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

$840,000 Vietnamese Oil Painting Sets Christie’s Record

While SE Asia may not be known for fine oil paintings the way Europe is, Vietnam boasts a few exceptional artists in this discipline. One of these is the 20th century painter, Lê Phổ, whose artis...

in Arts & Culture

Saigoneer Sunday Rewind

Our staff's favorite articles that appeared on Saigoneer this week.

in Music & Arts

Iconic Rockers, The Lemonheads To Take The Stage At Cargo

People of a certain age remember the 90s as a time of neon clothing, bad haircuts, and oversized polyester pants. Well luckily those memories are firmly cemented in the past presumably to return when ...

in Culture

The Stories Behind Vietnamese Bank Notes

Though we’ve previously written about the history of Vietnamese currency, we haven’t deeply explored the beautiful artwork the adorns their backsides which feature not only famous landmarks, but more ...

in Music & Arts

Jagwar Ma To Bring Their Unique Indie/Dance Sounds To Cargo Bar In December

If ever there were an experiment in music that yielded such results as the FLRL community did in Sydney, audiences would be spoilt for a generation. Jagwar Ma is one of those results.

in Music & Arts

Black Infinity And White Noiz To Rock Cargo Bar Next Week

Smack in the middle of Saigon International Music Week on November 30th come two of the most reliable acts in Vietnam’s rock music scene.

in Music & Arts

Chinese Music Video “Chick Chick” Is The Definition Of Insanity

In what seems to be a mixture of “What Does The Fox Say” and “The Chicken Dance,” Chinese pop group Wang Rong Rollin’s “Chick Chick” is absolutely WTP (what the phở) worthy.

in Music & Arts

Vietnam’s Beauty in 30 Amazing Photos

VN Express’s Photo Contest 2014 kicked off in August and the site has released the 30 top pictures for the “Landscape” category.

in Culture

[Chart] Vietnamese Dominating The US Manicure Industry

Vietnamese living in the US are known for saturating the manicurist market, but data from the Texas Department of Licensing and Registration show that they absolutely dominate the profession.

in Music & Arts

Back To The Basics: Experimenting With Pinhole Photography In Vietnam

While digital SLRs are all the rage these days, some photographers are moving in the opposite direction, opting for bare-bones techniques that provide unpredictable (and exciting) results. Will Branti...

in Music & Arts

Saigon International Music Week Arrives At Cargo This Month

Cargo Bar continues to raise the bar for live music in the city with the launch of Saigon International Music Week later this month.

in Music & Arts

Comic Con Is Coming To Saigon Next Month

Comic Con, one of the World’s largest gaming, technology, comic book, anime, manga, and cosplay events is coming to Saigon for the first time next month.

in Culture

[Video] Daily Café Hustlin': A Digital Nomad’s Life In Saigon

There are plenty of digital nomads in Saigon, those who tote their laptop from coffee shop to coffee shop instead of sitting in a cubicle. But it’s not a life of glamour. It’s a hustle.

in Culture

[Photos] 21 Outrageous Photos of Vietnamese Vehicles

If you’re from Vietnam, or have lived here for a while, you’ve probably come across some pretty outlandish things on the local roads. But if you think you’ve seen everything, this collection of photos...

in Film & TV

November Movies At Saigon’s Alternative Film Venues

If you believe that humanity is the essential aspect of cinematic endeavours, you will find plenty of it in this month programme from Saigon’s alternative film venues.

in Culture

Vintage Vespa: The Extinction Of The Classic

Sadly, Vintage Vespa is now becoming an endangered species. Gregg Mitchell, a Vespa renovator, moved to Saigon where he found an abundance of ‘Vintage Vespas’. He stated sadly, “They just don't make t...

in Culture

Vintage Vespa: A Design That Stands The Test Of Time – Part I

When Enrico Piaggio first saw the newly designed Vespa scooter, he exclaimed, “Sembra un Vespa ­ it resembles a wasp!”. (The Vespa means wasp in Italian.) Out of a designer’s personal loathing for...

in Music & Arts

15 Awesome Drone Images of Downtown Hanoi

We’re all about seeing Vietnam from different vantage points, from street level to outer space. But perhaps the perfect middle ground are photos taken from drones which give the viewer a birds eye per...

in Music & Arts

Vietnamese Artist Wins Top Prize For Illustrations Showing The Plight Of Circus Animals

In April, Hong Kong-based animal welfare organization, Animals Asia, launched a painting competition about the lives of wild animals in the circus. Hanoi artist, Dương Đoàn Anh Minh, took first prize ...

in Culture

Chart: Explaining Vietnamese Culture Using The Lewis Model

In Vietnam’s cities, where foreigners and locals interact on a daily basis, both socially and professionally, gaps in cultural understanding are common.