Dispatch From Udine: Vietnam's Cinema Reaches the World Stage While Rooted in Local Culture
Vietnamese cinema experienced a watershed moment at the 28th Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy.
Short Story Collection 'Gills' Pieces Together a Raw and Complex Portrait of Saigon
Saigon’s landscape looks dramatically different from how it did three or even two decades ago. As the country’s economic powerhouse, Saigon has seen rapid urban development: new highrises like Landmark 81 and the Bitexco Financial Tower that now define the city’s skyline, new urban infrastructure like the Ba Son Bridge and Saigon’s first metro line, as well as the city’s expansion into areas like District 7’s Phú Mỹ Hưng and District 2’s Thủ Thiêm. If the west has long viewed Saigon under the shadow of war, it is clear that such a rigid frame fails to contain the Saigon of today, whose entropic inner life seems to constantly overflow; with motorbikes onto sidewalks, loud honks through windows, and rainpour over Saigon’s riverbeds.
Paul Christiansen in Culture
Whale Worship: Exploring the Role of Whales in Vietnam's Coastal Lore
In 1799, the ferocious Tây Sơn army forced the first Nguyễn Emperor, Nguyễn Ánh, and his troops to flee to the sea. While making their escape, a great storm engulfed the retreating army. As their ship’s mast shivered and the hull shuddered, threatening to break it into splinters, a great whale rose from the depths. It lifted the emperor's boat and carried him and his men to safety. To thank the animal, Ánh bestowed upon whales the official title of "Nam Hải Cự Tộc Ngọc Lân Thượng Đẳng Thần," which was shortened to Cá Ông, or “Lord Fish.”
A Special 'Doraemon' Episode Taking Place in Vietnam Will Be Released in May
After decades of watching Doraemon and his close friend groups adventure to all sorts of strange lands from the deepest trenches on Earth to fantastical planets, fans of the beloved cat robot in Vietnam will finally see our country in the cartoon series.
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.
Mầm in Music & Arts
Vietnamese Painter Một Quả Tắc Creates an Intimate and Gentle World on Silk
Silk is an inherently finicky, demanding medium. Yet from the very first encounter, Quế Hương had chose to embrace its temperament and has devoted herself to it for nearly a decade.
Mầm in Ton-sur-Ton
Into the Earthy, Quirky World of Kramahan's Accessories and Clothing
We paid Nhật, the founder of Kramahan.Clothing , a visit on a windy day in Saigon. This room in the heart of the city has ...
ACV Proposes Moving 90% of Saigon's Overseas Flights to Long Thành
The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) has proposed plans to transfer flight operations in Hồ Chí Minh City from Tân Sơ...
Vietnamese Artist Phan Thao Nguyen Wins Top Singapore Art Prize
Nguyen is the first female artist to win the art prize since its establishment.
[Photos] Skaters Descend on Ly Thai To Park for Annual ‘Go Skateboarding Day’
Go Skateboarding Day is an official annual holiday for skaters around the globe. The occasion is all about celebrating skateboarding communities and, at Ly Thai To Park last Thursday, more than 100 sk...
[Illustrations] Local Artist Transforms Classic Vietnamese Instruments Into Postage Stamps
A new art project depicts a đàn tỳ bà and a đàn nguyệt — two of Vietnam’s most iconic instruments — on fictional stamps.
[Video] Powerful, Atmospheric Short Film Explores the Lives of Hanoi’s Street Kids
Filmmaker Dan Sadgrove is known for making atmospheric short films about travel, culture and wildlife. In his latest, he explores the lives of street kids in Hanoi, and the support they receive from l...
Saigoneer Podcast: Forgotten Traditions, Making Vietnamese Food Even Healthier and Renaissance Woman Mai Nguyen
Another week, another episode of the Saigoneer Podcast! We're almost to our big 2-0!
[Video] A Look Into the Splendidly Detailed Art of Making Hmong Flax Fabrics
Scrunching, beating, straightening, twisting, spinning, drying, washing, softening, spinning, weaving, waxing and coloring: an incredible amount of work goes into handmaking Hmong flax fabrics.
[Photos] The Meticulous Miniature World of Taiwanese Artist Hank Cheng
The amount of detail in these works is remarkable.
Classic Italian Suits Adapted for Contemporary Businessmen in Vietnam’s Tropical Climate
With each skin Vietnam sheds as it moves towards development and prosperity, it undergoes fundamental shifts, and no more so than in the country’s culture and aesthetics.
Khoi Pham in Music & Arts
These Intimate Rainy Season Moments Are Why We Love Saigon's Summer Rain
Saigon’s pluviophiles, unite!
Saigoneer Podcast: Queer Representation in Vietnamese Pop Culture, Street Food Update and Marou Chocolate
We're back with episode 18 after taking a week off!
Paul Christiansen in Postcards
Saigon Postcard No. 7: The Penguin Puzzle
Where are all the turtles in Saigon's turtle lake, why does Bitexco have a helipad it never uses, how come so many streets misspell their namesakes (looking at you Hàng Sanh) - Saigon is fil...
[Video] In This Saitama Museum, Rocks With Human Faces Are the Star of the Show
The merit of letting nature be its own artist.
Khoi Pham in Culture
The Tale of the Coconut Skull Is a Perfect Balance of Weird, Heart and Family-Friendly Moral Lessons
Vietnamese folklore takes the old adage “beauty is only skin-deep” very seriously.
Weaving a Realm: Documenting Vietnam's Royal Costumes From the 15th Century
In their latest crowdfunding project, Vietnam Centre is combining the fashion design and history in a comprehensive art book detailing the ancient Vietnamese costumes worn during the late Le dynasty.
World Press Photo Exhibition in Hanoi this Weekend for First Time in 15 Years
The event will run for 4 weeks, giving Hanoians the chance to peruse works by some of the world’s most celebrated press photographers.
[Photos] Vietnamese Teens Are Putting High School Textbook Covers on Their Shirts
What can you not put on a T-shirt?
[Photos] Local Designer Modernizes Vietnam's Traditional Wines With Classy Branding Project
If you love rice wine, you might enjoy this classy makeover of Vietnam’s most sought-after traditional alcohols.
Kit Humphrey in Postcards
Hanoi Postcard No. 2: Coming up Roses
Hanoi Postcards is our series of love notes to the city we call home. This second offering is of a flower seller cycling along with her florets. With sunlight shining through an audience of trees, her...
Saigoneer Podcast: Writing in a Second Language, Saigon's Japan Town and Artist Jacqueline Hoang Nguyen
It's Monday and even the absence of our editor-in-chief can't stop the release of another podcast.
[Video] Saigon Electronica Ep. 4: Establishing the Scene With Saigon's Underground Venues
The Observatory, a gritty and modest club located at the Saigon Port in District 4 was synonymous with underground electronic music in Saigon. The bare walls, smoky interior and unnaturally narrow bal...
