in Film & TV

Vietnam Arrests 7 Suspects Behind Streaming Site HiAnime on Piracy Charges

As part of the current crackdown on intellectual property infringement, Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security recently took down a major network of websites providing illegal anime streaming.

in Quãng 8

Dropping the Disguise: The Evolution of Punk Band Cút Lộn Towards More Radicality

In recent years, CÚT LỘN has cemented themselves as one of the most recognizable hardcore punk bands to emerge from the Vietnamese underground scene.

in Music & Arts

From TikTok to Bars, a Group of Young Artists Brings Đờn Ca Tài Tử to Unexpected Venues

“If you happen to pass by Huỳnh Mẫn Đạt Street in Hồ Chí Minh City There’s a strange bar with a Mekong theme Where cải lươ...

Khôi Phạm

in Culture

Home Is Where the Bum Gun Is

In the 2010s, my journey to study abroad took me to Singapore. Being a tiny person in an enormous city was a huge undertaking for a teenager, as I had to adapt to countless changes, from minute to major, at once: living in a different language, academic pressures, foreign customs and cuisines, and being away from my family. Gradually, things fell into place. The public transport worked well; the accent got more familiar; and I didn’t miss bánh mì and cơm tấm nearly as much as I thought I would; but there was one thing I never managed to entirely overcome — the bum gun-shaped void in my heart.

in Film & TV

Review: From Czechia, ‘Trường Hè, 2001’ Bridges Family Divides, Both Onscreen and in Real Life

Summer School, 2001, directed by Czech-Vietnamese writer and director Dužan Duong, was first released last year and has received critical acclaim within the Czech Republic and Europe. Now, the film has come to Vietnam, where it is available in Galaxy, Cinestar, and Beta theaters across Saigon, Hanoi and Đà Nẵng.

in Music & Arts

This Wedding Is Too Boring to Nhậu, Let's Put on Some Miền Tây Remix

While phasing in and out of sleep on a coach in the Mekong Delta, have you ever been jolted awake by the bouncing beats of a Vinahouse version of ‘Quê em mùa nước lũ’ (Flooding Season in My Hometown)? Or, a mindless TikTok scroll would bring up the catchy tune of ‘Lấy cây kim may đồ’ (Pass Me the Sewing Needle) that’s trending nationwide.

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?

Back Arts & Culture

in Culture

This Thai Makeover of the 2018 Honda Super Cub Is the Dream

Honda recently released the newest model of its iconic Super Cub bike.

in Literature

Vietnamese-American Poet Ocean Vuong Wins Prestigious Literary Award

On January 15, it was announced that Vietnamese-American poet and essayist Ocean Vuong’s debut poetry collection Night Sky With Exit Wounds has won the prestigious 2017 T.S. Eliot Prize.

in Music & Arts

After LGBT Content, China Now Bans Tattoos, Hip-Hop From National Media

On January 18th, famous Chinese rapper GAI (real name: 周延 Zhōu Yán) was abruptly removed from the reality TV show 歌手 (The Singer).

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: 2017 Recap, Record Tourism Year and Coffee

The Saigoneer Podcast's second episode is online now!

in Music & Arts

Vietnam's 'Queen of Pop' My Tam Ranks 10th on Billboard Top World Albums List

Fans of My Tam, rejoice!

Paul Christiansen

in Culture

SPRMRKT Singapore: Where the Crème de la Crème of Vietnamese Culture Shines

SPRMRKT, an upscale Singaporean shopping market and restaurant, is spending more than two months showcasing Vietnamese culture through food, art and design.

in Arts & Culture

Empty Forest: Dissecting the Fraught Relationship Between Man and Animal

In April 2010, a ranger in Dong Nai Province’s Cat Tien National Park found a rhino skeleton with its horn chopped off. Illegal poachers had killed the last Javan rhinoceros on mainland Southeast Asia...

Kit Humphrey

in Music & Arts

An Unexpected Makeover of Hanoi's Old Quarter

In the spring of 2017, Scott Matt became a celebrity in Vietnam overnight. Known as ông Tây râu xồm (the Bearded Westerner), he appeared in news outlets and on various TV channels, all because he...

in Podcast

The Debut Saigoneer Podcast Episode Is Available Now!

The debut episode of the Saigoneer Podcast is now online!

Khoi Pham

in Arts & Culture

Preserving Hanoi's Hang Trong Paintings Through Digitization

You’ve probably spotted them before: a black catfish leaping out of the water, people dressed in ancient festive costumes or, most famously, a pack of five tigers staring at you with piercing eyes. Th...

in Film & TV

Vietnamese-American Director Stephane Gauger Passes Away at 48 in Saigon

One of Vietnam’s most prominent film directors, Stephane Gauger, recently passed away.

in Culture

How Vietnamese Stand-up Comics Juggle Culture, Identity and Language on Stage

As a fan of stand-up comedy, I was curious when I found out that there was a burgeoning scene here in Saigon.

in Arts & Culture

[Video] A Day in the Life of Vietnam's New Storytellers With Tilo-Kay

Saigon’s creative industry has flourished in recent years, giving rise to a range of new job positions that were few and far between in past decades.

in Culture

[Photos] Is Saigon's Latest Teen Attraction, Zone 87, the Descendant of 3A Station?

Apart from shopping malls and the odd food court, there are not many dedicated spaces in Saigon for the city’s younger residents to hang out.

in Culture

[Photos] The Hottest Beauty Trend in 1920s Vietnam Was Ridiculously Long Nails

In 2018 Vietnam, excessively long nails are usually considered a sign of evilness, thanks to the influence of foreign horror flicks. However, not many know that decades ago, this body feature was wide...

Thi Nguyen

in Literature

On Reading Thi Bui's Illustrated Memoir 'The Best We Could Do' in Saigon

One of my favorite pastimes during summer holidays was reading through the textbooks for my next school year. History textbooks were the most interesting and fun to read: they were like the Harry Pott...

in Music & Arts

[Video] Teh Dar Brings Central Highlands' Rhythm and Sound to Saigon

From the same team that brought us A O Show and Lang Toi, Teh Dar will take audiences on a trip to the mountain ranges of the Central Highlands.

in Arts & Culture

[Photos] Tatsuto Hibata: Finding Beauty in the World's Dense Urbanscapes

The oeuvre of Japanese photographer Tatsuto Shibata includes an eclectic mix of subjects: streets tangled in neon signage, claustrophobic alleyways thrumming with commerce, sweeping city panoramas and...

Thi Nguyen

in Music & Arts

Collective Remembrance Project Delves Into Artists' Personal Connection to Saigon

In his comprehensive work The Past is a Foreign Country, American historian and geographer David Lowenthal contends that, even in spite of historical accounts, recollections and relics that contribute...

in Arts & Culture

Watch Ngo Thanh Van Kick Ass in This Latest Netflix Action-Fantasy Flick

2017 has been a good year for actresses of Vietnamese descent on the international stage.