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?
Linh Phạm in Trích or Triết
In Xuân Diệu's Tender Poetry, a Reminder to Love Honestly and Courageously
“Tenderly, fondly, Xuân Diệu held on to my wrist, caressing it up and down. Our eyes locked in affection…Xuân Diệu loved me.”
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.
Local Handbag Company Seeks To Empower Minority Women And Preserve Ancient Weaving Techniques
When sustainable fashion designer, Danica Ratte, traveled to the far-flung corners of Vietnam, she was immediately taken with the weaving culture of the country’s ethnic minorities.
Exhibition Spotlight: Leonid Keller
Leonid Keller is the first and only exhibition in Saigon by Berlin-based artists Julia Ossko and Eugen Schulz.
[Photos] The Mekong’s Grandest Flower Village In Full Bloom
Last week, the oldest and largest flower village in the Mekong Delta, Tân Quy Đông, was in full bloom.
Saigoneer Sunday Rewind
Saigoneer's staff highlights their favorite articles from the past week.
[Updated] Release Of “50 Shades Of Grey” Canceled In Vietnam
[Update Below] While CGV will soon introduce IMAX in Vietnam, it won’t be bringing local audiences one of the year’s most anticipated films as 50 Shades Of Grey has been pulled from Vietnamese th...
[Videos] 20 Tết Dos And Don’ts
Unlike the Western New Year, Tet is a particularly superstitious occasion with plenty of dos and don’ts.
Event Rewind: Art Talk And Drawing Workshop With Rodney Dickson
Many local artists in Vietnam share a common ground for artistic inspiration – war – as it characterized a significant part of the country’s 20th century history. The global impacts of these conflicts...
Vietnam Set To Get Its First 2 IMAX Theaters
IMAX and a Korean company have agreed on a deal to open Vietnam’s first two super-sized screens.
Galerie Quynh and San Art Announce Relocation Plans
On January 31, Galerie Quynh permanently closed its original location in 65 De Tham, leaving the new downtown gallery on Dong Khoi as its sole exhibition space.
[Photos] Vintage Vietnamese Matchboxes
The images on Vietnamese matchbox covers before 1975 varied from the traditional - drawings of zodiac animals - to the modern – brand advertising and popular singers of the day.
Saigoneer Sunday Rewind
Saigoneer's staff highlights their favorite articles from the past week.
Art Talk: Drawing Workshop With Rodney Dickson
Irish-American painter, Rodney Dickson, developed his work based on the atmosphere of abandonment that characterized the post-war era in Cambodia and Vietnam.
February Movies At Saigon’s Alternative Film Venues
Classic and witty comedy, the one of the greatest sci-fi epics in recent history, the biggest Oscar contender of the year and a special screening from Saigon-based film festival, Impressions are some ...
Brian Letwin in Music & Arts
[Video] European Graffiti Artist Tags His Way Across Saigon
We recently caught up with Munich-based graffiti artist, Nasca Uno, who spend five weeks in Vietnam last year, painting beautiful pieces of art in Saigon and Phan Thiet.
Saigoneer Sunday Rewind
Saigoneer's staff highlights their favorite articles from the past week.
[Video] Hanoi Hip Hop Group Mixes Beat Boxing, Rapping And Popping With Traditional Vietnamese Music
Hip hop’s roots delve deep into the crates of soul, funk, gospel and jazz. All of these stem from African forms of music and have created a rich fabric for the enduring art form.
[Photos] The Coffee Shops, Train Track Photo Shoots And “Public Bathrooms” Of Hanoi’s Long Biên Bridge
Probably the most iconic and historic bridge in Vietnam, Long Biên Bridge has yet to receive much needed care for its current deteriorating condition (link). However, local residents don’t seem to min...
[Photos] 15 Of The Most Ridiculous Signs You’ll Ever See In Vietnam
Whether it be Google translate fails, cultural misinterpretations or outright ridiculousness, these signs, sourced from Another Side of Vietnam, had us shaking our heads, laughing hysterically, and so...
Ministry Of Justice Seeks To Punish Adulterers With Fines
A revised decree from the Ministry of Justice contains a proposal to fine members of a married couple that are found to be committing adultery.
[Video] "The Road Story Vietnam"
There’s no shortage of videos made by backpackers trekking through Vietnam which tap directly into our wanderlust. But few videos feature the high-level of production value found in "The Road Story Vi...
