Without Ride-Hailing, Public Buses, Saigon's Taxis Are Thrust Into the Frontline
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- Published on 14 September 2021
- Written by Madeleine List. Top photo by Doc Lap, courtesy of Mai Linh Group.
Through the windows of a taxi cab making its way through deserted Ho Chi Minh City, the once-bustling Vietnamese metropolis is almost unrecognizable as empty street after empty street rolls by.
[Photos] Downtown Saigon in 1972: Same Same, but Different
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- Published on 13 September 2021
- Written by Saigoneer. .
What if all the core images, sounds and smells you know of a place were intact, but altered, tweaked or reworked the way songs can be? In some ways, this is what it feels like to gaze at photographs of a place you know intimately, but taken during a time when you never existed.
Lá Dứa: The OG Queen of Vietnamese Desserts
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- Published on 12 September 2021
- Written by Khôi Phạm.
There’s a 99% chance that a Vietnamese child’s first exposure to lá dứa, or pandan, is in the form of rau câu.
Dr. Plastic, the Hanoi Duo Who Give New Life to Single-Use Plastic
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- Published on 10 September 2021
- Written by Niobe Shaw. Photos by Mi Nguyễn.
Plastic pollution is considered one of the main environmental threats to our planet’s health.
As Lockdown Intensifies, Animal Shelters Struggle to Rescue, Care for Abandoned Pets
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- Published on 09 September 2021
- Written by Nhật Anh. Top image by Lê Quan Thuận.
Even before the pandemic, pet shelters struggled to find the time, money and resources to provide adequate care for their resident animals. But as the COVID-19 crisis worsens, rescue groups are facing new dilemmas due to lockdown-driven causes.
[Photos] Renovation Project Brings Comfy Classrooms to Remote Son La School
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- Published on 09 September 2021
- Written by Saigoneer. .
It's hard to nourish the mind when the body is suffering.
A New Generation of Vietnamese Chefs Is Shaking Things up in Prague
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- Published on 08 September 2021
- Written by Tam Le.
Immerse in a Serene Morning at Ngã Năm Floating Market
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- Published on 07 September 2021
- Written by Saigoneer. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
Floating markets haven’t completely disappeared from Vietnam’s commercial landscape.
An Ode to Gối Ôm, Our Time-Honored Sleeping Companion
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- Published on 06 September 2021
- Written by Lina Tran.
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 cream and sage brocade. Play clothes, she seems to resolve, that’s what the Von Trapp children need, their austere father just having interrupted their song and dance.
Indie Quintet Whee! Brings Their Eclectic Sounds to the Local Music Scene
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- Published on 01 September 2021
- Written by Nhật Anh. Top graphic by Lê Quan Thuận.
Making their debut in the midst of the pandemic with a cryptically named album, Whee! offers listeners a down-to-earth and prismatic experience that draws from the musicians' harmonic bond.
[Photos] A Visual History of Saigon's Rainy Season Through the Eras
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- Published on 01 September 2021
- Written by Saigoneer.
Oh, rain.
Meet the Vietnamese Creators of 'Centuries and Still,' a Short Decrying Anti-Asian Racism
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- Published on 31 August 2021
- Written by Michael Tatarski.
How much history are you aware of?
Born Into Traditional Craft, a Young Sculptor Finds Joy in Carving Pop Culture
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- Published on 30 August 2021
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Photos courtesy of Duy Tran.
“Even though they know deeply that it’s beautiful, they cannot feel it because it’s not familiar to them,” Duy Trần says of younger generations that gaze upon the traditional wood sculptures in his family’s factory.
Sao La: The Real-Life Unicorn of Vietnam
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- Published on 29 August 2021
- Written by Paul Christiansen.
Disney’s Aladdin, Super Nintendo, digital fingerprint technology: the outside world was familiar with all these by 1992. Sao la, however, remained unknown.
How Local Brand Re.socks Spins Discarded Plastic Bottles Into Comfy Socks
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- Published on 28 August 2021
- Written by Michael Tatarski. Graphic by Phan Nhi.
How much thought do you put into socks?
Đại Việt Kỳ Nhân: When Vietnam's Prolific History Meets Board Game
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- Published on 25 August 2021
- Written by Ann Ann. Top Image: Phương Phan.
After copious exchanges with friends from abroad, Tô Quốc Nghị had a flash of realization: just like his friends’ countries, Vietnam has always had a wicked awesome history, but the dull, uninspiring textbook lessons have misled people into thinking it’s not. Then comes Đại Việt Kỳ Nhân, an art project that aims to retell Vietnam’s glorious past through illustrations and a board game inspired by the country’s heroic figures.
'Paris by Night' Host Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn Announces Retirement Next Year
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- Published on 24 August 2021
- Written by Saigoneer.
Come 2022, fans of the variety show Paris by Night will miss the dulcet tones and witty banter from its veteran host Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn.
[Photos] Memories of Hue, Quang Tri in 1967 Through the Lens of Edward Palm
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- Published on 23 August 2021
- Written by Saigoneer. .
Empty streets, lines for food, shuttered shops: the last few weeks have certainly provided some strange scenes for Saigon residents.
A Lifetime Adrift: Phu Quoc Cruise Ship Crewmen Live and Work On Board
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- Published on 20 August 2021
- Written by Ngọc Huynh. Photo by Ngọc Huỳnh.
In the days before our lives were disrupted again by the pandemic, I was fortunate enough to visit the remote beauty that is Phu Quoc and its many ivory beaches. On my trip, I also had the opportunity to meet with the crew members of a cruise ship whose lives and livelihoods have risen and fallen with the tides of this touristy haven.
On the Other Side of the Window: a Peek into Different Worlds
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- Published on 20 August 2021
- Written by Linh. Sketches by Linh.
