An Ode to Vũng Tàu, Saigon's Unwavering Summer Crush
I recently took a trip to Vũng Tàu after a long summer of cultural research, which had me traveling up and down Vietnam. It had been seven years since I’d been back to the homeland, and 19 since I’d last seen the beaches of Vũng Tàu, when I was only 16. It felt like returning to a high school crush, and it made me think of the words of Trần Thiện Thanh, who once wrote, “Nhớ lúc xa xưa mười sáu trăng tròn…” I won’t say I wasn’t looking for something familiar, poetic, and possibly even as sappy.
Paul Christiansen in Literature
5 Books by Vietnamese Authors Centered on Strong Female Protagonists
Literature, more than any other art form, allows people an intimate vantage point from which to witness the experiences, emotions, and thoughts of individuals drastically different from themselves. Books thus hold the unparalleled power to inspire, foster empathy, and expand one’s understanding of the human condition.
Women in Post-Đổi Mới Vietnamese Cinema: From Archetypal to Multifaceted
In Vietnamese cinema, the female figure has long been employed to deliver macro-level messages rather than just mundane narratives.
Khôi Phạm in Music & Arts
The Multiverse Behind the 1990s Classic 'Người Tình Mùa Đông' by Như Quỳnh
There is a certain timelessness to the song ‘Người Tình Mùa Đông’ by Như Quỳnh, especially in the visuals of its very first performance. For generations of Vietnamese listeners, ‘Người Tình Mùa Đông’ is an icon in the hall of fame of Vietnamese music, but as I have come to discover, the melody that Vietnamese know as ‘Người Tình Mùa Đông’ has lived a life much richer and more transcendent than it might appear.
Vietnamese Creators Teach Kids to Appreciate Rice in 'Con Ăn Hết Rồi' Book Project
If one day, the grains of rice that you frequently put in your mouth suddenly start to move, talk, and give you a rundown on how they were created on the field, would you believe it? This seemingly absurd scenario is exactly what happened to Minh, a little boy who's the main character of Con ăn hết rồi!, a children's book by author Đỗ Nguyệt Hà and illustrator Lê Phương Quỳnh, also known as Buffy.
Paul Christiansen in Music & Arts
In Hội An, Artist Nguyễn Quốc Dân Breathes New Life Into Scrap Materials
The several dozen family altars that formed a hodgepodge pile had each been abandoned in graveyards. For many, this would make them extremely inauspicious. But to artist Nguyễn Quốc Dân, they are perfect for making art.
Enlightening Misery Under French Rule Explored in 'Light Out and Modern Vietnamese Stories'
Light Out and Modern Vietnamese Stories, 1930–1954 offers the contemporary reader an honest glimpse of a period in Vietnam history characterized by corruption, exploitation, dehumanization, poverty, and starvation. The Vietnamese texts, both a novella and accompanying short stories, not only delineate the immediate influence of French colonization on the sociopolitical functions of Vietnam, an enterprise solely designed for its economic potential, but also expose the extending impact on the quotidian lives of proletarians, particularly the peasantry.
What Shipwrecks Can Teach Us About Vietnam's Centuries-Old Maritime History
Deep beneath the ocean surface, colorful ceramic fragments have been scattered and stacked upon one another for centuries. Some remain whole, others broken, many still covered with corals and ocean dust. Once precious commodities, these pieces have become time capsules, carried into the Vietnamese waters by ships that never reached their destinations. What stories might these centuries-old ceramic artifacts hold about Vietnam’s connection with surrounding kingdoms?
Trung Nguyên’s Massive Geography Fail
Trung Nguyên puts out some pretty darn good coffee, providing a solid alternative to corn and chemical based street variety. When it comes to packaging, however, it looks like they could use a bit of ...
[Photos] A Sneak Peek Into Saigon’s 2015 Tet Flower Street
There are many changes in store for Saigon’s annual Flower Street this year, from a new location to the use of QR codes and free WIFI.
[Video] 80-Year-Old Vietnamese Man Owns Foreigner In Arm Wrestling Match
Looks can be deceiving as one foreign man found out the hard way when he entered into an arm wrestling match with an elderly Vietnamese man.
Saigoneer Sunday Rewind
Saigoneer's staff highlights their favorite articles from the past week.
Artist Spotlight: Thanh Xinh
With her bubbly personality and welcoming smile, one may assume that Saigon Artbook artist Thanh Xinh's journey as an artist has been nothing but smooth sailing. Like anything that is w...
Saigon Blog Spotlight: Seen In Saigon
Here comes a new player in your daily surf-for-stuff in Saigon routine.
Saigoneer Sunday Rewind
Saigoneer's staff highlights their favorite articles from the past week.
[Video] Parkour Gaining A Foothold in Vietnam
Parkour, or freestyle walking, follows fixies and skateboarding as the latest international subculture to gain popularity among Vietnam’s young urbanites.
Saigon Xưa: A Closer Look At Lê Hưng Trọng’s Dreamlike Creations
Author and artist Lê Hưng Trọng picks his favorite illustrations from his upcoming art book, “Saigon Xưa,” to give us a closer look into these fairytale-like drawings.
Vietnam Takes Lead on Gay Rights by Eliminating Same-Sex Marriage Ban
On January 1, Vietnam officially abolished regulations that “prohibit marriage between people of the same sex.”
[Infographic] Vietnamese Only “Moderately” Difficult for Native English Speakers
Many foreigners living in Vietnam find Vietnamese a challenging language to master, often citing its many tones as the biggest stumbling block. According to the US Department of State’s Foreign Servic...
At Least 10 Vietnamese Have Ordered The New $450k Mercedes Maybach
At least 10 wealthy Vietnamese have ordered the new Mercedes Maybach sedan retailing at a cool $450,000 here in Vietnam.
[Video] The Gangnam Style Coracle Dancers Of Quang Nam Province
You were probably hoping that Gangnam Style wouldn’t still be relevant in 2015, but a group of Quang Nam Province tour guides has figured out a way to mix the modern, YouTube-breaking dance with tradi...
January Movies At Saigon’s Alternative Film Venues
International cinema in 2014 was marked not only by a number of solid films, but also by exceptional performances. With ‘award season’ in full swing, Saigon’s alternative film venues have lined up a n...
Behind The Curtain: Standpoint Theories
Brimming with creative ideas, the multi-disciplinary Standpoint Theories, which first made an appearance last year at Cargo Bar, will grace Saigon once more for three days in January.
Saigoneer’s 10 Most Popular Stories Of 2014
As the calendar is set to flip to 2015, we’ve put together a list of Saigoneer’s most popular stories from 2014.
Left For Dead, Vietnam’s First Restored Steam Locomotive Makes Miraculous Return
After an 18-year absence from Vietnam’s tracks, it looks like steam locomotives are making a comeback.
15 Amazing Moments Captured On Vietnam’s Streets
In Vietnamese cities, streets are where life happens. With few parks available to the country’s urban masses, they serve as everything from entertainment venues to wedding halls to restaurants. They a...
Saigoneer Sunday Rewind
Saigoneer's staff highlights their favorite articles from the past week.
Plus-Size Woman Sends Her Photos To Editors Across The Globe, Photoshop Hilarity Ensues
Back in June, an American blogger Esther Honig sent her photo to editors around the globe to be photoshopped. She found that each country (including Vietnam) projected their own cultural values and st...
