Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
Examining the Role of Shame in Building a National Identity via Vietnam's Thinkers
“Shame, rather than pride, can be the basis for national identity… individuals may be motivated to move their country in a desirable direction when national shame outweighs pride.”
Paul Christiansen in Literature
5 Books by Vietnamese Authors Centered on Strong Female Protagonists
Literature, more than any other art form, allows people an intimate vantage point from which to witness the experiences, emotions, and thoughts of individuals drastically different from themselves. Bo...
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
In 'Water: A Chronicle,' Nguyễn Ngọc Tư Wades Into the Mekong via Vignettes
“When you’ve lived to a certain age, you don’t ask whether or not something is true, you ask which truth it is.”
Nam Cao's Radical Sympathy and Pursuit of Happiness Are Still Relevant Even Today
What messages would a young writer living in colonial times want to impart to the youth of the 21st century?
Linh Phạm in Trích or Triết
The Life, Death and Legacy of 7 Pillars of Vietnam's Quốc Ngữ Literary Wealth
When I first started as a writer, I noticed that I couldn’t write in Vietnamese very well, despite the fact that I was born here. Most of my English vocabulary comes from books, so in order to improve...
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
Social Commentary, Empathy in Nguyễn Quang Thân's Short Story Collection
Nguyễn Quang Thân passed away on March 4, 2017, several weeks before I moved to Saigon. So of course I never met him, but I feel like I know him. My first introduction was via An Insignificant Family,...
Paul Christiansen in Literature
How Nam Cao Almost Ruined My Favorite Canal Cafe
Spoilers for an 80-year-old story that every student in the nation is required to read: the dog dies, the old man dies, his son's misfortunes show no sign of abetting. Simply, misery abounds at the en...
A World of Riveting Medically Inspired Magic in Vanessa Le's YA Debut
Captured by Butchers, the “blackmarket bogey men who deal in rare goods,” Nhika Suonyasan is caged and auctioned off to the city’s elite. A figure in a fox mask attempting to purchase her is outbid by...
English-Language Edition of 'Chinatown' by Thuận Wins US Translation Award
The 2023 National Translation Award for fiction was given by the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) to Nguyễn An Lý’s translation of Chinatown by Thuận.
'The Mountain in the Sea' Is a Meditation on Myths, Monsters, and the Mind
“A myth,” said existentialist psychologist Rollo May, “is a way of making sense in a senseless world.” Humans need myths and legends to survive. And they need us to survive too; it’s how we’ve learned...
Viet Thanh Nguyen Memoir 'A Man of Two Faces' Releases Today
A Man of Two Faces: A Memoir, a History, a Memorial, the new book by Pulitzer Prize-winner Viet Thanh Nguyen arrives from Grove City Press on October 3.
Paul Christiansen in Literature
In Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai's New Novel, Saigon's Rhythms Hum in the Background
“I’m always homesick for Vietnam. To write is to return home. That's why I had to bring Vietnam alive onto the pages. I had to hear the people speak, I had to listen to the music, to the language; I h...
'The Shard, the Tissue, an Affair': A Short Story by Andrew Lam
This short story is featured in Volume 2 of In My Ear, Your Voice Still Flickering // Bên tai tôi, giọng người vẫn chờn vờn, a three-part, bilingual collection of works by more than 20 Vietnamese arti...
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
'The Chosen and the Beautiful,' a Queer, Magical, Asian American Gatsby Remix
“The Great Gatsby, but with an Asian American narrator and some of the characters are queer and there’s magic.” This is a fine elevator explanation for The Chosen and the Beautiful.
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
A Memoir Ruminates on Saigon in the Now and via Childhood Memories
Born in Saigon in 1977, Tuan Phan and his parents left for America via boat in 1986. Remembering Water includes depictions of the voyage including lengthy stops in refugee camps followed by acclimatio...
Paul Christiansen in Travel
Vignette: Letters to Hàn Mặc Tử
Quy Nhơn residents mentioned Hàn Mặc Tử with great pride and reverence whenever I mentioned enjoying reading and writing poems.
The 1st Trailer of HBO's Adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen's 'The Sympathizer' Is Here
The visuals give a glimpse into the mood and feel of the much-anticipated 2024 HBO adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
Bảo Ninh's English-Language Return and the Magic of Mundane Moments
Of all 20th-century Vietnamese authors whose works were translated into English, none have received more high-profile attention than Bảo Ninh for his wartime novel Nỗi buồn chiến tranh (The ...
Khôi Phạm in Literature
From Architecture to Folklore: 5 Indie Book Projects for Vietnamese Culture Buffs
In our years of writing about Vietnam, Saigoneer has had the pleasure to meet many passionate, inquisitive individuals whose creative and academic projects inspired us to appreciate the many facets of...
Paul Christiansen in Travel
How a Film Turned a Historic H'Mông Homestead in Hà Giang Into a Tourist Attraction
The photos don’t do it justice. That’s what you’ll often hear from people who visit Hà Giang to cruise its famed highway loop.
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
The Fraught Human-Earth Dynamics in 'Revenge of Gaia,' a Collection of Vietnamese Eco-Fiction
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 a...
HBO Adaptation of 'The Sympathizer' Casts Kiều Chinh, MC Kỳ Duyên, Sandra Oh
Hollywood stars Sandra Oh and Robert Downey Jr. are joined by a number of diasporic Vietnamese actors for the anticipated HBO adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Sy...
Linh Phạm in In Plain Sight
Hanoi's Literature Museum Is Not Neglected, but It's Not Thriving Either
From the side road of Âu Cơ Street, I turned into ngõ 275.
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
'Bronze Drum,' an Entertaining, TV-Ready Reimagining of the Legend of Hai Bà Trưng
Turning a beloved but brief legend based on scant historical evidence into a page-turning novel is no easy task. But Phong Nguyen’s book Bronze Drum succeeds in depicting the upbringing and rebel...
Đợi Kiều: A New Creative Project Examines 'Truyện Kiều' With Fresh Eyes
In an effort to facilitate new discussion and appreciation of Vietnam’s national epic poem The Tale of Kiều, this September, the team behind YUME - Art Project is launching a series of events titled “...
Michael Tatarski in Loạt Soạt
A Study of the Mekong Through Stories Told on the River
Much like humanity, great systems of the natural world rely on connectivity to thrive.
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
Thuận’s Novel 'Chinatown' Targets the Tedium of Migration
Vĩnh, born in Hanoi to a Vietnamese mother who studied in the Soviet Union and teaches English in France, and an ethnically Chinese father raised in Hanoi but now working in Chợ Lớn, dreams of the day...
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
'Chronicles of a Village' Is an Avant-Garde Deconstruction of the Familiar Rural Vietnam
How would you tell the story of your birth soil?
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
How to Navigate Coming Out to Your Parents With the Help of 3 Fairy Tales
Sometimes stories can articulate what we cannot put into our own words. Fairy tales can function as long-form proverbs that allow people to identify and pass on important values, expectations and expe...
Read Saigoneer's Literary Zine, Featuring 20 Works by Vietnamese Writers and Artists
In My Ear, Your Voice Still Flickering // Bên tai tôi, giọng người vẫn chờn vờn is a collection of work from twenty Vietnamese writers and artists released as part of the Miami Book Fair, one of ...
Đà Lạt-Born French Writer Linda Lê Passes Away at 58
Born in Đà Lạt in 1963, Linda Lê moved to France as an adolescent and went on to write numerous award-winning works of fiction in French.
Charlie Nguyen to Direct Film Based on Life of 'Perfect Spy' Phạm Xuân Ẩn
The storied life of perhaps Vietnam’s most famous intelligence officer will be adapted for the silver screen in the near future.
Vietnamese Novel 'The Mountains Sing' Honored by Prestigious US Peace Prize
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai was named the runner-up for this year's Dayton Literary Peace Prize in the fiction category.
Michael Tatarski in Loạt Soạt
A Wildly Original Intermingling of Tales From Vietnam, Past and Present
In the Saigoneer office — which I haven't actually seen in person for months — a common concern is the prevalence of the war in literature about Vietnam. Even among younger writers, particul...
Two Illustrated Books by Vietnamese Conservationist to Have Global Release
They tell the story of a Vietnamese woman working to rescue a bear and an elephant.
Nguyễn Huy Thiệp, One of Vietnam's Most Celebrated Writers, Passes Away
Nguyễn Huy Thiệp, one of Vietnam's most talented and influential post-war authors, passed away on March 20 at the age of 71.
Paul Christiansen in Literature
How DiaCritics Creates a Platform for Diverse Vietnamese Voices From Abroad
“Vietnamese communities can sometimes/often demand conformity and tradition of people in order to feel a part of things; I have always seen diaCRITICS as an opportunity to trouble the definitions, pus...
Ngô Thanh Vân to Produce Movie Based on Historical Comic Series 'Long Thần Tướng'
One of the most prestigious Vietnamese comic projects is slated for a big-screen release.
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
Saigoneer Bookshelf: 'Other Moons' Aims to Amplify Voices of Vietnam's Wartime Writers
Why must we continue talking about war?
This New Edition of 'Số Đỏ' Comes With Lively Illustrations by Thành Phong
If your grasp of the ingenious satire of Vũ Trọng Phụng’s Số Đỏ (Dumb Luck) is slipping, this newly published edition might prove helpful for brushing up before the film adaptation comes out.
Paul Christiansen in Literature
Saigoneer's Guide to What to Read While Social Distancing
“In good times arts are magical, and in tough times they are essential. That’s when you need them the most. Art makes you human.”
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
Saigoneer Bookshelf: The Different Dealings of Trauma in 'Birds of Paradise Lost'
“I just can’t get the voices out my head,” Andrew Lam explains of his writing process.
The Masterful Urban Symbolism of 'Turn Left, Turn Right' Author Jimmy Liao
Jimmy Liao is a prolific Taiwanese illustrator and author who has expanded readership of picture books beyond children to general audiences. With sensitivity and creativity, he crafts each of his stor...
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
'The Mountains Sing,' a Quintessential Vietnamese Novel, Written in Memories
As American bombers roared over the horizon preparing to drop fire and misery, air raid sirens screeched and people throughout Hanoi scrambled to find safety.
'The Sorrow of War' Author Bao Ninh to Release Part of New Novel
The excerpt will be released on December 25.
3 Vietnamese Authors Honored With Southeast Asian Writers Awards
Nguyen The Quang, Tran Hung and Le Minh Khue were each honored for their work at the Southeast Asian Writers Awards in Bangkok.
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
Saigoneer Bookshelf: Americana Through a Vietnamese Lens in 'Butterfly Yellow'
“Read what you don’t know because if you can already imagine it, then you can already imagine it; but if you can’t, then open up something that reveals a world you can’t imagine and then suddenly you’...
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
Saigoneer Bookshelf: Direct Routes to Whimsy in 'Ticket to Childhood'
Children can “hear the music and see the colors of letters on a page — magic portals to a wilderness without fixed meanings… all adults see are the neat rows of black lines, the building blocks of def...
Paul Christiansen in Literature
Meet the Author of the Most Important Vietnamese Novel You've Never Read
When the wind strafes Da Ngan’s window, seedpods shake and rattle like spent bullet casings in the tamarind tree that Americans planted decades ago. They also built the large apartment complex where s...
Michael Tatarski in Literature
How Mekong Review Aims to Connect Southeast Asia Through Literature
First published in late 2015, The Mekong Review has quickly garnered a sterling reputation in a region short on quality print publications. Minh Bui Jones, its founder and editor, talks to Saigoneer a...
