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] What Happens When Vietnam Sees Domestic Violence In Public
In Vietnam, it's not unusual to stop and stare when something is out of the ordinary. But while some incidents are fairly tame – think wedding photos or street performers – there are also times when t...
King Kong Prequel to Be Filmed in Vietnam
The director of Hollywood's King Kong prequel, Kong: Skull Island, has arrived in Vietnam and is scouting possible locations for the blockbuster-to-be.
[Photos] Vietnam's Mooncake Masters
Mooncakes are probably the most sophisticated of Vietnamese pastries. Round, square or animal-shaped, these dense mid-autumn festival treats are always marked with a golden crust and intricate pattern...
Artist Spotlight: Saigon's DAOS501
Saigon-based graffiti artist DAOS501's visceral, introspective artwork explores the animalistic side of humanity in his first solo exhibition, now on display through September 30 at 3A Station's ...
Zelda Goes To The Gallery: A Material History Of Man And Animal
Cave paintings, the Latin poet Lucretius, the slavery of consumerism and, more prominently, the evolution between mankind and nature are some of the ingredients effortlessly intertwined in the rivetin...
Emotional Short Film Depicts LGBT Life In Rural Vietnam
Vietnamese film seems to be growing by leaps and bounds these days. Whether it's gracing the festival circuit or taking home prestigious awards, the country's film industry is blossoming not only...
[Photos] Lives of Asian Immigrants Captured Through Lens of Vietnamese-American Photographer
In Vietnam, like many countries around the world, the United States earns a reputation as the land of opportunity. The cities are modern, jobs are plentiful, the country is home to scores of world-cla...
[Photos] Young Artist Creates Beautiful Paintings From Daily Materials
Vietnam is home to a host of talented, up-and-coming artists. Whether through paint or sculpture, performance or film, young creatives are pushing boundaries in the art world not only by using new sub...
Meet the Man Who’s Rewriting the Rules of Traditional Vietnamese Calligraphy
More often than not, the best things in Saigon take place on the sidewalk. Whether moonlighting as a parking lot or a restaurant, a barbershop or a spa, the lề đường is a rich eco system of all things...
[Video] Social Experiment Gauges The Honesty Of Danang, Hoi An Locals
Earlier this month, Danang student group Black or White wanted to create a social experiment to gauge the honesty of local residents.
September Movies At Saigon's Alternative Film Venues
This month’s film line-up ranges from stories centered around the world of music to the tale of post-civil war Mali, an animal uprising and a biopic of the painter that would change landscape painting...
Drop Everything: Kenny G Is Coming To Hanoi
Smooth jazz enthusiasts may want to take a seat for this thrilling announcement: next month, Kenny G is coming to Hanoi.
Saigon Artbook: Call For Submission
Saigon Artbook, the city’s platform for emerging artists, is currently seeking submissions for its quarterly art publication. Both local and foreign artists based in Saigon are encouraged to apply.
[Video] The Saigon Shoemaker Who Made Kicks for Kings: Part 2
In the second part of this collaboration between Saigoneer and Only In Saigon, famed shoemaker Trinh Ngoc tells the story of his return to the southern city. From his success as a bespoke designe...
A Bold Move: The Story Of A Saigon Jiu Jitsu Artist
Vietnam has a deep-rooted tradition of võ thuật, or martial arts. Both throughout history and in popular culture, the image of a wise, mild-mannered martial artist stands as the epitome of respec...
10 Things To Avoid During The Month Of Spirits
Today marks the ceremonial day of the “ghost month”, one of Vietnam's lesser known annual traditions. Often joked about, this is actually an important time in the Vietnamese year and influences much o...
The Groundbreaking Work of L’Ecole des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine Artists
The establishment of L’Ecole des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine (EBAI) in 1925 was a turning point for art in Vietnam. The establishment of the school not only ushered in a new era of traditional art that ...
[Video] The Saigon Shoemaker Who Made Kicks for Kings
In the latest collaboration between Saigoneer and Only In Saigon, we enter the shop of famed Shoemaker Trinh Ngoc, located at 50 Ly Chinh Thang, District 3. His story is one of success ...
[Video] Humans Of Saigon
Humans of Saigon follows in the footsteps of the acclaimed Facebook page Humans of New York that embraces the mantra “There’s more to a book than its cover.”
[Photos] Nha Xa: The Remote Village Packed With 30 Colonial Villas
The village of Nha Xa, located in northern Vietnam, is best known for its long tradition of silk weaving. During the colonial period, high demand for the quality product led to a boom for the town’s b...
