What to See in a Landlocked Country? How a Detour to Laos Made My Heart Feel Full.
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- Published on 17 December 2022
- Written by Alex Tran. Photos by Alex Tran. Graphic by Homicille.
Editor's note: This essay by Alex Tran won 1st place in the Editor's Choice category of Saigoneer's first-ever essay writing competition, "2 Years of Memories," in collaboration with Urbanist Travel. We felt that the author went beyond just chronicling the play-by-play events of a trip, and gave the portrayal of Bolaven Plateau characters, genuine interactions, spirits, and most importantly, poignant human connections.
Ngõ Nooks: Okachan Shokudo, a Comforting Japanese ‘Cơm Bình Dân’ in Hanoi
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- Published on 17 December 2022
- Written by Linh Phạm. Photos by Linh Phạm. Graphic by Tiên Nguyễn.
If there is a restaurant that is the antithesis of the biting cold of Hanoi, it is Okachan Shokudo.
It's (Almost) Always Sunny in Saigon: A Glimpse Into Street Fashion in the Early 1970s
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- Published on 16 December 2022
- Written by Saigoneer.
You can deduce a lot from a photo.
The Nocturnal Thrill of Capturing Vietnam's Elegant Fauna in Wildlife Photography
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- Published on 14 December 2022
- Written by Jean Ramiere. Photos by Jean Ramiere. Graphics by Hannah Hoàng.
For most people, walking in the jungle at night would sound like a bad idea. A lack of knowledge and many misbeliefs, unfortunately, create bad assumptions about the wilderness after dark. And snakes, species that seem to be conjured by our nightmares, only reveal themselves when the sun is on the other side of the planet. But they are simply wild animals, with important roles in the ecosystem. With that acknowledgment and a respectful approach, we can start…
Hẻm Gems: Bún Bò Đà Nẵng Will Change How You Feel About Bún Bò in Saigon
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- Published on 13 December 2022
- Written by Khôi Phạm. Photos by Lê Thái Hoàng Nguyên and Cao Nhân.
Have you ever wondered who named our food? Oftentimes I do, and I daydream of traveling back in time to those monumental moments in the past when a famous dish or ingredient earned its title to slap some sense into the people who named them.
Đà Lạt to Debut Double-Decker Bus Tours by End of 2022
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- Published on 12 December 2022
- Written by Saigoneer.
Following in the wake of popular open-bus tours in some of Vietnam's other metropolises, Đà Lạt will begin the service by the end of the year as part of a pilot program.
Amid Phố Cổ, the Unassuming Cultural Exchange Center Tells Stories of Hanoi's Heartland
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- Published on 10 December 2022
- Written by Léo-Paul Guyot. Photos by Léo-Paul Guyot. Graphic by Homicille.
In the heart of the Old Quarter, the Hanoi Cultural Exchange Center carries a rich repertoire of knowledge and stories of the city’s architecture and history.
The Mekong Delta Loses Sand Too Fast Due to Extraction, It's Time for a Sand Budget.
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- Published on 09 December 2022
- Written by Marc Goichot. Top photo by Michael Tatarski.
Many people will be familiar with the dread when your income no longer covers your expenses; when you’ve exhausted your savings and are sinking ever deeper into debt. In the Mekong Delta, a similar downward spiral is happening. But it’s not the delta’s finances that are draining away — it’s the sand that sustains it. Not its economic stability that is being undermined, but its very foundations.
How Going Digital Could Help Vietnam's Farmers Take Their Produce to the Next Level
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- Published on 06 December 2022
- Written by Michael Tatarski. Photos by Alberto Prieto. .
In this digital age, farming, especially in developing countries like Vietnam, has maintained a general perception of being an analog, hands-on practice.
Michelin to Release Vietnam Guide for Restaurants in Hanoi, Saigon Next Year
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- Published on 05 December 2022
- Written by Saigoneer.
For the first time, Saigon and Hanoi eateries will be featured in a MICHELIN Guide in June 2023.
Hẻm Gems: In Đà Nẵng, Dì Gái's Bún Chả Cá Is a Family Heirloom
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- Published on 30 November 2022
- Written by Như Quỳnh. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
Sometimes, for descendants of Central Vietnam, a bowl of steaming bún chả cá can even sooth the pain and misery of a storm-battered rainy season.
'Tro Tàn Rực Rỡ' Wins Top Prize at Film Festival in France
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- Published on 28 November 2022
- Written by Saigoneer.
Recently, Tro Tàn Rực Rỡ (Glorious Ashes), a Vietnamese film directed by Bùi Thạc Chuyên, was awarded the highest honor at the Nantes Festival of Three Continents.
A Singaporean-Vietnamese Couple Refreshes Hakka Offal Soup With Trứng Cuộn
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- Published on 27 November 2022
- Written by Mervin Lee. Photos by Mervin Lee. Graphics by Hannah Hoang and Tiên Nguyễn, Illustration by Thảo Đặng.
When my mother, a native of Singapore’s oft-visited Chinatown, described a pork offal soup stall with meatballs that “tasted suspiciously like that vermicelli dish we had in Huế back in 2013,” I knew I had to trek out to Chinatown Complex Food Centre to find it.
Two Decades of Women's Vintage Fashion in Saigon, as Illustrated by a Young Hanoian
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- Published on 25 November 2022
- Written by Khôi Phạm. Images courtesy of Lê Hiền Tâm.
In conversations surrounding Vietnam’s fashion history, it’s impossible not to discuss áo dài and its many iterations across the eras as symbols of Vietnamese femininity, but it would be amiss to leave out the local range of eclectic bracelets and bangles, hairdos and headdresses and the people who wore them.
Rắn Cạp Đuôi Collective's Only Rule in Music Is Having No Rule
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- Published on 24 November 2022
- Written by Thy Nguyễn. Top graphic by Homicille. Photos courtesy of Rắn Cạp Đuôi.
To write any music interview, my formula is quite simple: start with the story of how they got into music, followed by their critical opinions on the field. There will always be a narrative that the media wants you to believe — be it from the artist or the journalist. But the narrative, or the story, of Rắn Cạp Đuôi Collective doesn’t follow this recipe since the members are … not sure when and how it all began.
Vintage Music Compilation 'Saigon Supersound' Releases 3rd and Final Volume
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- Published on 22 November 2022
- Written by Saigoneer. Images courtesy of Saigon Supersound.
Since Saigon Supersound presented its first volume back in 2017, the anthology of vintage Vietnamese music has become a household name for fans, both in and out of Vietnam, with a penchant for tunes from the country’s storied past. Earlier this month, Saigon Supersound’s third and final volume was officially released by Germany-based INFRACom.
The Fraught Human-Earth Dynamics in 'Revenge of Gaia,' a Collection of Vietnamese Eco-Fiction
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- Published on 21 November 2022
- Written by Paul Christiansen.
Stories focusing on the natural world and humanity’s relationships with the environment existed before the term eco-literature became popular in the west in the 1970s, but since its coinage, writers and scholars have passionately debated different definitions for it along with arguments for its importance in various literary cannons.
On a Hill in Huế, a Glass-Filled Home Welcomes Natural Light With Open Arms
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- Published on 21 November 2022
- Written by Saigoneer.
Are hills simply mountains that lack ambition?
Ngõ Nooks: The 'Tiny' Cafe That Contains Multitudes
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- Published on 19 November 2022
- Written by Niobe Shaw. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
Hidden down a quiet alley opposite the B-52 Victory Museum on Đội Cấn in Ba Đình District is the gateway to Tiny Cafe. Make sure you look carefully, as the sign is easily missed, and this isn’t somewhere you’ll want to miss out on.
How Young Artists Are Bringing Mural Arts to Schools in Rural Vietnam
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- Published on 17 November 2022
- Written by Saigoneer. Photos courtesy by Tô Đậm.
On their fifth journey off the beaten paths, Tô Đậm is heading to the highland of Ma Bó, Lâm Đồng Province for a new season of lessons, stories, and adventures previously unfolded.
