New 'Số Đỏ' Movie Announced, Directed by Phan Gia Nhật Linh, Starring MONO
Another classic of Vietnamese literature is heading to the big screen in the near future.
Thi Nguyễn in Loạt Soạt
Revisiting the Delicious Satirical Society of 'Số Đỏ' by Vũ Trọng Phụng
Published in 1938, Dumb Luck, or Số Đỏ, remains one of Vietnam's most popular and controversial novels. Vũ Trọng Phụng was fined by the French colonial administration in Hanoi in 1932 for his stark po...
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
In 'Water: A Chronicle,' Nguyễn Ngọc Tư Wades Into the Mekong via Vignettes
“When you’ve lived to a certain age, you don’t ask whether or not something is true, you ask which truth it is.”
Thi Nguyễn in Food Culture
Chè, Bánh, Chả, Nem: The Curious Lives of Vietnam’s Regional Food Names
Realizing the word that one is using refers to an entirely different object in another region is a situation many can relate to. The last time this happened to me, it almost cost me a bowl of Hanoi’s ...
A New Reading Space in Trà Vinh Creates Comfort From Recycled Materials
“A book must be the axe for the frozen sea inside us,” according to famed Czech writer Franz Kafka.
Nam Cao's Radical Sympathy and Pursuit of Happiness Are Still Relevant Even Today
What messages would a young writer living in colonial times want to impart to the youth of the 21st century?
Paul Christiansen in Literature
These 5 Vietnamese Poems Pay Homage to the Complexities of Local Fruits
Fruit and poetry: the two things I love most.
Linh Phạm in Trích or Triết
The Life, Death and Legacy of 7 Pillars of Vietnam's Quốc Ngữ Literary Wealth
When I first started as a writer, I noticed that I couldn’t write in Vietnamese very well, despite the fact that I was born here. Most of my English vocabulary comes from books, so in order to improve...
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
Social Commentary, Empathy in Nguyễn Quang Thân's Short Story Collection
Nguyễn Quang Thân passed away on March 4, 2017, several weeks before I moved to Saigon. So of course I never met him, but I feel like I know him. My first introduction was via An Insignificant Family,...
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 en...
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...
English-Language Edition of 'Chinatown' by Thuận Wins US Translation Award
The 2023 National Translation Award for fiction was given by the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) to Nguyễn An Lý’s translation of Chinatown by Thuận.
Paul Christiansen in Literature
In Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai's New Novel, Saigon's Rhythms Hum in the Background
“I’m always homesick for Vietnam. To write is to return home. That's why I had to bring Vietnam alive onto the pages. I had to hear the people speak, I had to listen to the music, to the language; I h...
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.”
'The Shard, the Tissue, an Affair': A Short Story by Andrew Lam
This short story is featured in Volume 2 of In My Ear, Your Voice Still Flickering // Bên tai tôi, giọng người vẫn chờn vờn, a three-part, bilingual collection of works by more than 20 Vietnamese arti...
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.
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
A Memoir Ruminates on Saigon in the Now and via Childhood Memories
Born in Saigon in 1977, Tuan Phan and his parents left for America via boat in 1986. Remembering Water includes depictions of the voyage including lengthy stops in refugee camps followed by acclimatio...
Paul Christiansen in Travel
Vignette: Letters to Hàn Mặc Tử
Quy Nhơn residents mentioned Hàn Mặc Tử with great pride and reverence whenever I mentioned enjoying reading and writing poems.
Khôi Phạm in Quãng 8
Hanoi Indie Duo Limebócx Brings Tried-and-Trù Traditions to Young Ears
A grazing buffalo, frolicking water puppets, mystifying tam cúc cards, an insolent maiden in áo tứ thân, a rustic meal around cái mâm. These are just a few standout visuals that will haunt your brain ...
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
Bảo Ninh's English-Language Return and the Magic of Mundane Moments
Of all 20th-century Vietnamese authors whose works were translated into English, none have received more high-profile attention than Bảo Ninh for his wartime novel Nỗi buồn chiến tranh (The ...
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
The Fraught Human-Earth Dynamics in 'Revenge of Gaia,' a Collection of Vietnamese Eco-Fiction
Stories focusing on the natural world and humanity’s relationships with the environment existed before the term eco-literature became popular in the west in the 1970s, but since its coinage, writers a...
HBO Adaptation of 'The Sympathizer' Casts Kiều Chinh, MC Kỳ Duyên, Sandra Oh
Hollywood stars Sandra Oh and Robert Downey Jr. are joined by a number of diasporic Vietnamese actors for the anticipated HBO adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Sy...
Linh Phạm in In Plain Sight
Hanoi's Literature Museum Is Not Neglected, but It's Not Thriving Either
From the side road of Âu Cơ Street, I turned into ngõ 275.
Q&A: Nguyễn Quí Đức on Tadioto, Zone 9, and How He Fell for Hanoi's Charms
Countless are the number of hours Hanoi creatives have spent sipping whisky and contemplating the world at the famous drinking hole that is Tadioto.
The Hanoian Artisan Carving Intricate Reliefs From Leather to Make Book Covers
The enduring pages in our history deserve book covers that match their significance.
Vietnam's Cultural Diversity via 3 Versions of Sọ Dừa in Kinh, Chăm, Raglai Folklore
On Sọ Dừa’s birth certificate, how should one fill in the “ethnic group” field?
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
'Bronze Drum,' an Entertaining, TV-Ready Reimagining of the Legend of Hai Bà Trưng
Turning a beloved but brief legend based on scant historical evidence into a page-turning novel is no easy task. But Phong Nguyen’s book Bronze Drum succeeds in depicting the upbringing and rebel...
Đợi Kiều: A New Creative Project Examines 'Truyện Kiều' With Fresh Eyes
In an effort to facilitate new discussion and appreciation of Vietnam’s national epic poem The Tale of Kiều, this September, the team behind YUME - Art Project is launching a series of events titled “...
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
Thuận’s Novel 'Chinatown' Targets the Tedium of Migration
Vĩnh, born in Hanoi to a Vietnamese mother who studied in the Soviet Union and teaches English in France, and an ethnically Chinese father raised in Hanoi but now working in Chợ Lớn, dreams of the day...
Once Derided, 'Lục Xì' Is a Trail-Blazing Lesson in Nuanced Sympathy
Lục Xì is a reportage written by Vũ Trọng Phụng in the first volume of Tương Lai newspaper in 1937. In the series, Phụng describes his experiences visiting the dispensary (nhà lục xì) where prostitute...
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
'Chronicles of a Village' Is an Avant-Garde Deconstruction of the Familiar Rural Vietnam
How would you tell the story of your birth soil?
Khôi Phạm in Film & TV
Review: 'Maika' Is What Happens When You Take Children Seriously
Maika is a loving tribute to Vietnam’s childhood icon of the 1980s, but for those who didn’t grow up with the original Eastern European series, what’s in it for us?
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
How to Navigate Coming Out to Your Parents With the Help of 3 Fairy Tales
Sometimes stories can articulate what we cannot put into our own words. Fairy tales can function as long-form proverbs that allow people to identify and pass on important values, expectations and expe...
Award-Winning Children's Book on Conservation to Release Sequel Tomorrow
Saving H'non: Chang and the Elephants, a sequel to the critically acclaimed children’s book by Trang Nguyễn, is scheduled to hit shelves on June 11 following the success of Saving Sorya: Chang and the...
'My Father’s Bàng Tree': A Poem by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
This poem is featured in Volume 1 of In My Ear, Your Voice Still Flickering // Bên tai tôi, giọng người vẫn chờn vờn, a three-part, bilingual collection of works by more than 20 Vietnamese artists and...
Read Saigoneer's Literary Zine, Featuring 20 Works by Vietnamese Writers and Artists
In My Ear, Your Voice Still Flickering // Bên tai tôi, giọng người vẫn chờn vờn is a collection of work from twenty Vietnamese writers and artists released as part of the Miami Book Fair, one of ...
Đà Lạt-Born French Writer Linda Lê Passes Away at 58
Born in Đà Lạt in 1963, Linda Lê moved to France as an adolescent and went on to write numerous award-winning works of fiction in French.
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
Saigoneer Bookshelf: Ocean Vuong Asks Questions in 'Time Is a Mother'
Fame and poetry rarely go together.
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
Saigoneer Bookshelf: The Instruction Manual of Phillips H92X Offers Something for Everyone
Engaging plot or strong characters? Fantastic escapism or insightful depictions of the real world? A sweeping epic across generations and nations, or a deep examination of a brief moment in time? What...
Huế Plans to Relocate 100-Year-Old French Mansion to Make Room for Hotel
To make room for new developments, Huế authorities are mulling options to uproot and relocate a century-old villa.
Michael Tatarski in Environment
Huế's Fantastic Herbs and Where to Find Them, Now in Book Form
Have you ever walked past a plant and wondered "Hey, I wonder what that could do?"
Paul Christiansen in Literature
Touching the Infinite: An Interview With Vietnamese Canadian Novelist Kim Thúy
Why pencils are yellow; the connections between the aviation industry, a centuries-old Central American ballgame and sex; the “true” color of goldfish; the reason we never see Buddha peeing; and the g...
How Indie Book Publisher Bar De Force Marries Art, Literature and Translation
“A collision of literature and art on the pages” is the descriptor that Bar De Force, a Vietnamese independent press, gives itself.
Heartfelt, Queer and Wickedly Witty: How Poetry Collection 'Come Clean' Sparks Joy
Joshua Nguyen lists himself as many things on his Instagram bio — a writer, a PhD student, a boba snob. He received his MFA from the University of Mississippi, where he is currently studying for ...
Charlie Nguyen to Direct Film Based on Life of 'Perfect Spy' Phạm Xuân Ẩn
The storied life of perhaps Vietnam’s most famous intelligence officer will be adapted for the silver screen in the near future.
Hanoi to Name 2 New Streets After Literary Couple Lưu Quang Vũ-Xuân Quỳnh
The Hanoi People’s Council has proposed naming two streets in Cầu Giấy District after Lưu Quang Vũ and Xuân Quỳnh, two of the most prominent poets in Vietnam's literary world.
Literary Journal Áo Trắng Ceases Operations Today After 31 Years
Once a home for aspiring young writers to take their very first steps on their journey towards literary finesse, Áo Trắng will now close its doors for good.
Film Adaptation of Mạc Can's 'Tấm Ván Phóng Dao' Wins Award at Busan Project Market
If Wood Could Cry, It Would Cry Blood was awarded the ArteKino International Award as part of the 2021 Busan International Film Festival.
Vietnamese Novel 'The Mountains Sing' Honored by Prestigious US Peace Prize
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai was named the runner-up for this year's Dayton Literary Peace Prize in the fiction category.
An Illustration Project Brings Life to the Pages of 16th-Century Literature
Find yourself immersed in the world of mythical fiction through these enchanting illustrations from the art project Truyền Kỳ Mạn Lục.
Michael Tatarski in Loạt Soạt
A Wildly Original Intermingling of Tales From Vietnam, Past and Present
In the Saigoneer office — which I haven't actually seen in person for months — a common concern is the prevalence of the war in literature about Vietnam. Even among younger writers, particul...
Thơughtful: Chữ(a) Là(nh), a New Poetry Series to Raise Fund for Those in Need
“Chữ_là để chữa_lành,” or “words are for healing," is Bay Library’s motto for their poetry series. Amidst these difficult times, words have never abandoned people; they are here to heal, share, and sy...
An Ode to Gối Ôm, Our Time-Honored Sleeping Companion
There’s a scene in The Sound of Music, where Julie Andrews gazes into the future on a stormy night and envisions something holy: play clothes. She wraps herself in her bedroom curtains, a stuffy ...
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
Saigoneer Bookshelf: 'Luminous Nights' Explores the 20th Century Literary Landscape
Why haven’t some of Vietnam’s most famous early 20th-century short stories been translated into English?
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
Saigoneer Bookshelf: 'A Thousand Times You Lose Your Treasure' Speaks Many Voices
When I first met Hoa Nguyen several years ago in Hanoi, it was her first trip back to Vietnam since she left as a child.
Find Literary Divination in This Special Deck of 'Tale of Kiều' Tarot
In the world of tarot, each of the 78 cards represents a metaphysical inquiry into life and the human psyche. Meanwhile, in Nguyễn Du’s epic poem, each of the 3,254 verses offers a philosophical explo...
18-Year-Old Alexandra Huynh Named US' Next National Youth Poet Laureate
The second-generation Vietnamese-American 18-year-old who considers poetry a matter of self-expression and social justice will help spread and advocate for poetry in America.
Park Chan-Wook to Direct TV Series Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen's 'The Sympathizer'
Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2015 novel The Sympathizer will be getting a TV adaptation directed by Park Chan-wook, the auteur behind the success of The Handmaiden and Oldboy.
Saigoneer Podcast: 'Things We Lost to the Water' Author Eric Nguyen
We hope you had a good, safe holiday weekend!
Nguyễn Huy Thiệp, One of Vietnam's Most Celebrated Writers, Passes Away
Nguyễn Huy Thiệp, one of Vietnam's most talented and influential post-war authors, passed away on March 20 at the age of 71.
Short Story: 'Left-Eared' by Trần Thị NgH
'Left-Eared' (Người Thuận Tai Trái) is a short work of fiction originally written in Vietnamese by author Trần Thị NgH and translated with her assistance for Saigoneer.
Her Schedule on Saturday
Imagine that on the weekend a splinter flies into your eye and you have to see the doctor.
Paul Christiansen in Literature
How DiaCritics Creates a Platform for Diverse Vietnamese Voices From Abroad
“Vietnamese communities can sometimes/often demand conformity and tradition of people in order to feel a part of things; I have always seen diaCRITICS as an opportunity to trouble the definitions, pus...
Hẻm Gems: Cù Rú, an Old Saigon Bar That Took Root in Da Lat
Editor's note: Cù Rú Bar, the artists' solace, was born in Saigon by a tightknit group of friends and lovers, fueling creative souls with delectable homemade rượu cocktails, the group relocated to Da ...
'On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous' by Ocean Vuong Is Being Adapted Into a Movie
A prominent work of contemporary Vietnamese-American fiction is being adapted for the big screen.
On Deep Reading the Poetic Works of Vietnamese Writer Nhã Thuyên
Reflections on Nhã Thuyên’s poem 'Traces of nothing' and other writings.
Saigoneer Bookshelf: In Poetry Collection 'OM,' Đặng Thân Embraces Human Turmoil
At the heart of Đặng Thân's poetry collection, OM [Other Moments], is the poetics of dichotomy: beauty and brutality, light and darkness, hope and despair, nihilism and existentialism.
'Blind Man' by Mimi Nguyen
The blind man knows the direction of destiny.
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
Saigoneer Bookshelf: 'Other Moons' Aims to Amplify Voices of Vietnam's Wartime Writers
Why must we continue talking about war?
Penguin Random House to Publish Acclaimed Storybook by 2 Vietnamese Illustrators
An’s first journey to school isn’t just limited to the Mekong Delta anymore, he’s paddled his way to the wide oceans of the world.
This New Edition of 'Số Đỏ' Comes With Lively Illustrations by Thành Phong
If your grasp of the ingenious satire of Vũ Trọng Phụng’s Số Đỏ (Dumb Luck) is slipping, this newly published edition might prove helpful for brushing up before the film adaptation comes out.
'Con Ăn Cơm Chưa? | Have You Eaten Yet?' by Jessica Nguyen
it took me till my college years when saying “I love you” became a normal thing
Nguyễn Đức Sơn, Eccentric Poet and Pillar of Southern Literature, Passes Away at 83
On the morning of June 11, poet Nguyễn Đức Sơn, pseudonym Sao Trên Rừng (Star Over The Forest), passed away at the age of 83.
Vietnam Is Publishing More Books, but Only a Fraction of Which Are Children's Literature
With a depleting number of children’s literature writers, it is becoming ever more difficult to meet the appetite of Vietnam’s youths hungry for a good Vietnamese book.
France Awards Order of Arts and Letters to Two Vietnamese
The awards were conferred to Nguyen Ngoc Lan and Tran Vuong Thach.
Paul Christiansen in Literature
Saigoneer's Guide to What to Read While Social Distancing
“In good times arts are magical, and in tough times they are essential. That’s when you need them the most. Art makes you human.”
[Video] This New Animated Adaptation of 'Truyen Kieu' Will Brighten up Your Day
What would a millennial take on Truyen Kieu, or The Tale of Kieu in English, look like? The answer is adorable characters, cartoonish effects and facetious narration by veteran comedian Quang Thang.
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
