All Aboard the Languorous 35-Hour Train From Hanoi to Saigon
The train connecting Vietnam’s largest cities takes 35 hours. Yet even after the first time I finished the trip, I was already coming up with excuses for why I needed to do it again. For me, the journey is much more than a chance for great views and time to reflect. It’s an exploration of life itself.
Short Film 'Mud Below, Sun Above' Reveals Daily Trials of Hanoi's Scrap Collectors
Đồng nát translates to “junk; broken materials,” but it is also a term used in northern Vietnam to describe the recycling workforce, 90% of whom are elderly women, that operate in a nation that produces 68,000 tons of solid waste every day.
Inside the Vivid, Soothing Art Realm of Vietnamese Illustration Artist Phuongsongdep
Using her keen observation and sensitive art intuition, Minh Phương creates a colorful realm through her brushstrokes, w...
Paul Christiansen in Culture
Learning to Ngồi Chồm Hổm Is a Simple Way for Anybody to Feel More Vietnamese
What is culture? For someone who writes for an arts and culture publication, you’d think I’d have a quick and clean answer, but the more I ruminate, the more I realize it comes down to a sloppy assemblage of habits, ephemera, and minutiae: eating preferences, holiday attire, styles of sneezes, methods for counting on one’s fingers, variety of fruits to gift and an endless string of social norms. Pile enough of these choices together, and you end up with a distinct culture.
Great Vietnam Resurrects Nguyễn-Era Fashion, One Traditional Costume at a Time
In the last four to five years, ancient Vietnamese costumes have gained more visibility, becoming a welcome sight among young locals thanks to the efforts to reproduce and promote historic fashion from a number of designers, brands, and interest groups that appreciate the country’s history and traditions.
In the Mekong Delta, Đồ Bộ Is Everything, Everywhere, All at Once
Despite its humble beginning as something worn just for convenience’s sake, đồ bộ has entered every minute of life in the Mekong Delta as a staple fashion choice that’s both flexible and colorful. Đồ bộ means “set outfit” in Vietnamese, a type of female casualwear made of soft, thin fabrics that often comes in a top and long bottom combo. They’re sometimes referred to as “Vietnamese pajamas,” but these comfortable sets can be worn at any time of the day and even outside, not just reserved for sleep like pajamas.
Nguyễn Đổng Chi's Classic Retelling of Vietnam's Fairy Tales, Now in English
Folklorist and anthropologist Nguyễn Đổng Chi dedicated decades to weaving a significant portion of Vietnam’s folklore tapestry. He collected, researched, and rewrote over 200 Vietnamese folktales from all corners of the country. His work, initially scattered across five volumes published individually and consecutively over 25 years, appeared as a complete anthology in 1982. Guided by a comprehensive treatise of Vietnamese folktale, Chi’s Kho tàng truyện cổ tích Việt Nam (Treasury of Vietnamese Folk Tales) might be daunting for readers drawn to Vietnamese folklore but disenchanted by rigorous academic discourse.
Kit Humphrey in Travel
In Thổ Hà Village, Rice Paper Spills Onto the Streets and Wraps Around Daily Life
A few hours after sunrise in the small village of Thổ Hà, Bắc Giang Province, alleyways morph into picturesque tunnels of drying rice paper, while ladies toast crackers over fire in the streets.
Sai Gon Art Map: Final Call For Submissions
There’s only one week left until we close submissions for the Sai Gon Art Map, a project from Saigoneer, Saigon Artbook, Dia Projects and The Alternative Art Area.
Draft Amendment Would Restrict Vietnamese Names To 25 Characters
A new draft amendment submitted by the Ministry of Justice would limit Vietnamese names to 25 characters.
2 Vietnamese Films to Be Screened at Cannes Film Festival
Two Vietnamese films, "Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories" and "Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass," will be screened at the 68th Cannes Film Festival that will take place from May 13 to May 24...
[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...
[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...
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.
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.
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.
Saigoneer Sunday Rewind
Saigoneer's staff highlight their favorite articles from the past week.
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.
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.
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 ...
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...
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...
[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...
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 ...
[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.
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.
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...
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.
