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 end of ‘Lão Hạc.’

Paul Christiansen

in In Plain Sight

On a Boat Ride Through Nhiêu Lộc Canal, a Fish's-Eye View of Saigon

Could your life in Saigon be made into a quirky indie film? 

in Music & Arts

Galuocad's Artworks Create a Universe of Very-Vietnamese Whimsy

Staying in one place for an extended period can lead to what's known as the "boiled frog effect."

in Loạt Soạt

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 a rich family that carts her off to a mansion that boasts luxury beyond anything Nhika has ever seen. The family immediately commands her to heal a witness to the wealthy patriarch’s death.

in Music & Arts

Lemaire's Campaigns Blend Vietnam's Street Scenes, French Fashion

Stuck in traffic on a Honda Cub, but make it fashion.

in Film & TV

Indie Short Film 'Saigon Kiss' Is a Quintessential Saigon Queer Love Story

Is there a meet-cute more characteristically Saigon than a motorbike breakdown and subsequent friendly assist from a stranger?

in Culture

In Ê-đê Villages, Bến Nước Is the Heart Pumping Water Across the Community

Ever since the beginning of time, Ê-đê people have treated water as a respected resource of the community. Water, in their belief, is the life force bringing about bountiful harvests for the villages.

in Music & Arts

Nam Jam Festival Returns to Đà Nẵng With Week of Mural Arts

The Nam Jam Festival from March 4 to 10 invites more than 50 local and international street artists to create massive works of street art in Đà Nẵng. 

Back Arts & Culture

in Film & TV

August Movies At Saigon’s Alternative Film Venues

This month, Saigon’s alternative film venues are offering up a solid selection of foreign films, Hollywood classics and recent hits.

in Culture

Viet Pride Festival Hits Hanoi This Week

The fourth annual Viet Pride festival will kick-off this week in Hanoi to raise awareness about Vietnam’s LGBT community.

in Culture

[Photos] Vietnamese Will Try Anything To Avoid The Sun

While Americans and Europeans spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year on tanning their pale skin, these photos from Vietnam Net show just how far Vietnamese will go to avoid the sun’s bronzing ra...

in Music & Arts

American Dubstep Pioneer Skrillex Confirms Saigon, Hanoi Shows

Sonny John Moore, better known by his stage name Skrillex, has confirmed that he will play two shows in Vietnam next month as part of his Asia tour.

in Music & Arts

Vănguard: Giving a Voice to Saigon’s LGBT Artists

The launch of Vănguard’s second issue last week followed the slow but swelling wave of support for LGBT rights in Vietnam.

in Music & Arts

Can Tho Launches Cardboard Police Force to Reduce Traffic Violations

Police in Can Tho have devised a basic but brilliant strategy to reduce traffic violations on the city’s streets - cardboard cutouts of themselves.

in Music & Arts

[Photos] Artist Creates Natural Oasis In Phu Nhuan District

These are images of a painter’s three-story house in Phu Nhuan District built by Truong An Architects back in 2012. The artist recently opened the doors to his home that is characterized by harmonious...

in Culture

[Map] What Are Vietnamese Most Afraid Of?

Pick a few countries at random and you’re bound to find a number of different concerns shared by their people, from climate change and ISIS to economic instability. According to a recent survey, howev...

Brian Letwin

in Music & Arts

DJ Ed Davenport On Electronic Music, Life and Saigon

After stops in Singapore and Indonesia, British-born, Berlin-based DJ and producer Ed Davenport is bringing his music to Saigon as part of his Asian tour. He took some time to chat with the organisers...

in Music & Arts

Epic Drone Video Shows Another Side Of Hong Kong

Add this drone video to the body of impressive video work we’ve seen come out of China in recent months.

in Music & Arts

San Art Laboratory Launches Kickstarter Campaign

Saigon-based non-profit art organisation San Art has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for their Laboratory.

in Music & Arts

Central Vietnam Photography Workshop With Saigoneer’s Lee Starnes

This August, Saigoneer photographer Lee Starnes will be leading a central Vietnam photography workshop alongside Pics of Asia founder, Etienne Bossot.

in Music & Arts

Fashion Is Art At Dzung Yoko’s First Solo Exhibition

While in Paris the Helene Bailly Gallery is hosting an art show by designer Maurizio Galante and Viktor & Rolf are dressing models in canvasses, here in Saigon, we have the city’s very first show that...

in Music & Arts

[Photos] Artist Creates Mini Country House With Incredible Detail

The art of bonsai is one steeped in tradition and characterized by the miniaturization of trees, some of which fetch prices of up to US$1.2 million.

in Music & Arts

“One Country” Celebrates 15 Vietnamese Contemporary Artists

Vietnamese fine art is often looked through a geographic lens (South, Central and North) or by groups of artists rather than individual ones.

in Music & Arts

[Photos] Photographer Miniaturizes Saigon With Tilt-Shift Lens

Last year, amateur photographer, Nguyen The Duong, fitted his camera with a tilt shift lens and perched himself atop various buildings across the city. The effect of the lens in tandem with birds-eye ...

in Culture

[Photos] The Hidden Gems of Saigon's Notre Dame Cathedral

The Notre Dame Cathedral is among Saigon’s most obvious iconic buildings, but while we may think we know everything about the building, its attic is filled with hidden treasures, from dusty old pipe o...

in Music & Arts

Saigoneer's June Art Picks

Two video installations from the 6th San Art Laboratory, a sculpture from one of Vietnam’s most prolific artists, photographs depicting life in Vietnam and the works from the latest Saigon Artbook are...

in Culture

Authorities Considering Glass Cage for Ancient Hoi An Bridge

Hoi An’s beaches aren’t the only tourist attractions threatened by erosion. The town’s famous Chùa Cầu Bridge (aka the Japanese Bridge) is in poor condition, leading authorities to consider a number o...

in Music & Arts

Vietnamese Performance Artist Featured At The Artists’ Film International in London

Vietnamese pioneer performance artist, Tran Luong, continues to attract huge interest abroad. His video, Lập Lòe/Welts, is currently being shown at White Chapel in London (UK) as part of Artists’ Film...