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.
[Video] Meet Lisha, Cambodia’s Badass Female Rapper
While Suboi is making headlines around the world as Vietnam’s “Queen of Hip-Hop”, Cambodia has a badass female rapper of its own representing our neighbor to the west.
[Photos/Video] This Vietnamese Artist Makes Delicate Artwork From Dandelions
Botanical artist Duy Anh Nhan Duc picked a rare medium to express his emotions while honoring for the plant kingdom: dandelions.
#WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week
During the week-long holiday, our readers were really working their cameras. Here are six of our #wearesaigoneer favorites:
Saigoneer's Weekend Event Picks
Looking for something to do this weekend? Check out our favorite events happening around Saigon.
[Photos] A Slice of Traditional Tet in Hanoi Village
To celebrate this year’s Tet, an online collective of history buffs recently held a New Year festival in suburban Hanoi, complete with a variety of traditional Tet rituals and delicacies.
[Video] Saigon Artists Craft Beautiful, Handmade Lucky Money Envelopes
With the lunar new year just days away, everyone is scrambling to complete their last-minute Tet preparations, from getting a haircut to re-painting the house to stocking up on those ever-important lì...
#WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week
From a poetic Da Lat sky to a shrine on Con Dao Island, this is what we saw through our lens this week.
Dana Filek-Gibson in Culture
The Story of Ông Táo, the Kitchen God Who Rides a Carp to Heaven
This evening, as Saigoneers continue their many Tet preparations and young revellers head out for a night on the town, Ong Tao is packing his bags for his annual trip to heaven.
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...
[Photos] Saigon's Oldest Street Artist Jazzes up the Hẻms of D4
For the last two years, a few remote hẻms in District 4 have slowly been covered in the city's most adorable graffiti.
[Photos] #WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week
From Saigon's dingy hẻm to the serenity of life in Tam Giang Lagoon, this is what we saw through our lens this week.
Vietnamese Comic ‘Dia Nguc Mon’ Earns International MANGA Award
For the second year in a row, a Vietnamese comic has won one of Japan’s prestigious International MANGA Awards.
[Photos] Colors of Saigon: Xanh, Sạch, Đẹp
From its ambitions and its people to the general color palette of daily life, Saigon is a bold city.
#WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week
From sunrise in the city to Mui Ne's magnificent sand dunes, this is what we saw through our lens this week.
Vietnam Unveils New Film Rating System
As of January 1, Vietnam’s new film rating system allows the local movie industry to screen adult content.
[Illustrations] Young Illustrator Breathes New Life Into Work of Vietnamese Poet
Poet Tran Dang Khoa’s most beloved collection of children’s poetry is receiving a makeover, thanks to young illustrator and graphic designer Pham Quang Phuc.
#WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week
From sunsets to fishing nets, this is what we saw through our lens this week.
[Photos] The Godfather of Saigon's Water Puppets
While Saigon’s younger crowd is busy picking up the hottest new foreign trends, like parkour or wearing bean sprouts on your head, artisans from older generations have held fast to their traditional c...
Meet The Girl in Reuters' 2016 Vietnam Photo
For its recent One Photo, One Country, One Year series, Reuters picked a snapshot from Vietnam depicting an áo dài-clad lady posing on an ornamental peach tree plantation in Hanoi.
[Photos] The Weird Fruits of Tet Are Coming
With Tet fast approaching, Vietnam’s array of strange, misshapen fruits is returning in full force.
