'Making a Whore' Is Both Less and More Revealing Than Its Reputation Suggests
For the first time, Vũ Trọng Phụng’s novel Làm đĩ is available in English. Originally published in 1936, the novel has been translated by Đinh Ngọc Mai under the title Making a Whore and was released last year by Major Books, an independent publishing house dedicated to making Vietnamese literature more available for the English-speaking world.
Uyên Đỗ in Culture
The Surprisingly Global History of Monobloc, the Chair Vietnam Loves and the West Despises
In 2024, The New York Times published a list of the 25 most iconic pieces of furniture from the past century, selected by a panel of designers, artists, and curators from the world's leading museums. Unexpectedly, the Monobloc, a plastic chair found in almost every corner of Vietnam and across the globe, had somehow secured a seat.
How Richie Fawcett's Saigon Sketches Illuminate a Decade of Change
It’s been hidden right there in the heart of Saigon for over half a decade.
Water as a Metaphor for Trauma, Memories and Unspoken Histories in Quế’s Art
Through installations and animated films, Quế traces the flow of water as they move through personal memories and collective histories, carrying generational trauma amidst urbanization, and even natural disaster.
Insights, Polished History Lessons Await in Hanoi's Massive, Brutalist Military Museum
When I pitched a review of Hanoi’s massive new Vietnam Military History Museum to the Saigoneer editorial staff, I expected to find the museum somewhat boring. After all, although I am a historian, I am not really that interested in military stuff, and I’d been to the original location on Điện Biên Phủ Street several times — how could this new museum improve on the old one? What could this new museum say that the old one didn’t? What could I learn here that I haven’t already learned at Saigon’s War Remnants Museum and Hồ Chí Minh Campaign Museum, at Điện Biên Phủ’s war museum, at Hải Phòng’s naval museum, and at the countless other shrines to Vietnamese martial prowess across the country? Quite a lot, it turns out.
Tourists Generate Up to 3 Times More Plastic Waste Than Locals, UNDP Finds
A recent report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) warns that plastic waste pollution poses increasing pro...
Thi Nguyễn in Music & Arts
The Facetious Gender Politics of Gỗ Lim, Hanoi's Feminist Post-Punk Quintet
In an example of cruel irony, October 20 is when we celebrate annual Vietnam Women's Day, and also the anniversary of the passing of Mai Nga (commonly known as Nga Nhí), the lead singer of Gỗ Lim — a Hanoi-based female post-punk band that, albeit short-lived, struck a blow for women’s representation in rock and metal music in Vietnam in 2011 and 2012.
Paul Christiansen in Travel
'Chuyện Của Pao' Turned a Historic H'Mông Home 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.
[Video] Saigon Electronica Ep. 1: Creating a Community With Heart Beat and HRBR
Editor's note: Over the next few weeks, Saigoneer will feature Saigon Electronica, a video documentary series about the city's vibrant underground music scene, starting with the first episode this wee...
Here Are the First Images of Japan's 2022 Ghibli Theme Park
The beloved Japanese animation studio released images of the much-anticipated theme park, set to open near Nagoya, Japan in 2022.
[Video] Travel Back in Time to Ancient Vietnam Through Animated Series 'Loa Thanh Ruc Lua'
Vietnam’s ancient history has once again proven to be a rich and valuable muse for local storytellers.
Michael Tatarski in Music & Arts
[Illustrations] Mariano di Guglielmo's Vivid Watercolors of Saigon Street Scenes
For Mariano di Guglielmo, an English teacher who has lived in Saigon for about four months, every street is a potential canvas.
[Illustrations] Artist Captures Old Edo's Remnants in Busy Tokyo
Shinji Tsuchimochi's ukiyo-e illustrations breathe nostalgia into Japan's cool and modern capital.
Central Vietnam Festival Bài Chòi Recognized as UNESCO Intangible Heritage
A night of celebrations, songs and games was held in Quy Nhon on May 5, as artists and official delegates acknowledged bài chòi's recognition as a UNESCO intangible heritage.
'Dao Cua Dan Ngu Cu' Actress Ngoc Thanh Tam on Her Craft and Feminism in Vietnamese Cinema
The young talent explores her transition to acting, its hectic yet colorful challenges, the films she took part in and anticipation towards the future of Vietnamese cinema.
Saigoneer Podcast: Street Food Roundup, #MeToo in Vietnam and Dr. Phuong Mai Nguyen
We're back from the holiday break with a new episode!
Paul Christiansen in Literature
Riverbanks Silky With Ancient Songs : A Discussion With Writer Nguyen Phan Que Mai
“You writers have blood on your hands,” a Vietnamese man once told Nguyen Phan Que Mai in reference to the ability of poetry, stories and songs to have inspired young men and women into wars that clai...
Paul Christiansen in Literature
Writer Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai Brings Vietnamese-English, North-South Closer
“You writers have blood on your hands,” a Vietnamese man once told Nguyen Phan Que Mai in reference to the ability of poetry, stories and songs to have inspired young men and women into wars that clai...
Paul Christiansen in Music & Arts
Deadmau5 Arrives in Saigon as the City’s Electronic Dance Music Scene Expands
Thousands of dancing fans gathered before an enormous digital cube covered in screens displaying memes, video game cutscenes, clips of endorphin-addled cartoon cats and random flashings of screensaver...
A Visit to Hanoi's Birdsong Clubs: Have You Heard the Call of the Oriental White-Eye?
Birdsong clubs, a tradition originating from China, are one of Hanoi’s hidden gems. If you’re willing to really look for them, it’s possible to find huge collections of birds kept in finely decorated ...
[Illustrations] Saigon's Quaint Chaos in Nguyen Hoang Huy's Black-and-White Sketches
Nguyen Hoang Huy's simple ink-and-paper sketches, which can be found on his Behance page, capture the rough charms of Saigon's cramped dwellings and riverways.
Researchers Discover 1,000-Year-Old Cham Architectural Remnants in Binh Dinh
Twenty years ago, the Cha Ray Temple ruins were identified as an excavation area along with 14 others in Binh Dinh.
[Video] The Drag Queens Firing Up Hanoi's Nightlife
For over two months, a tantalizing new event has been firing up Hanoi's nightlife: drag queens in burlesque outfits death dropping on stage.
Thi Nguyen in Arts & Culture
Feminist Art Project 'Lip Xinh' Is an Archive of Unabashed Intimacies
Located inside a modest space on the fourth floor of a cafe, the Lip Xinh exhibition made its statement the moment you set foot inside the space: the act of simply confronting your private parts ...
Paul Christiansen in Postcards
Saigon Postcard No. 4: Mourning the Fallen
Saigon has lost some of its oldest citizens recently, and in this installment of our Saigon Postcard series, we pay our respects.
Q&A: Over a Hundred Street Artists Visit Hue for Annual Meeting of Styles Event
Since 2002, a collective known as Meeting of Styles has been organizing street art events around the world. According to its website, it is “an international network of graffiti artists and aficionado...
[Video] Short Film Captures the Diversity of Vietnamese From All Walks of Life
A Journey Through the People of Vietnam depicts the candid moments of a wide range of the everyday lives of Vietnamese across the country.
[Photos] The New, Illusory Trompe-l'œil Murals on Hanoi's Railway Arches
On one end of Long Bien Bridge, so far from the often-photographed main structure that it's considered by many to be a separate attraction in its own right, a massive art project fills the sealed arch...
