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.
Dana Filek-Gibson in Music & Arts
Inside Award-Winning Vietnamese Children's Book 'The First Journey'
A couple months back, we wrote about Phung Nguyen Quang and Huynh Kim Lien, a pair of Vietnamese children's book authors who took the top prize at this year's Asia-wide Scholastic Picture Book Award&n...
[Photos] 4 Vietnamese Mansions That Have Gone a Little Overboard
If you've wandered around Saigon's more upscale neighborhoods, it's possible that you've come across a house or two which fit this description: “nhà cao cửa rộng”. The Vietnamese saying – literally “t...
Graphic Designer Recreates Saigon's Colorful Concrete Tiles in New Book
When Giang Nguyen decided to hunt for old typography around Saigon, what began as a personal research project soon grew into an obsession with the city's old-school design.
[Photos] 13 Pictures of Vietnamese Locks in the Wild
When parking your bike for five minutes or simmering your broth for five hours, it’s hard to take stranger’s goodwill for granted. These photos show how some Vietnamese take the necessary steps for pr...
December Movies at Saigon's Alternative Film Venues
The awards season has officially started and for once, we welcome the razzle-dazzle that will come in the next three months, after a very dull summer, which was rescued only by independent cinema. The...
Event Rewind: Saigon Soul Pool Party @ The New World Hotel
As the Saigon rains yield to hot and dry weather, the time is right for the return of the Saigon Soul Pool Party.
Brian Letwin in Culture
[Photos] The Bike Blanket is Taking Hanoi by Storm
While Vietnamese people are well versed in sun protection gear, a new niche product has become an increasingly common sight on Hanoi’s roads – the bike blanket (think Snuggie for motorbikes).
Zelda Goes to the Gallery: In Opposite 2
Ngo Van Sac presents a fragmented and polarized reality in his latest solo exhibition In Opposite 2. Magic and reality, tradition and capitalism, nature and fabrication are the opposing elem...
[Video] This Animated MV Made by Local Artists Will Give You All the Feels
Animated with beautiful black and white watercolor illustrations, the music video for 00:00 not only provides a stimulating visual experience, but also shows off the creative skills of a group of youn...
[Video] Vietnamese Director’s Animated Film Makes Oscar Shortlist
Saigon-born, Paris-based director Nguyen Phuong Mai has struck gold with her professional cinematic debut. Her short film, My Home will compete with nine others for an Oscar nod this year.
Da Nang to Host First Southeast Asia Skateboarding Championships
Vietnam seems to play second fiddle to its more developed SE Asian neighbors when it comes to sporting events. In what is hopefully a signal of this trend’s reversal, the World Skateboarding Federatio...
Maison Kenji: Emerging Designers Push the Vision of Fashion in Vietnam
As one of the newest players in the town, Maison Kenji brings a Euro-Asian flare to Saigon’s fashion scene. These Japanese-inspired, modern and ethically conscious threads distinguish this new indepen...
Local Illustrator Recreates Famous Saigon Street Corners
In From Saigon, a series of colorful drawings, freelance illustrator and graphic designer Lys Bui manages to capture the charm of several well-known Saigon locales, including Tran Hung Dao, Nguyen Hue...
Drone Video Shows Off the Ruins, Salt Farms and Pristine Beaches of Central Vietnam
While many of the drone videos we post capture Vietnam’s cityscapes and well-known natural wonders, every now and then we find one focused on less-traveled locations.
[Photos] 5 Vietnamese Photographers Win at International Photo Contest
Last month, the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) announced the winners for their annual photo contest and five Vietnamese photographers found themselves in the top 27.
[Photos] Réhahn Returns With Another Stunning Photo Book
When we meet at a cafe nestled down the alley of 3A Station, Réhahn brings a copy of his second book with him. Based on its weight alone, you can tell how much work the Hoi An-based French photographe...
New King Kong Flick to Film in Son Doong Cave
Son Doong will soon be paid a visit by another of the world’s most exotic attractions (albeit a fictional one) – King Kong.
[Video] The Game Bored Kids Play in the Mekong Delta
Quick: what do you do with a wooden plank, a bicycle and a lot of free time?
[Video] In Case You Were Wondering What Vietnamese Prison Is Like
As a general rule, prison sucks. Anytime you're forced to wake up at a certain hour, go to sleep at a certain hour, eat cafeteria food and wear the same outfit as everyone else, life is not going your...
[Photos] $60,000 Áo Dài Sets New Record
Last month, during the second annual Vietnam International Fashion Week, the folks at PNJ Jewelry decided to kick their áo dài game up a notch by debuting the most spangly, shimmering, outrageously ex...
