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 Music & Arts

[Video] “Walk In Shanghai” Is Google Street View On High-Definition Steroids

What better way to experience a new city that to walk through its streets? This reverse timelapse video from media mastermind JT Singh lets potential visitors explore Shanghai more intimately than eve...

in Culture

[Photos] The Parks Of Saigon Seen From Above

Public parks can seem few and far between in Saigon, especially outside of the city center. But you gotta appreciate what you have and there’s no better way to do so than with the drone images of Saig...

in Music & Arts

The Incredible Origami Art Of Nguyen Ngoc Vu

In addition to digital art and stop motion films, Saigon-born Nguyen Ngoc Vu has also found success with one of Japan's most prolific analog art forms – origami.

in Film & TV

Check Out The Trailer For Victor Vu’s Beautiful New Film “Yellow Flowers On The Green Grass”

The trailer for “Yellow Flowers On The Green Grass,” the latest film from prolific Vietnamese American filmmaker Victor Vu was released late last week.

in Culture

Event Rewind: Farmers Market @ Saigon Outcast

Farmers markets are weekend staples in many cities around the globe, but these events have been noticeably absent from Saigon. Until now.

in Arts & Culture

Saigoneer Sunday Rewind

Saigoneer's staff highlight their favorite articles from the past week.

in Music & Arts

Sai Gon Art Map: Call For Submissions

Saigoneer, Saigon Artbook, Dia Projects and Alternative Art Area are in the process of producing a handy map of art-related activities and venues in Saigon – from galleries to street art.

in Culture

10 Photos Of The Amazing Vietnamese Spider-Men

While some Vietnamese cities have begun to move their tangled nests of electricity wires underground, they are still a ubiquitous feature of many urban neighborhoods.

in Music & Arts

Vietnamese Women’s Revolutionary Roles Depicted In Propaganda Posters

In the context of France-Vietnam Year, the Musée du quai Branly is presenting an installation of Vietnamese propaganda posters exploring the various representations of women in Vietnam from the 1950s ...

in Music & Arts

Saigoneer Chats With Suboi, Saigon’s Queen of Hip-Hop

Suboi recently returned from a series of successful US shows and wall-to-wall American media coverage. ­We sat down with Saigon’s “Queen of Hip-Hop” to ask about her experiences in the US, whether...

in Culture

Hue’s Heritage Threatened By Development, Time

In a recent piece for The New York Times, Edward Wong warns that many of Hue’s World Heritage sites and perhaps its very soul are slowly deteriorating as a result of development and environmental fact...

in Culture

[Video] Nha Trang Driver Learns Why Lessons Shouldn’t Be Done On City Streets

This video should serve as a friendly reminder that novice drivers should avoid busy streets when trying to up their skills. You probably shouldn’t be driving a fancy Mercedes SUV either...

in Music & Arts

An Interview With Jazz-Fusion Trio The Drops

Forming in 2008, with Guitarist Frederico Casagrande, saxophonist Christophe Panzani, and percussionist Tom Poor, Casagrande and Panzani sought to continue a previous partnership in a new band. After ...

in Film & TV

[Video] Short Film Perfectly Captures Slices of Life in Vietnam

Unlike some of the more pensive Vietnamese travel videos we’ve come across in the past, Oliver Astrologo’s “Reverie of Vietnam” is a short film composed almost entirely of quick and explosive cuts.

in Film & TV

New Web Series Highlights Viet Kieu Who Have Found Themselves, Success In Vietnam

“Employed Identity” is a new web series created by Vietnamese American director, Bao Nguyen, for the Center for Asian American Media and PBS.  

in Film & TV

May Movies At Saigon’s Alternative Film Venues

There’s a bit of everything in store this month at Saigon’s alternative film venues, from some recently acclaimed independent films and genre classics to the two most talked about documentaries from t...

in Music & Arts

Vietnamese Artist’s Spin On A Classic Piece Of Propaganda Art

Triet Nho, the artist behind the stop motion banh mi video we posted back in February, has been trying his hand at a different medium – watercolor.

in Arts & Culture

Saigoneer Sunday Rewind

Saigoneer's staff highlight their favorite articles from the past week.

in Music & Arts

Vietnam Photo Tips: The Juxtaposition

When taking photos of people in a dynamic environment (and here I am talking specifically about Southeast Asia), it is very important to keep one’s photos as simple as possible. Capturing something to...

in Music & Arts

Pop Superstar Katy Perry Coming To Saigon Next Month

American pop star, Katy Perry, will be making her way to Saigon next month to attend an event organized by Forbes Vietnam.