Dispatch From Udine: Vietnam's Cinema Reaches the World Stage While Rooted in Local Culture
Vietnamese cinema experienced a watershed moment at the 28th Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy.
Short Story Collection 'Gills' Pieces Together a Raw and Complex Portrait of Saigon
Saigon’s landscape looks dramatically different from how it did three or even two decades ago. As the country’s economic powerhouse, Saigon has seen rapid urban development: new highrises like Landmark 81 and the Bitexco Financial Tower that now define the city’s skyline, new urban infrastructure like the Ba Son Bridge and Saigon’s first metro line, as well as the city’s expansion into areas like District 7’s Phú Mỹ Hưng and District 2’s Thủ Thiêm. If the west has long viewed Saigon under the shadow of war, it is clear that such a rigid frame fails to contain the Saigon of today, whose entropic inner life seems to constantly overflow; with motorbikes onto sidewalks, loud honks through windows, and rainpour over Saigon’s riverbeds.
Paul Christiansen in Culture
Whale Worship: Exploring the Role of Whales in Vietnam's Coastal Lore
In 1799, the ferocious Tây Sơn army forced the first Nguyễn Emperor, Nguyễn Ánh, and his troops to flee to the sea. While making their escape, a great storm engulfed the retreating army. As their ship’s mast shivered and the hull shuddered, threatening to break it into splinters, a great whale rose from the depths. It lifted the emperor's boat and carried him and his men to safety. To thank the animal, Ánh bestowed upon whales the official title of "Nam Hải Cự Tộc Ngọc Lân Thượng Đẳng Thần," which was shortened to Cá Ông, or “Lord Fish.”
A Special 'Doraemon' Episode Taking Place in Vietnam Will Be Released in May
After decades of watching Doraemon and his close friend groups adventure to all sorts of strange lands from the deepest trenches on Earth to fantastical planets, fans of the beloved cat robot in Vietnam will finally see our country in the cartoon series.
Paul Christiansen in In Plain Sight
An Ode to Saigon’s Chò Nâu Trees
It’s too cold for chò nâu to grow where I’m from, but we still gave it an English name: dipterocarp.
Mầm in Music & Arts
Vietnamese Painter Một Quả Tắc Creates an Intimate and Gentle World on Silk
Silk is an inherently finicky, demanding medium. Yet from the very first encounter, Quế Hương had chose to embrace its temperament and has devoted herself to it for nearly a decade.
Mầm in Ton-sur-Ton
Into the Earthy, Quirky World of Kramahan's Accessories and Clothing
We paid Nhật, the founder of Kramahan.Clothing , a visit on a windy day in Saigon. This room in the heart of the city has ...
ACV Proposes Moving 90% of Saigon's Overseas Flights to Long Thành
The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) has proposed plans to transfer flight operations in Hồ Chí Minh City from Tân Sơ...
Q&A: An Interview With 'Raya and the Last Dragon' Co-Writer Qui Nguyen
When Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon was released in March, it was a cultural milestone for Southeast Asians. Raya is the first Southeast Asian Disney princess in the Walt Disney Company’s...
Saigoneer Podcast: 'Things We Lost to the Water' Author Eric Nguyen
We hope you had a good, safe holiday weekend!
Vietnamese Artist Shows Incredible Skills in Hyperrealistic Hảo Hảo Noodles Painting
The much-shared image looks so real that its artist, Lê Đại Phát, was forced to upload a video of him creating it to prove it was in fact a painting.
Mầm in Quãng 8
The Marriage of Electronic and Folk Instruments in DJ Teddy Chilla's Music
DJ and producer Teddy Chilla is among a few artists in the current music scene who are known to experiment with Vietnamese traditional music in their electronic works.
[Video] The Absurdist 'Sài Gòn Đẹp Lắm' Music Video That Makes You Question Reality
What in the world is going on here?
Saigoneer Podcast: Vietnam's Contemporary Coffee Culture and a Street Food Update
A new Saigoneer Podcast episode is now available!
A Lotus 'Startup' in Hanoi Goes Back to Its Roots
For Lã Quang Khanh, a resident of Me Linh District, the term khởi nghiệp, or startup, has nothing to do with technology.
Inside the Extravaganza Using Literature to Highlight Hoi An History
Directed by writer Nguyễn Quang Vinh, “Hội An Show – Gratitude” was launched last month in the central Vietnam town. It featured 150 artists portraying the history of the ancient town via stories of H...
Sold for $3.1m, Mai Trung Thứ Portrait Becomes Highest-Valued Vietnamese Artwork
Artworks by Vietnamese artists have been sold at record-breaking amounts in recent years.
Saigoneer Podcast: Domestic Tourism Amid the Pandemic with Urbanist Travel's Chau Nguyen
A new podcast episode is out now!
Elise Luong in Music & Arts
Ahead of the Hanoi Return of 'Les Misérables,' a Talk With Director Trần Ly Ly
Directing the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet with a tender iron fist since 2018, Tran Ly Ly pushes her artists and the company towards a daring new image by revisiting classic works and promot...
Elise Luong in Ton-sur-Ton
Kilomet109's Thảo Vũ: 'Clothing Is a Language That You Can Write With'
In October last year, eco-fashion label Kilomet109 launched its latest collection “Miên.” Designer Thảo Vũ sat down with us to share the label’s awkward beginnings and what the label means to her...
Paul Christiansen in In Plain Sight
A Case for the Coexistence of Convenience Stores and Tạp Hóa
What is VND1,000 worth? t’s not enough to buy a piece of gum, boiled egg or phone call. You can’t even park your bike in most places for that pittance. I imagine many people step over a dropped 1K note on the street rather than make the effort to stoop down to pick it up. And yet, a few days ago, 1,000 đồng meant the world to me.
8 the Theatre Refreshes Jazz With Music by Young People for Young People
What are you doing at 8pm?
Linh Pham in Culture
Bình Dân Học Vụ, Vietnam's Revolution Against the Enemy of Illiteracy
O tròn như quả trứng gà / ô thì đội mũ, ơ là thêm râu.
Mỹ Anh's Journey to Carve Her Own Space in the Music Scene Is Just Starting
You can feel Mỹ Anh’s eccentric bubbly energy right away; her free-spirited character is expressed through not only her music, but her '80s-inspired style and aura. Wearing her trademarked checkered t...
Saigoneer Podcast: Vietnam's Modernist Architecture With Book Author Phạm Phú Vinh
A new Saigoneer Podcast episode is out now!
Elise Luong in Music & Arts
The Unwavering Creative Gusto of Artist Mộng Bích
As she approaches her 90th spring, artist Mộng Bích continues to paint with insatiable gusto and infectious calm in preparation for her solo show at the French Institute of Hanoi opening on ...
'The Humanimal' Exhibition Celebrates Artist Daos501's 15-Year Journey in Graffiti
The set of artworks titled "The Humanimal" by Daos501 — an established name in Vietnam's graffiti scene — brought the harmony between nature and humans to Interlink’s art event.
After Decades Under the Bed, a 1974 Vietnamese Film Finds an Audience Online
It's 2009 and I'm running a workshop for a large group of unemployed jobseekers in Sydney, Australia.
