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in Film & TV

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?

in Tech

Grindr Once Again Names Vietnam Amongst Nations With Highest Percentage of Bottoms

Started by Spotify, Unwrapped has become one of tech companies’ favorite marketing campaigns in recent years; LinkedIn, Duolingo, and even Vietnam’s own Zalo are amongst some revelers of this trend in...

Khôi Phạm

in Film & TV

A (Non-Exhaustive) Ranking of 10 Vietnamese Queer Movies in History

How would you define a “queer” film?

in Parks & Rec

In Hanoi, Waacking Is Not Just a Dance, but a Home for Creativity and Gender Fluidity Too

“I get to express my madness.” That is what Trần Khánh Linh, also known as Lyna, says when asked why she has been waacking for the last 10 years. By day, Lyna is a jewelry and gemstone seller, but by ...

in Health

For Trans Vietnamese, Healthcare Providers Are Respectful, but Red Tape Still Hurts

Vietnam has been increasingly progressive in protecting and promoting LGBT rights. In November 2015, Vietnam made a big milestone when it granted individuals who have changed their gender the right to...

Paul Christiansen

in Loạt Soạt

'The Chosen and the Beautiful,' a Queer, Magical, Asian American Gatsby Remix

“The Great Gatsby, but with an Asian American narrator and some of the characters are queer and there’s magic.” This is a fine elevator explanation for The Chosen and the Beautiful.

in Asia

Pride Fest, Cambodia's Most Ambitious LGBT Event to Date, Is Coming This Week

On a steamy evening in downtown Phnom Penh, Rebecca Chan takes the stage. The crowd — mostly Cambodian millennials and Gen Z's — is riled up from previous performances, but Chan’s composure tames thei...

Thi Nguyễn

in Music & Arts

The Facetious Gender Politics of Gỗ Lim, Hanoi's Feminist Post-Punk Quintet

In an example of cruel irony, October 20 is when we celebrate annual Vietnam Women's Day, and also the anniversary of the passing of Mai Nga (commonly known as Nga Nhí), the lead singer of Gỗ Lim — a ...

Linh Phạm

in Film & TV

Short Film 'Don't' Dreams of a World With an All-Asian Crime-Fighting Squad

One day, Sally Tran realized that many of her friends in New York City were going to self-defense classes and buying weapons to protect themselves in the city they call home. 

in Health

Health Ministry Stresses 'LGBT Is Not a Disease' in Response to Rise in 'Gay Cure' Clinics

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health recently issued an official dispatch stressing that homosexuality is not a disease.

in Ton-sur-Ton

In Seattle, a Vietnamese Jewelry Maker Finds Comfort in the Quirky and Queer

The big, bold, and fun accessories with an air of mystique that Đinh Nguyễn Song Khanh and their spouse, Meiyin, create under their brand XYZ reflect their definition of queer fashion in the US, where...

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...

in Film & TV

From Commercial Releases to Heartfelt Docs: A Brief History of Vietnam's Notable Queer Films

Personally honest, socially important and commercially sexy, modern movies about gay and transgender people are among the better works of contemporary Vietnamese cinema.

in Loạt Soạt

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 ...

in Tech

Grindr Names Vietnam Among Countries With Highest Percentage of Bottoms

Inspired by the clamorous spectacle of Spotify Wrapped, the gay dating app Grindr has come up with their own version of a year-end assessment, with some interesting data.

in Film & TV

Shot in Saigon, 'Monsoon' Stars Henry Golding as a Gay British-Vietnamese

Monsoon centers on a gay Vietnam-born British man named Kit as he returns to his home country.

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: Vietnam's Unheralded Women & the Creators of Melon Bê Đê

Our latest episode is out now!

in Culture

An Artist's Intimate Portraits of Genderfunk's Collective Energy

The collective of drag artists and performers known as Genderfunk has been creating safe spaces for local queer creatives and blowing the minds of Saigon’s denizens for nearly two years, and they are ...

in Culture

A Night With Kim Lee, the Only Vietnamese Drag Queen in Poland

There are only around 30 drag queens in Poland, and just one of them has Vietnamese roots: Kim Lee.

Thi Nguyễn

in Culture

How Vietnam's Pop Culture Leaves Behind Past Stigmas to Embrace Queerness

The recent rise of music videos and pop culture products that feature androgynous idols and same-sex love has invited mixed responses and debates in the media, which open a window into Vietnam’s histo...

in Asia

To Combat Bullying, Cambodia to Teach LGBTQ Issues in School Syllabus

The new lessons are aimed at ending discrimination against, and bullying of, LGBTQ people in the country.

in Society

[Video] The Colorful Exuberance of Saigon's VietPride Parade 2019

If you were hanging around downtown Saigon last weekend, you would have noticed crowds of revelers dressed in lavish costumes or rainbow-themed attire on their way to the city’s annual Pride event.

in Culture

Experience: How Becoming One of Hanoi's First Drag Queens Transformed My Life

“Oh my god! You look beautiful! You belong on the runway, why aren’t you on the runway?” said Tamah Lake, the organizer of last year’s RuPaul’s Drag Race viewing party events in Hanoi. She came up to ...

in Film & TV

The Bachelor's Happy Queer Romance Is the Positive Representation That Vietnam's LGBT Community Needs

Last Wednesday, the couple talked about their declaration of love during a live stream Facebook interview with the reality show centered around straight relationships.