Hẻm Gems: An Alternative Cao Lầu in Saigon for Full-Topping Eaters
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- Published on 18 August 2024
- Written by Khôi Phạm. Photos by Pete Walls and Cao Nhân.
If I have to use one word to describe the food philosophy of Saigoneers, it would be maximalist. Those who have had the gluttonous joy of hunkering down on a plastic chair on the sidewalk and demolishing a giant tumbler of full-topping bubble tea will know what I’m talking about.
Hẻm Gems: A Long-Anticipated Bowl of D10's Pre-Eminent Mì Vịt Tiềm
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- Published on 16 August 2024
- Written by Dana Filek-Gibson. Photos by Brandon Coleman.
Rarely have I gone into a meal with such anticipation.
Nam Cao's Radical Sympathy and Pursuit of Happiness Are Still Relevant Even Today
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- Published on 15 August 2024
- Written by Thiện Bùi.
What messages would a young writer living in colonial times want to impart to the youth of the 21st century?
This Terracotta Workshop Makeover Sings the Praises of Vietnam's Red Bricks
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- Published on 15 August 2024
- Written by Saigoneer.
A Quảng Nam brick kiln that's been operating for over twenty years has received a makeover that allows guests to get a more intimate look at the traditional craft of making terracotta.
One Nation's Beloved Cá Lóc Is Another Nation's Horror Movie
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- Published on 13 August 2024
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Top graphic by Tiên Ngô.
America has been losing its shit over snakeheads. All summer long my algorithm-led newsfeed has been alerting me to ominous headlines including “‘Horror movie’ snakehead fish that can slither on land invading Missouri amid fourth sighting,” “Voracious, invasive ‘frankenfish’ reeled in from Delaware River at Easton,” and “Snakehead Fish Found in Georgia: ‘Kill It Immediately.’”
Vietnamese Staff Member Wins 7-Eleven Japan's Annual Customer Care Contest
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- Published on 12 August 2024
- Written by Saigoneer.
A Vietnamese national recently surpassed over 2,000 other contenders to claim the top spot in a customer service contest in Japan.
A World in Turmoil via Mahdi Abdullah’s Exhibition 'Memory and Body Mythology'
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- Published on 09 August 2024
- Written by An Tran. Photos courtesy of Vin Gallery.
How does an artist turn haunting memories into powerful artworks that speak for himself and on behalf of countless lives? Mahdi Abdullah’s paintings serve as social commentary on the realities that the artist has witnessed and lived through, and allow us to rethink the chaotic world we live in today.
There's a Dark Context Behind These Seemingly Random 1930 French Sketches
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- Published on 08 August 2024
- Written by Saigoneer.
Can visual representations of colonial activities produced with immoral intent become works of art?
Hẻm Gems: Mơ Đi Hội, When Florists Dream of Opening a Cafe
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- Published on 07 August 2024
- Written by Camille Lay. Photos by Cao Nhân.
When book lovers open a café, we are blessed with book cafes; when animal lovers open a café, we are given a myriad of animal cafes; what happens when florists open a café? This is the case of Mơ Đi Hội, the physical manifestation of passions for plants and beverages.
Vietnam, Southeast Asian Nations Burst Into the Solar Energy Landscape
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- Published on 05 August 2024
- Written by Fidelis Eka Satriastanti, Tyler Roney and Soraya Kishtwari.
Sunny Southeast Asia has made significant strides in solar energy, with solar farm capacity exceeding 20GW across ASEAN countries. Despite this rapid growth and ambitious renewable goals, nations in the region face diverse challenges. These range from supply chain disruptions and political dynamics to issues like anti-dumping tariffs and internal instability. This roundup explores the successes and obstacles faced by Southeast Asian nations in their journey towards sustainable energy solutions.
Chùa Cầu's Makeover Draws Ire of Netizens for Looking 'Too New'
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- Published on 31 July 2024
- Written by Saigoneer.
Hội An's 400-year-old bridge, best known as Chùa Cầu, was finally uncovered recently after more than a year and a half of renovations, leaving many unimpressed.
Hẻm Gems: The Ghé Coffee Tucks Art, Fragrant Coffee Into a Quiet D1 Crevice
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- Published on 25 July 2024
- Written by Phạm Thục Khuê. Photos by Cao Nhân.
Delivering premium origin coffee and fine art from artists across Vietnam in a tiny room that dates back to French colonial times, smack dab in the middle of District 1, The Ghé Coffee balances the finer things in life and the comfortably mundane.
'Slow/ed/ing Architecture': When Architects Ruminate on Architecture Together
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- Published on 25 July 2024
- Written by Elise Luong. Photos courtesy of Exutoire. Top photo by Vũ Khôi Nguyên.
The super cute duo that make up the design studio “Exutoire” are Bùi Quý Sơn and Paul-Antoine Lucas. Life and work partners, they moved back(ish) to Vietnam from Oslo last year, and are currently preparing the opening of the exhibition “OUTLET: Slow/ed/ing Architecture” in Saigon.
An Octopus? In My Cà Mau Swamp? It's More Likely Than You Think.
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- Published on 24 July 2024
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Photos by Paul Christiansen.
Worms live in the ground, birds live in the air, cá lóc live in lakes and octopuses live in the ocean, right? Wrong! Octopus can also live in the river.
New Exhibition on Painter Lưu Công Nhân Is a Trip Through Time
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- Published on 24 July 2024
- Written by An Tran. Photos courtesy of Annam Gallery.
The solo exhibition allows the audience to time travel to the world of the late painter Lưu Công Nhân. From watercolor sketches to large-scale paintings, old documents, and even a typewriter on display, the paintings will take us through different time periods of his artistic career.
In Awe of the Mekong Delta's Majestic Sluice Gates
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- Published on 23 July 2024
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Photos by Paul Christiansen.
A row of impenetrable watchtowers tasked with inflicting ruthless law and order upon a dystopian borderland seething with marauders, bandits and brigands? No. Sluice gates.
Huế Becomes 1st City With Dedicated Lanes on Pavements for Bicycles
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- Published on 22 July 2024
- Written by Saigoneer.
The growing popularity of biking as a recreational activity in Vietnam has been acknowledged officially by urban planners in Huế.
Into the Beguiling Backyard Rice Wine Distilleries of Long An
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- Published on 19 July 2024
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Photos by Kevin Lee.
The highway eases into sand and gravel the way history descends into myth and legend when traveling towards Long An. A mere 27 kilometers outside of Saigon, the province feels a world away: the difference between a cocktail made with 18-year-old scotch, jackfruit-infused rum, seven types of bitters and brandy-soaked organic cherries and a plastic water bottle of homemade rượu nếp. The latter was the reason we were going there: for information, interviews and anecdotes to complete Saigoneer’s two-part investigation of the history of rice wine.
From a Blend of Cultures, Phá Lấu Became a Beloved Saigon Street Snack
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- Published on 17 July 2024
- Written by Hưng Thịnh. Top graphic by Phan Nhi. Photos courtesy of Hưng Thịnh.
When the word phá lấu is mentioned, two genres of dishes will appear in the mind of Vietnamese. One is a small bowl of orange broth that sings of coconut milk, another is slices of caramelized offal awash in a translucent shade of brown. Both these forms of preparations speak volumes about the growth of local street food through episodes of history.
Journeying Through Đà Lạt and the Central Highlands in 1992
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- Published on 17 July 2024
- Written by Saigoneer.
Đà Lạt has always been a highly sought-after traveling destination, like how it was originally designed as a resort town for French officials. These days, however, the hilly Lâm Đồng town has urbanized so quickly that at times it’s hard to believe that here once lived a tree-carpeted enclave.
