Comedy shows:  https://linktr.ee/backstagecomedy Subscribe to o...

Happy Year of the Snake, everyone! As things slow down in Hong Kong and people take the time to spend quality time with their families and loved ones, we chat about a range of topics, including our recent gig hosting The Aftermath's 6th birthday party, Mohammed's dog's recent "panic disorder" diagnosis, and we do a full predictions chart of what kind of Chinese New Year we are going to have.   Get...

Some people just don't learn from their mistakes/are hopelessly optimistic that maybe some things may change. Maybe it's being given false hope after a fluke; maybe it's our strong desire to see someone succeed? Either way, we tried Vission Bakery's $50 egg tart in a cookie, and we have notes.    Get tickets for Backstage Comedy shows:  https://linktr.ee/backstagecomedy Subscribe to our Patreon: ...

On this episode we try to find fun things to do in HK when it's "cold", the pros and cons of hiking up to the Peak. Mohammed reviews Tai Ping Shan's newest "Kool" hangout spot review, and we welcome our new patrons!   Get tickets for Backstage Comedy shows:  https://linktr.ee/backstagecomedy Subscribe to our Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/hohopod Leave us a review: (please!)  https://www.rateth...

2025 is here, and with it come new adventures, stories, and reviews from our hosts. Mohammed Magdi sees Hong Kong's New Year's Fireworks show "properly" for the first time, and Vivek Mahbubani hosts a fancy gig at the Four Seasons.  Also on this episode, a non-spoiler review of Netflix's new documentary "Don't Die" and Backstage Comedy's "New Material" comedy show.   Get tickets for Backstage Come...

We made it to the end of 2024! We have so much to be grateful for. On this episode, we share our most memorable moments of the year, but before that,  Vivek shares his experience getting a haircut at Image Hair Salon. We chat about the new "DCC fees" applied on HK credit cardscards andVivek is not ok but, he's fine.   Get tickets for Backstage Comedy shows:  https://linktr.ee/backstagecomedy Subsc...

This episode is the first episode to be recorded in our new video studio. The full video podcast will be available soon on Youtube. There is no doubt that a lot of goods and services can be very expensive in Hong Kong, especially on HK Island. This week, Mohammed Magdi shares one of his most kept secrets, the best place to get a haircut (for men) in Hong Kong without breaking the bank. Vivek Mahbu...

We celebrate our 200th episode with a live podcast in front of a live audience at one of our favorite venues, The Aftermath. We have a lot of fun answering questions, playing games, riffing, and feeding off the energy of the room. Thank you to everyone who got us this far. We are very grateful.  Special thanks to our Patreon subscribers. We wouldn't be here without your support and encouragement. ...

As the brand new Kai Tak Stadium is about to open, we share our wishlist for live shows to see in 2025 in Hong Kong, as well as our favorite live shows we have seen over the years, and the guys realize it took Mohammed Magdi a whole year to process the trauma of his 2024 New Year's Eve gig.   Get tickets for Backstage Comedy shows:  https://linktr.ee/backstagecomedy Subscribe to our Patreon:  http...

We are already in December and Hong Kong is starting to feel like Christmas already (since early November). We chat about Landmark's confusing "Christmas Ribbons" decorations and the Netflix documentary "Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy." This Christmas, buy experiences, not things! Is the HK single-use plastic ban actually enforced? We're all about the environment, baby!   Get tickets to our 200t...

Saicho is a cold sparkling tea that offers a perfect alternative for non-drinkers to enjoy with a nice meal or a special occasion. A unique product started by two PhD food scientists, it's now available at many of the 5-star hotel High Tea settings in Hong Kong, as well as the UK, Japan, and Singapore, and the list is growing. We chat with Saicho's Head of Asia Distribution about the story of Saic...

This week on Ho Ho Hong Kong, we got so much to unpack: from Mike Tyson's lesson in humility to what makes a joke go viral. We delve into many topics, including attention economy, wild things that happen at VIP parties, and regrets we are trying to avoid later in life.   Get tickets to our 200th Ep. Live Episode on Dec 5:  https://t.ly/dvmNR  Get tickets for Backstage Comedy shows:  https://linktr...

As we are gear up for our 200th episode, which will be recorded live at The Aftermath in Hong Kong on December 5, 2024. We take a journey down memory lane and we go through some of our favorite podcast cover photos, how our process changed over the years, and we browse the "More like this" section of our podcast on Spotify, and the results were pretty unexpected.   Get tickets to our 200th Ep. Liv...

Hong Kong Stories is a group dedicated to the art of storytelling in Hong Kong. They focus on telling true, first-person stories live, on stage, without notes, and in front of an audience. They run regular workshops and produce over 12 live shows per year (when pandemics do not interfere). They are holding a big show on November 14 at Basehall 2, in collaboration with Backstage Comedy. We chat wit...

It's a comedy-heavy episode with our guest, touring comedian Dwayne Perkins. We chat with Dwayne about the Hong Kong vs. Singapore audience, what Dry Bar Comedy is, cruiseship shows, Netflix licensing deals, and Dwayne shares some amazing stories about working with the legendary Patrice O'Neal.    Check out Dwayne Perkins wbsite: https://dwayneperkins.com/ Follow Dwayne Perkins on Instagram: https...

The hosts once again jet off to different distinations for different reasons, then come back to the studio to recount their experiences, which couldn't be more different. Vivek Mahbubani flies to London on Emirates business class; Mohammed Magdi flies to Melbourne on Scoot Air economy class.   Get tickets for Backstage Comedy shows:  https://linktr.ee/backstagecomedy Subscribe to our Patreon:  htt...