Pete Walls in Travel
For the Freshest Fish of the Day, Head to Hội An's Coast Before Sunrise
The alarm goes off at 3am. By 3:30am, scooters laden with empty crates and baskets are already moving through the dark lanes and sandy passages towards Hội An's coast. Long before the old town wakes, the beaches along the shore are coming alive with engines, head torches, waves, and fishermen preparing to return to land. Thankfully, coffee is readily available almost anywhere.
From the Mind of 'Mekong Review' Comes ‘Yellow,’ a New Lit Mag Focused on SEA
“Cooped up in my apartment-cage in Tân Định, I created, with scissors and glue, dummy after dummy of a cosmopolitan rag positively pumping with scandals and half-truths. I was having a lot of fun dreaming of a magazine that I would never be able to do. And buried somewhere in that detritus on the floor—advertising cutouts and newspaper clippings—was Yellow … Once I knew I had the name, the magazine more or less made itself, as though the name determined the rest, ie, form and content,” writes Minh Bui of the birth of Yellow, his “what-do-I-do-after-Mekong Review magazine.”
In Saigon's Bửu Long Pagoda, a Meditative Escape and Pan-Southeast Asian Architecture
It all started with a sparkle on the horizon, a beam of solar brilliance bouncing off a garish metallic surface.
On Reading Ocean Vuong and Thinking About the Sniff Kisses of My Family
Having always been a little brother, I had to learn to be a big one when I was 10 years old. In the midst of the confusion of this new role, I found myself pressing my nose to this newborn’s head and inhaling as hard as I could. This “sniff kiss” was not an action I invented. Rather, it was an instinct forged through mimicry: I started noticing from this point that my father and grandmother both did the same thing to me.
Paul Christiansen in Music & Arts
Meet Th.ink Room, the Tattoo Collective Bringing New Life to Old Artworks and Onto Skin
Tattoo Therapist, dr.99hz, cd.cadao, goc.viet, Solarist and Baby Nepotism: listing the artists that call Th.ink Room home feels like shouting out the members of a rap clique. Indeed, tattoo artists, more than any other visual artists, are akin to rappers in their use of pseudonyms, so to employ a common hip-hop refrain, Saigoneer became interested in Th.ink Room because “game recognize game.”
Khôi Phạm in Film & TV
A (Literally) Brief History of Vietnamese Representation in 'Mean Girls' (2004)
Written by Saturday Night Live alum Tina Fey and premiered in 2004, Mean Girls is often heralded as a sharp, self-aware comedy that was ahead of its time, yet still holds up surprisingly well today. Alas, its depiction of Asians has aged a little more poorly, even though at the time of its release, the Asian representation was shockingly accurate for its time, despite some haphazard characterizations.
On Shooting an Entire Movie on 35mm Film: The Curious Case of 'Quán Kỳ Nam'
“Let’s go to Vietnam!” declared Sabrina Baracetti, president of the Far East Film Festival (FEFF) in Udine, Italy, as she wrapped up her introduction for Leon Lê's Quán Kỳ Nam (Kỳ Nam Inn). Sitting in the Teatro Nuovo, watching Quán Kỳ Nam unfold for the first time, I felt an overwhelming surge of pride.
Tracing the History of 'Hello Vietnam,' the Overnight Sensation From Europe
Most people who have flown with VietJet are probably familiar with the song ‘Hello Vietnam’ or its Vietnamese version ‘Xin chào Việt Nam.’ As it's often played during landing, tourists might mistake the song for a cute jingle of the company, but the meaning behind the song lyrics is much more nostalgic. It’s about a person of Vietnamese descent longing for their ancestor’s homeland, a place they’ve never been — a story that can certainly strike a chord with many Vietnamese people. Few know, however, that this song was originally a French-language song, one that was almost never released.
[Illustrations] The Rustic Charm of South Korea's Mom-and-Pop Shops
While Hallyu fans take an interest in Korean culture because of its massive entertainment industry and eye-catching fashion sense, South Korean artist Me Kyeoung Lee pays homage to the count...
Khôi Phạm in Music & Arts
Saving the City's Soul: The Release of Saigon Supersound, Vol. 1
Despite being subject to a bombardment of ruthless changes, Saigon is surprisingly persistent in its love for all things old, rustic and gritty. For someone who was not born and bred in the bustling m...
[Video] Filmmaker Captures the Many Faces of Vietnam
On a thousand-mile journey from the furthest reaches of northern Vietnam to the hot, sunny streets of Saigon, filmmaker Fabien Echochard captures the optimism of the Vietnamese people in beautiful det...
'Kong: Skull Island' Smashes Box Office Records as Director Considers Move to Saigon
It was a big weekend for King Kong fans in Vietnam, with the giant ape's latest cinematic foray smashing local box office records, while the film's director announced his intention to move to Saigon.&...
#WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week
From birdcages to bird's eye views, this is what we saw through our lens this week.
American Musical 'Miss Saigon' Returns to Broadway This Month
On the 25th anniversary of its debut, the American musical Miss Saigon will return to Broadway later this month.
Vietnam's Local Screenplays Are Losing out to Cheap Foreign Remakes
In the face of diminishing confidence in Vietnamese scripts, local producers are turning to neighboring countries for a surefire source of profitable movie formulae.
#WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week
From Cho Lon to Ben Tre, this is what we saw through our lens this week.
Dana Filek-Gibson in Arts & Culture
3A Station Is Closing in 2 Months
After three years, 3A Station is closing.
Vietnamese Cultural House to Open in France in 2018
Starting next year, Parisians won’t need to travel far to get a dose of Vietnamese culture.
#WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week
From salt fields to cityscapes, this is what we saw through our lens this week.
[Illustrations] Check Out This Polish Artist's Watercolor Tokyo Shopfronts
There’s something about urban shopfronts that inspires artists everywhere to break out their canvas and doodle away.
As China Rejects Hallyu, the Korean Wave Is Headed Straight for Southeast Asia
With China blocking South Korean film and television from its airwaves, Hallyu is now headed straight for Southeast Asia.
#WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week
From traditional temples to colorful graffiti, this is what we saw through our lens this week.
After Major Expansion, CGV Dominates Vietnam's Cinema Industry
As the number of cinemas in Saigon continues to grow, CGV is dominating Vietnam's local moviegoing industry.
At Tết Nguyên Tiêu, a Celebration of the Lunar Year's First Full Moon
Last Saturday, on the first full moon of the first lunar month, members of Saigon’s ethnic Chinese community celebrated Tet Nguyen Tieu, or the Lantern Festival.
Cambodia Is Losing Its Buddhist Monks to Modernization
Rocked by scandals, rapid modernization and a changing society, membership in Cambodia's Buddhist monkhood is on the decline.
#WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week
From gritty apartment in District 5 to old-school 1960s music performance, this is what we saw through our lens this week.
Vietnam is Samuel L. Jackson's Favorite Country for Filming
Recently, legendary actor Samuel L. Jackson – star of the upcoming film Kong: Skull Island – took a little time out of his busy schedule fighting snakes and brewing beer&...
Le Brothers: Exploring Identity in Modern Vietnam
Artists Le Duc Hai and Le Ngoc Thanh – known professionally as the Le Brothers, fast-rising stars in Vietnam’s contemporary art scene – stumbled upon their collective name thanks to Starbucks.
