A Brake Failure and 200 Victims: Remembering Vietnam's Deadliest Rail Accident
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- Published on 13 June 2023
- Written by Marc Dinh. Top graphic by Mai Khanh.
About 55 kilometers from Saigon, in the small commune of Tây Hoà rests the 17/03/1982 Railway Cemetery. It currently houses 85 unidentified graves of victims of the Train 183 Disaster, the deadliest railway accident in Vietnamese history.
Ngõ Nooks: A Ngõ Cafe Houses Big Dreams for Buôn Ma Thuột Beans
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- Published on 11 June 2023
- Written by Oliver Newman. Photos by Léo Paul-Guyot.
A well-known singer from the Central Highlands city of Buôn Ma Thuột, Mai Trang is taking an extended break from show business to focus on her other passion: coffee.
Vietnam Reports First-Ever Test-Taker Attaining 9.0 for All 4 IELTS Skills
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- Published on 09 June 2023
- Written by Saigoneer.
As more institutions and enterprises in Vietnam adopt IELTS results as an official assessment of students' and employees’ grasp of the English language, high IELTS scores have gradually become a sought-after mark of prestige.
Street Photos in 1973 Capture a Rebuilding Hanoi After Linebacker II
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- Published on 08 June 2023
- Written by Saigoneer.
In this collection of black-and-white photos taken by German photographer Horst Faas, Hanoi's streets seem bursting with life, but lurking behind innocent smiling children and packed tram rides are the undeniable remnants of an ongoing war.
Cá Hồi Hoang to Disband After National Tour Marking 10 Years of Making Music
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- Published on 06 June 2023
- Written by Saigoneer.
On the cusp of their current nationwide tour, indie band Cá Hồi Hoang abruptly announced that they would disband after touring finishes.
The Hanoi Village Where Making Folding Fans Involves Every Family
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- Published on 05 June 2023
- Written by Xuân Phương. Photos by Xuân Phương.
One summer day, I made a trek into suburban Hanoi to Thạch Thất District. Walking along the dirt road surrounded by green maturing rice fields, I reached Chàng Sơn Village.
Art Exhibition 'Ngẫu Biến' Invites Viewers to Find Their Own Meaning
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- Published on 01 June 2023
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Top image by Phạm Hoàng Ngọc Mai. Photos courtesy of ng. anhanh.
“When you write, you go inside yourself, when you paint, you go outside,” said poet and painter ng. anhan.
Filmmakers Trần Anh Hùng, Phạm Thiên Ân Win Awards at Cannes Film Festival
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- Published on 31 May 2023
- Written by Saigoneer.
At the 76th Cannes International Film Festival, Phạm Thiên Ân's Bên trong vỏ kén vàng (Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell) was awarded the Camera D'or while Vietnamese-born French filmmaker Trần Anh Hùng won the best director prize for The Pot-au-Feu.
Hẻm Gems: In Bàn Cờ Market, Cô Vân's Cút Lộn Sốt Me Offers Fortune and Flavor
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- Published on 30 May 2023
- Written by Uyên Đỗ. Photo by Cao Nhân.
It would be a grave sin to discuss Saigon’s street food scene without a proper mention of vịt lột.
Cà Rem Cây, Kem Chuối and the Frozen Tickets to Our Childhood
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- Published on 26 May 2023
- Written by Uyên Đỗ. Graphic by Phạm Hoàng Ngọc Mai.
Sometimes, when I hear the distant sound of a tinkling bell, fond memories of summer days from my wonder years come flooding back to me.
In Hanoi, the Vietnam Museum of Nature Is an Inquisitive Child's Heaven
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- Published on 25 May 2023
- Written by Léo-Paul Guyot. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
Amidst the dull, grey buildings of the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, a giant dinosaur model stands out. The T-Rex was guarding the entrance to the Vietnam National Museum of Nature (Bảo tàng Thiên nhiên Việt Nam), and as I approached it I felt a sense of childlike wonder wash over me. I thought I would learn much about Vietnam’s natural history; I was wrong.
Pride Fest, Cambodia's Most Ambitious LGBT Event to Date, Is Coming This Week
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- Published on 22 May 2023
- Written by Joshua Zukas. Photos by Bong Nac Studio via Pride Cambodia.
On a steamy evening in downtown Phnom Penh, Rebecca Chan takes the stage. The crowd — mostly Cambodian millennials and Gen Z's — is riled up from previous performances, but Chan’s composure tames their energy. She prowls around the raised platform in knee-high boots. Her skin-thin dress flaunts the contours of her body. She circles calmly and seductively to tantalize the hushed audience below. They track her every move in anticipation of what’s to come.
Ngõ Nooks: What a Tea Ceremony Taught Me About Our Lotus Tea Traditions
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- Published on 21 May 2023
- Written by Linh Phạm. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
“The lotus is our national flower, and lotus tea is regarded as the national tea.”
The Rise and Fall of Phượng Vĩ, the Summer Icon of Our Teenage Dreams
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- Published on 18 May 2023
- Written by Khôi Phạm. Graphic by Phạm Hoàng Ngọc Mai and Mai Khanh.
I was a teenage cliché. No matter how much I try to rack my brain to find any other personal connection to the incandescently red tree that is phượng vĩ, I keep going back to my middle school crush and that one tree in the front yard of our school.
A Brief History of Cung Văn Hóa Lao Động and Saigon's First Swimming Pool
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- Published on 17 May 2023
- Written by Tim Doling. Graphic by Phạm Hoàng Ngọc Mai.
Once a fashionable rendezvous for the elite of colonial society, the Labour Culture Palace (Cung Văn hoá Lao động) at 55B Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai is today one of Hồ Chí Minh City’s most popular sports and recreation facilities.
The Simple Pleasures of Kite-Flying in Thủ Thiêm
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- Published on 16 May 2023
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Photos by Paul Christiansen.
One of the most elegant means to observe the textured heft and untethered strength of otherwise-invisible wind — there is plenty one could say about the poetry of flying kites.
Just a Love Letter to Saigon's Tropical Fruits
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- Published on 15 May 2023
- Written by Govi Snell and Hoàng Hạnh Phương. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
How lovely to have taste buds and to have tasty things to eat.
Fruity, Creamy, Icy: A Bingsu Corner in D7 for Those With a Sweet Tooth
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- Published on 12 May 2023
- Written by Uyên Đỗ. Photos by Cao Nhân.
As summer draws closer, bringing with it a sweltering sun and drenched T-shirts, one's mind can't help but drift to the incomparable delight of a snowy treat that can ward off the season's heat.
For the Love of Our Cooling, Affordable and Ubiquitous Trà Đá
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- Published on 12 May 2023
- Written by Khôi Phạm. Illustration by Phạm Hoàng Ngọc Mai.
In Saigon, trà đá vendors don’t exist, simply because every single eatery is in itself a trà đá vendor.
Nem Cuốn Is the Refreshing Rolls We Need in Saigon’s Sweltering Summers
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- Published on 12 May 2023
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Photos by Cao Nhân.
Even during the summer, when the sun bares its teeth and snarls at passing clouds, one must eat. But lugging a belly stuffed with hot, heavy soup, rice and meat through days devoid of shade sounds horrible. So I often settle for lighter fare. Fruit, salads, cold noodles. One of my favorite items for supplying nutrients without overburdening the little thermal factory that is my metabolism is rice paper rolls.