Dispatch From Udine: Vietnam's Cinema Reaches the World Stage While Rooted in Local Culture
Vietnamese cinema experienced a watershed moment at the 28th Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy.
Short Story Collection 'Gills' Pieces Together a Raw and Complex Portrait of Saigon
Saigon’s landscape looks dramatically different from how it did three or even two decades ago. As the country’s economic powerhouse, Saigon has seen rapid urban development: new highrises like Landmark 81 and the Bitexco Financial Tower that now define the city’s skyline, new urban infrastructure like the Ba Son Bridge and Saigon’s first metro line, as well as the city’s expansion into areas like District 7’s Phú Mỹ Hưng and District 2’s Thủ Thiêm. If the west has long viewed Saigon under the shadow of war, it is clear that such a rigid frame fails to contain the Saigon of today, whose entropic inner life seems to constantly overflow; with motorbikes onto sidewalks, loud honks through windows, and rainpour over Saigon’s riverbeds.
Paul Christiansen in Culture
Whale Worship: Exploring the Role of Whales in Vietnam's Coastal Lore
In 1799, the ferocious Tây Sơn army forced the first Nguyễn Emperor, Nguyễn Ánh, and his troops to flee to the sea. While making their escape, a great storm engulfed the retreating army. As their ship’s mast shivered and the hull shuddered, threatening to break it into splinters, a great whale rose from the depths. It lifted the emperor's boat and carried him and his men to safety. To thank the animal, Ánh bestowed upon whales the official title of "Nam Hải Cự Tộc Ngọc Lân Thượng Đẳng Thần," which was shortened to Cá Ông, or “Lord Fish.”
A Special 'Doraemon' Episode Taking Place in Vietnam Will Be Released in May
After decades of watching Doraemon and his close friend groups adventure to all sorts of strange lands from the deepest trenches on Earth to fantastical planets, fans of the beloved cat robot in Vietnam will finally see our country in the cartoon series.
Paul Christiansen in In Plain Sight
An Ode to Saigon’s Chò Nâu Trees
It’s too cold for chò nâu to grow where I’m from, but we still gave it an English name: dipterocarp.
Mầm in Music & Arts
Vietnamese Painter Một Quả Tắc Creates an Intimate and Gentle World on Silk
Silk is an inherently finicky, demanding medium. Yet from the very first encounter, Quế Hương had chose to embrace its temperament and has devoted herself to it for nearly a decade.
Mầm in Ton-sur-Ton
Into the Earthy, Quirky World of Kramahan's Accessories and Clothing
We paid Nhật, the founder of Kramahan.Clothing , a visit on a windy day in Saigon. This room in the heart of the city has ...
ACV Proposes Moving 90% of Saigon's Overseas Flights to Long Thành
The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) has proposed plans to transfer flight operations in Hồ Chí Minh City from Tân Sơ...
Saigoneer Podcast: Vietnamese in Reality TV Shows and Domestic Tourism Boom
We're back with a brand-new show!
Paul Christiansen in Postcards
Saigon Postcard No. 14: The City's Original Insurgents
Before bombs and boobie traps, guerilla offenses and ambushes, Vietnam had another means of driving invaders out.
Abstract Art Exhibition Examines Rural-Urban Divide From Two Perspectives
On February 20, VICAS Art Studio opened its latest exhibition, the endearingly named ‘EM CHÀO CÁC BÁC!’ (‘HI THERE, CITY FOLKS!’) Featuring new paintings from artists Doan Xuan Tung and Nguyen Nghia C...
Michael Tatarski in Film & TV
[Video] Short Film 'Sigh Gone' Depicts Love Lost, With a Twist
Have you ever felt completely at sea, hopelessly lost? A new Saigon-set short video from Vietnamese-American director Jeannie Nguyen depicts a day in the life of a young woman facing this situation.
[Illustrations] A Stamp Design Project Pays Homage to Women Across Vietnam
Tu Bac Dzo Nam is a project by graphic designer Huu Danh, who is known for his works on Sai Gon Sau Vai.
[Video] Streets of Saigon: A Montage of Cho Lon's Food Trail
Street (n.): a sprawl of cement, stone, pavement or dirt splayed across a stretch of earth that has been smoothed, stripped of plants and serves as a communal transport path and thus a stage for the v...
Meet Myra Tran, the Vietnamese Girl Who's Taking 'American Idol' by Storm
You’ve probably heard it by now, but the latest season of American Idol has a Vietnamese contestant, and she’s kicking ass.
Khoi Pham in Culture
A New Typeface That Was Built From Designs on Old Book Covers
Finding new values from old relics is a popular way some young creatives today are keeping old Vietnam aesthetics alive.
Kit Humphrey in Music & Arts
[Video] Paying Tribute to Quán Cầm, 60 Square With Những Đứa Trẻ
Earlier this month, Hanoians were left heartbroken when waving farewell to much-loved art quarter Sixty Square, which closed for good on February 15. We're releasing this music video of ...
Paul Christiansen in Literature
A Radio Program Puts Vietnamese Poetry in the Limelight With Bilingual Readings
"Lanterns Hanging on the Wind" features 18 poems read in Vietnamese and translated into English that span themes, styles, time periods and locations to give listeners a broad introduction to the natio...
Open Call for Hanoi's 'Pure Gold' Upcycling Exhibition Running Until Next Week
Earlier this month, Germany’s IFA (Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations), in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut and Heritage Space, announced an open call for designers, producers, makers, art...
Kit Humphrey in Postcards
Hanoi Postcard No. 7: The 5th Season
Between autumn's cinnamon light and spring’s galvanic skies, a new season gathers. Formed by human hands, it is capricious at best, invasive at worst. It adheres to no calendar, yet lives in all of us...
The New Season of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Features a Vietnamese-American Queen
RuPaul's Drag Race, an American drag queen reality TV show hosted by host RuPaul, recently announced their lineup of drag queens for Season 11.
Kit Humphrey in Culture
Scaling the Dragon: An Urbexer's Guide to Long Bien Bridge
Urban exploration, urbex or UE, is a form of recreational urban trespass. Urbexers find a way into anything from derelict theme parks, sewers and asylums to factories, skyscrapers, missile silos and p...
Saigoneer Podcast: Vietnam's Many Lunar Calendar Festivals; Familial Pressure During Holidays
The latest Saigoneer Podcast episode is available now!
Khoi Pham in Music & Arts
A Playful Project Uses Pigs to Showcase Vietnam Iconography Through History
Year of the pig is a gift that keeps on giving.
Gucci Is Selling a $450 Hat That Looks Just Like Straw Hats Worn by Farmers in Vietnam
The artificial bamboo hats by Gucci closely resemble those traditionally worn by Vietnamese in the rice fields. The only difference is that the Vietnamese version costs only a few thousand dong.
Saigon Music Collective Launches Project to Introduce Classical Music to Youth
"Introduction to Classical Music" is initiated by Saigon Classical, a group of 30 musicians who share a love for classical music.
[Photos] The Costumes of This New Nguyen Dynasty Historical Web Series Will Make You Swoon
The web series is expected to be released in late 2019 on YouTube.
Saigoneer Podcast: Redesigning Saigon's Parks; Recreation in the City
We're back from our Tet break!
