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.
Check Out This New Instagram Account Dedicated To Napping Saigonese
In Vietnam, there’s no shame when it comes to taking a nap in public as nearly every vehicle doubles as a makeshift sleeping pad. To capture Saigonese at rest, graphic designer Maria Tran Larsen (who ...
[Video] Parody Of American Teacher Mispronouncing Vietnamese Names Goes Viral
When a video like Key & Peele’s “Substitute Teacher” gets over 400,000 hits on YouTube, copycats and parodies are to be expected. One such imitation, “Substitute Teacher in Vietnam,” shows an American...
Viet Pride 2015 Arrives In Saigon
Tomorrow morning, Vietnam’s biggest LGBT festival, Viet Pride 2015, will kick-off in Saigon with a wide-ranging selection of events, from workshops, art shows, and community activities to a large para...
These 11 Infographics Show The Character Of Asian Nations
The Asian Creative Data Map is a project from the Asian Creative Network (ACN) that seeks to decipher how the character of Asian countries are changing due to rapid growth.
Drone Operators In VN Need Permission From Ministry of Defense To Fly
Drones have provided us with some entertaining and sometime mind-blowing views of Vietnam. However, few drone operators seem to be aware that they need permission from the Ministry of Defense to opera...
[Video] Toronto-Based DJ Films New Music Video On The Streets Of Hanoi
Toronto-based DJ and producer, Michael Imperial, recently traveled to Hanoi to shoot the video for his new track, All Night, inspired by martial arts, bowls of noodles and crime-dramas.
New Monopoly Set Takes You Back To Early 1900s Hanoi
The team that brought you 1880 Saigon Monopoly is back with a new edition of the game that seeks to capture the character of turn of the twentieth century Hanoi.
[Video] The Sounds Of Saigon Part 2
The Xúc Xích Đức team is back with part 2 of their series, Favorite Sounds In Saigon. This addition is a bit more ambitious than the first, capturing everything from the melodic cries o...
[Video] Inside The Mind And Shop Of A Saigon Bike Fanatic
Saigoneer has again teamed up with Only In Saigon to bring you stories from the city’s streets. This week, catch up with Linh who owns a vintage bike shop in Phu Nhuan District.
[Video] This Saigon Drone Video Looks Like It Was Directed by Michael Bay
This drone video of Saigon from How to Media has a distinctly Michael Bayesque feel with its sweeping panoramas, quick cuts and dramatic zooms.
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.
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.
[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...
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.
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.
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.
[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...
[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...
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.
