Bored of the Traditional Zodiac? A Case for the Shipworm as a New Con Giáp.
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- Published on 23 January 2025
- Written by Paul Christiansen.
From games to sweet treats to flowers to traditional attire, the nostalgic elements of Tết often tug people to the past. Saigoneer writers have reflected on the enticing, acidic aroma of once-legal firecracker smoke; the versatility of tear-off calendar pages; and hours laboring over handmade coconut candies, amongst other fond recollections. However, the holiday has no childhood connections or coming-of-age associations for me. Achieving personal relevance when I was nearly three decades into life, Tết instead offers me an opportunity to look ahead, ponder potential, and imagine what could be.
Re-imagining a Streetfood Staple with Sustainable Ingredients: Cơm Tấm Ốc Bươu with Floating Rice
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- Published on 23 January 2025
- Written by Saigoneer.
Cơm tấm is “all about utilizing, minimizing food waste and, basically, not giving anything away,” explains Chef Trụ Lang of Mùa Sake, as he stands in front of ingredients from the Mekong Delta. “That matches with the ethos of what these crops are trying to do … show a different way of thinking, a different way of agriculture, a different way of using the land, and using the relationship that we have with the land to coexist.”
Charles Phan's Bánh Mì Is Not Here to Take You Down Memory Lane
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- Published on 22 January 2025
- Written by Tam Le.
“Charles Phan had more impact on Vietnamese food than any other chef in the country.” — Michael Bauer, San Francisco Chronicle.
Between Victory and Sorrow: The Complex Realities Behind Văn Cao's 'Mùa Xuân Đầu Tiên'
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- Published on 21 January 2025
- Written by Vũ Hoàng Long. Graphic by Ngọc Tạ.
Composer Trịnh Công Sơn once wrote: “In music, Văn Cao is as noble as a king. In the field of song composition, I am like a child dreaming that the sun is a paper kite to play with. Brother Văn's music is the music of soaring fairies. I wander among the human realm. He keeps flying and I keep sinking. Flying and sinking in our private destinies...”
Hẻm Gems: Cô Chi Creates a World of Northern Noodles Right in Her Living Room
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- Published on 20 January 2025
- Written by Khang Nguyễn. Photos by Ben Nguyễn.
Bún Cô Chi offers a great introduction to the wonderful world of northern noodles.
From Sticky Rice and Sugar, Bánh Tổ Binds Me With Tết and My Hoa Vietnamese Roots
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- Published on 19 January 2025
- Written by Phương Nghi. Photos by Ben Nguyễn.
This Tết, you’re invited to my grandma’s house for a true-blue Tết meal of Hoa Vietnamese, comprising char siu, khâu nhục (braised pork belly), cured duck meat, etc. Then, you can think of the best well-wishing for my grandparents, after which they will give you a red envelope. In my experience, the cleverer and more sincere the wish, the thicker the envelope would be. Before you leave, she would pack up a bánh tổ for you to take home, and store in your fridge to tie you over for the rest of the Tết holiday, as she believes that the core values of Tết are connections and generosity.
‘Fight or Flight or Float or Fall‘ Takes Viewers on Trip Across Memory, Trauma and Healing
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- Published on 18 January 2025
- Written by An Trần.
In Tuan Andrew Nguyen’s new solo exhibition, materials and forms associated with destruction, violence and death are reimagined and transformed into sculptures that evoke healing and resilience. Through sensory elements such as touch, sound and movement, the exhibition guides viewers through layers of memory, and a journey from trauma towards reflection and healing.
Typing Vietnamese, Part 2: The Vietnamese Diaspora, Unicode and the Ubiquity of Unikey
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- Published on 17 January 2025
- Written by Thi Nguyễn. Illustration by Hannah Hoàng.
This is part 2 of our two-part series on the history of Vietnamese-centric typing technologies. Part 1 can be accessed here.
Hẻm Gems: At D5's Sủi Cảo Đại Nương, a Song of Chives and Fire
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- Published on 16 January 2025
- Written by Khôi Phạm. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
One night after my meal at Sủi Cảo Đại Nương, I find myself in a mystifying dream about chives.
Heritage Encounters Contemporary Art in Exhibition ‘Thẩm / Thấu, Thưởng’
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- Published on 14 January 2025
- Written by An Trần.
Just before the upcoming Lunar New Year, “Thẩm / Thấu, Thưởng” exhibition takes viewers on a journey to explore the beauty of traditional and folk materials re-imagined in contemporary forms. It enhances the essence of contemporary art through a fresh perspective on how heritage can be reinterpreted within modern creative practices.
How to Curate the Best Playlist to Listen to While Riding the Saigon Metro
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- Published on 13 January 2025
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Photos by Khôi Phạm.
When you get a new toy, it's only reasonable to take it out to play with as often as possible.
Vũ Bằng's Nostalgic Longings for Hanoi Teach Us How to Love a Place Deeply
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- Published on 12 January 2025
- Written by An Phạm. Graphic by Ngọc Tạ.
From Thương Nhớ Mười Hai to Miếng Ngon Hà Nội, Vũ Bằng’s way of lacing Hanoian features with melancholic reminiscence always brings me straight back to the embrace of my hometown, even more so after I moved to Saigon at age 19. Since then, my writing and social media posts about Hanoi have often been accompanied by quotes “stolen” from his books: “My spring — the spring of northern Vietnam, Hanoi's spring — is a season of gentle misty rain, cool tender winds, the sound of swallows calling all jade-dark night, distant chèo drum beats from distant hamlets with maidens lovely as poems singing timeless love songs.” This was how Vũ Bằng’s oeuvre made its way to my heart.
Hẻm Gems: In a Hẻm, on Plastic Chairs, One of Saigon's Best Pizzas Beckons
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- Published on 11 January 2025
- Written by Rhianna Morris. Photos by Pete Walls.
“The leopard spots. They hate them,” Hiếu Trần explains to me. “They think it means the pizza is burnt.”
Typing Vietnamese, Part 1: Language, Identity and Technology at a Crossroad
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- Published on 10 January 2025
- Written by Thi Nguyễn. Illustration by Hannah Hoàng.
My first exposure to the computer traces back to my primary school years when computer classes were conducted once a week. In order to study computers, students had to migrate from their usual classrooms to a multimedia lab — an air-conditioned room filled with computers. Computer classes were generally more popular among us than most subjects thanks to that satisfying cool breeze and the delight of operating something one wasn't privileged with at home.
Hoa Sữa, Poetic Icon of Autumn in Hanoi or Nasal Health Enemy No. 1?
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- Published on 09 January 2025
- Written by Thảo Nguyên. Graphic by Dương Trương.
It was early in the day. I opened my window to let in the very first rays of the morning sun, just to catch a waft of that distinctive floral aroma lingering in the cold air. This year, autumn came early, and hoa sữa has started blooming where I live.
A Shelf-Stable History of Why Vietnam Loves Mì Gói
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- Published on 07 January 2025
- Written by Uyên Đỗ.
Instant noodles are more or less a religion. They have widely spread to many lands, where they are adapted to suit the culture and people there. Most importantly, they offer us salvation in some of the darkest times.
Đi Bão Is Vietnamese Culture at Its Most Jubilant, Raucous, and Fervent
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- Published on 06 January 2025
- Written by Paul Christiansen.
Dustbins, tree branches, advertising stands and tarps, leftover Christmas decorations, whatever pot, pan, ladle or utensil left unattended in the family kitchen, and at least one street vendor’s bánh khọt mold: whatever wasn’t bolted down got caught up in the wave of đi bão that filled Saigon’s streets last night.
How the National Lottery Reflects Vietnam's Socio-Economic Realities Through Time
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- Published on 05 January 2025
- Written by Uyên Đỗ. Graphic by Ngọc Tạ.
For nearly a century, lottery tickets and their strings of lucky numbers have occupied a special role in Vietnamese society: both as a lifeline for dreams of better fortune and as a mirror reflecting the socio-economic realities of the times.
Plastic Waste Is Choking the Mekong River and Every Nation on Its Path
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- Published on 05 January 2025
- Written by Anton L Delgado. Illustration by Sunhee Park.
On Son Island in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, Le Trung Tin scatters fish feed into his ponds, where dozens of snakehead fish leap through the surface in synchronised bursts. “I taught them how to do that,” he says proudly, tossing another handful of feed at his fish.
Life in Saigon's Old Tenements, the Remaining Vertical Villages of Past Decades
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- Published on 02 January 2025
- Written by Christian Berg. Photos by Christian Berg.
Is “out with the old, in with the new” the new motto when it comes to Saigon's real estate scene?
