'Ròm' Review: A Sterling Portrait of Saigon's Dark Underbelly, Despite Falling Short of Its Potential
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- Published on 07 October 2020
- Written by Khôi Phạm.
I stepped out of the theater after watching Ròm with a heaviness weighing down my shoulders. It was, however, a refreshing feeling that one rarely experiences after a Vietnamese feature film these days.
[Photos] From the National Geographic Archive, Slices of Life in 1952 Vietnam
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- Published on 07 October 2020
- Written by Saigoneer.
Mostly taken by National Geographic photojournalist Joseph Baylor Roberts, these excellent shots are among the best images of 1952 Vietnam that one can encounter.
Saigon Transport Department Proposes Yet Another Public Bike Project
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- Published on 05 October 2020
- Written by Saigoneer.
According to the proposal, it would include 43 stations around central Saigon.
Hẻm Gems: Spice up Your Study Session With a Warm Ginger Coffee at An Miên
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- Published on 03 October 2020
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
”The flower was never meant to survive the fruit's triumph.”
Saigoneer Bookshelf: 'Other Moons' Aims to Amplify Voices of Vietnam's Wartime Writers
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- Published on 02 October 2020
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Image by Hannah Hoàng.
Why must we continue talking about war?
These Illustrations of Vintage Trung Thu Lanterns Are a Ticket to Your Childhood
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- Published on 01 October 2020
- Written by Khôi Phạm. Illustrations courtesy of Nguyễn Như Thái Hiển. Top image by Hannah Hoàng.
There are many harbingers of mid-autumn in Saigon: the mushrooming of street-side mooncake vendors, the gradual arrival of corporate mooncake boxes, and a kaleidoscopic tapestry of lanterns along local “lantern streets.”
[Photos] The Coastal Life in Nha Trang in a Timewarp
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- Published on 29 September 2020
- Written by Saigoneer. .
You can practically taste the salty sea breeze and hear the occasional wafting of rock music in these photos of Nha Trang from the late 60s, early 70s.
'The Worlds Between My Wings' by Kim Loan
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- Published on 28 September 2020
- Written by Kim Loan. Illustration by Hannah Hoang.
From the time I began learning Vietnamese at home and English in public school, I have lived with dual identities pulling me from seemingly opposite ends of a spectrum.
The Mystical Origins of Saigon's Notorious Octagonal Prison, Khám Chí Hòa
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- Published on 26 September 2020
- Written by Hoang Hanh Phuong. Top image by Hannah Hoang.
Chi Hoa Prison (Khám Chí Hòa) is a seven-hectare facility located in Saigon's District 10.
Hẻm Gems: The Best Fried Chicken Rice in Saigon Is in District 8
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- Published on 20 September 2020
- Written by Khôi Phạm. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
The success story of Cơm Gà 142 epitomizes the impressive marriage between technology and word of mouth in Vietnam’s golden age of food delivery startups.
On the Road With One of Vietnam's Last Traveling Cải Lương Troupes
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- Published on 18 September 2020
- Written by Saigoneer. Photos and videos courtesy of Doan Truong Vinh Hoa.
Most Saigoneers know cải lương as a form of television entertainment usually enjoyed by their parents or grandparents, but not many are aware of the art form’s important role in the nightlife of residents of the Mekong Delta.
This Ghost Month, an Other-Worldly Exhibition Not for the Faint-Hearted
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- Published on 16 September 2020
- Written by Bảo Quyên. Translated by Khôi Phạm. Photos courtesy of Khô Mực Studio.
The topic can be summed up in one word — “ghosts” — but it was enough inspiration for illustrators to create a plethora of artworks as part of the Hù project spearheaded by Khô Mực Studio.
[Photos] Amble Along the Familiar Streets of District 1 in 1969
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- Published on 16 September 2020
- Written by Saigoneer. .
Was Saigon more colorful in the past?
Review: Red Balloons, a Fresh Musical Take on Vintage Vietnamese Cartoons
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- Published on 14 September 2020
- Written by Vũ Trung Kiên. Translated by Bùi Thu Uyên. Photos and videos courtesy of The Onion Cellar.
At 6:30pm on July 5, Red Balloons: Music for 20th Century Vietnamese Animation took place at the Institut français de Hanoi-L'Espace. It was organized by The Onion Cellar and The Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents (TPD) as part of the Like the Moon in A Night Sky: A Perspective of Vietnamese Cinema program that has been going on since late June.
Ten Iconic Vietnamese Women as Drawn by Illustrator Camelia Pham
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- Published on 09 September 2020
- Written by Khoi Pham. Illustrations courtesy of Camelia Pham.
If you had to pick the 10 most iconic female figures in Vietnamese history, who would make the list?
[Photos] Making Sugar at an Early 20th-Century Boiling House in Quang Ngai
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- Published on 08 September 2020
- Written by Saigoneer.
Unlike cash crops such as rubber or coffee that were brought in from other parts of the world, sugarcane was among Vietnam’s original native trees, and locals have been growing the sweet plant for centuries, ever since we learnt about agriculture.
[Photos] Inside the Dust-Covered World of Ninh Van's Traditional Stone Carvers
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- Published on 08 September 2020
- Written by Jose Saldana. Photos by Jose Saldana.
It's a rare treat to see generations of skill in person.
Hẻm Gems: The Case of the Twin Bánh Mì Chảo Switcheroo
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- Published on 04 September 2020
- Written by Michael Tatarski. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
In the land of copycat businesses, it always pays to double-check that you're at the right one.
Velvet Chains and Epaulet Couch: How a Curious Artist Plays With Symbols
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- Published on 04 September 2020
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Photos by Chuong Pham.
What would it mean to sit on the shoulder-attached epaulet of a military uniform that denotes rank?
From Window to Logo
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- Published on 02 September 2020
- Written by Saigoneer.
Designing the “perfect” logo is a winding road littered with failed fonts, well-intended but misguided icons, and superfluous design elements — necessary artifacts that serve to catalog the arrival at a confluence of meaning and pleasing aesthetics.
