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...
Sai Gon Art Map: Final Call For Submissions
There’s only one week left until we close submissions for the Sai Gon Art Map, a project from Saigoneer, Saigon Artbook, Dia Projects and The Alternative Art Area.
Draft Amendment Would Restrict Vietnamese Names To 25 Characters
A new draft amendment submitted by the Ministry of Justice would limit Vietnamese names to 25 characters.
2 Vietnamese Films to Be Screened at Cannes Film Festival
Two Vietnamese films, "Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories" and "Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass," will be screened at the 68th Cannes Film Festival that will take place from May 13 to May 24...
[Video] “Walk In Shanghai” Is Google Street View On High-Definition Steroids
What better way to experience a new city that to walk through its streets? This reverse timelapse video from media mastermind JT Singh lets potential visitors explore Shanghai more intimately than eve...
[Photos] The Parks Of Saigon Seen From Above
Public parks can seem few and far between in Saigon, especially outside of the city center. But you gotta appreciate what you have and there’s no better way to do so than with the drone images of Saig...
The Incredible Origami Art Of Nguyen Ngoc Vu
In addition to digital art and stop motion films, Saigon-born Nguyen Ngoc Vu has also found success with one of Japan's most prolific analog art forms – origami.
Check Out The Trailer For Victor Vu’s Beautiful New Film “Yellow Flowers On The Green Grass”
The trailer for “Yellow Flowers On The Green Grass,” the latest film from prolific Vietnamese American filmmaker Victor Vu was released late last week.
Event Rewind: Farmers Market @ Saigon Outcast
Farmers markets are weekend staples in many cities around the globe, but these events have been noticeably absent from Saigon. Until now.
Saigoneer Sunday Rewind
Saigoneer's staff highlight their favorite articles from the past week.
Sai Gon Art Map: Call For Submissions
Saigoneer, Saigon Artbook, Dia Projects and Alternative Art Area are in the process of producing a handy map of art-related activities and venues in Saigon – from galleries to street art.
10 Photos Of The Amazing Vietnamese Spider-Men
While some Vietnamese cities have begun to move their tangled nests of electricity wires underground, they are still a ubiquitous feature of many urban neighborhoods.
Vietnamese Women’s Revolutionary Roles Depicted In Propaganda Posters
In the context of France-Vietnam Year, the Musée du quai Branly is presenting an installation of Vietnamese propaganda posters exploring the various representations of women in Vietnam from the 1950s ...
Saigoneer Chats With Suboi, Saigon’s Queen of Hip-Hop
Suboi recently returned from a series of successful US shows and wall-to-wall American media coverage. We sat down with Saigon’s “Queen of Hip-Hop” to ask about her experiences in the US, whether...
Hue’s Heritage Threatened By Development, Time
In a recent piece for The New York Times, Edward Wong warns that many of Hue’s World Heritage sites and perhaps its very soul are slowly deteriorating as a result of development and environmental fact...
[Video] Nha Trang Driver Learns Why Lessons Shouldn’t Be Done On City Streets
This video should serve as a friendly reminder that novice drivers should avoid busy streets when trying to up their skills. You probably shouldn’t be driving a fancy Mercedes SUV either...
An Interview With Jazz-Fusion Trio The Drops
Forming in 2008, with Guitarist Frederico Casagrande, saxophonist Christophe Panzani, and percussionist Tom Poor, Casagrande and Panzani sought to continue a previous partnership in a new band. After ...
[Video] Short Film Perfectly Captures Slices of Life in Vietnam
Unlike some of the more pensive Vietnamese travel videos we’ve come across in the past, Oliver Astrologo’s “Reverie of Vietnam” is a short film composed almost entirely of quick and explosive cuts.
New Web Series Highlights Viet Kieu Who Have Found Themselves, Success In Vietnam
“Employed Identity” is a new web series created by Vietnamese American director, Bao Nguyen, for the Center for Asian American Media and PBS.
May Movies At Saigon’s Alternative Film Venues
There’s a bit of everything in store this month at Saigon’s alternative film venues, from some recently acclaimed independent films and genre classics to the two most talked about documentaries from t...
Vietnamese Artist’s Spin On A Classic Piece Of Propaganda Art
Triet Nho, the artist behind the stop motion banh mi video we posted back in February, has been trying his hand at a different medium – watercolor.
