Paul Christiansen

in Loạt Soạt

'Longings' Brings 22 Stories by Vietnamese Female Writers to the World

Where are all the female writers?

in Film & TV

Monotonous Viet-Dubbed K-Dramas Were the Soundtrack of My Childhood

When I was growing up, my family owned a broken TV whose screen would unexpectedly go black while the audio continued to play. Turning it off and on again a couple of times would fix the problem, but it was such a hassle that sometimes we just let it be. It was stationed in our dining room, and my parents loved putting on Korean dramas when we were eating. So whenever I reminisce about my childhood, the sound of dubbed K-dramas always plays the background.

in Film & TV

On Returning to K-Drama, the Glue Bringing My Mom and Me Close Together

Before Squid Game became an international phenomenon and put K-dramas on the world map, audiences in Asian countries including Vietnam were enthralled by Boys Over Flowers, The Medical Brothers, Terms of Endearment, Dae Jang Geum — all of which are classics that we still look upon with nostalgic affection.

Khôi Phạm

in Rewind

For a Horror Film About an Ageless Portrait, 'Mười' Hasn't Aged Well

It’s undeniable that Mười: The Legend of a Portrait has left a lasting impression in the minds of a generation of Vietnamese, as the first collaboration between Vietnam and South Korea’s cinema industries. Watching this contemporary classic in 2024, however, made me realize that Mười has not aged well.

Paul Christiansen

in Culture

An Ode to Photo Booths, the Korean Trend Preserving Our Memories in Time

How can photo booths be a new trend if they’ve been around forever?

in Trích or Triết

The Life, Death and Legacy of 7 Pillars of Vietnam's Quốc Ngữ Literary Wealth

When I first started as a writer, I noticed that I couldn’t write in Vietnamese very well, despite the fact that I was born here. Most of my English vocabulary comes from books, so in order to improve my mother tongue, I began reading Vietnamese texts. The first one I chose was Hà Nội Băm Sáu Phố Phường, or The 36 Streets of Hanoi, by Thạch Lam. This book had been lying on my bookshelf for a long time, but that day was the first time I picked it up.

in Quãng 8

Thành Đồng's Music Is a Breath of Fresh Air in the Era of Overproduction

Inspired by life 's simple joys, Thành Đồng delivers a sense of familiarity, earnestness, and narrative richness with every song.

Back Arts & Culture

in Culture

An Illustrated Guide to Vietnam's Motorbikers

The streets of Vietnam is home to many colorful personalities.

in Culture

[Video] Sơn La Children Use Highway Water Drain As Water Slide

Highway 6 is a busy truck route connecting Hà Nội and Sơn La. But when it rains, local children take to the slippery, moss-lined water drains along its side, creating an impromptu water slide.

in Music & Arts

2014 Canon Photo Marathon Vietnam Comes To HCMC This Weekend

After a successful launch in Hanoi last Saturday in Hanoi, the 2014 Canon Photo Marathon Vietnam, “which aims to accentuate Vietnam’s natural and cultural charm,” will arrive in HCMC this weekend.

in Culture

16 Pictures Of Vietnam’s Peckish Urban Chickens

In many developing countries the line between urban and rural is often blurred. If you live in Saigon or Hanoi, the lack of this distinction is typically manifested in the great number of chickens tha...

in Culture

Event Rewind: The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride 2014

On the afternoon of September 28, 300 bikers on approximately 200 bikes took to Saigon’s Streets in formal attire in support of charity.

in Music & Arts

Creator Of “Humans Of New York” Visits Vietnam

Last week, Brandon Stanton, the photographer behind the bestselling photo book, Humans of New York paid a visit to Vietnam with stops in Hanoi and HCMC.

in Music & Arts

[Video] Rap Video Shows an Expat’s Life in Saigon

A week after the release of “The Mì Quảng Song,” another expat has taken to rapping to show their love for Vietnam.

in Music & Arts

[Video] Interview With Afro Funk/Disco DJ Frank Gossner Who Returns To Saigon Tomorrow

Frank Gossner has one of the largest West African funk and disco records around. He’s a collector, a DJ and a promoter. He runs the website Voodoo Funk, which is recommended by the Beastie Boys.

in Culture

The 10 Unholy Driving Commandments Of Vietnam

On his website, On A Bike Vietnam, Alex Sinclair Lack presents his list of the 10 driving commandments for Vietnam. While a tad less scandalous than Biggies 10 crack commandments, keeping Lack’s list ...

in Music & Arts

[Photos] Event Rewind: Saigoneer Photo Walk With Lee Starnes

Last Sunday, Lee Starnes led the second monthly Saigoneer photo walk, taking a group of amateur photographers around the streets and alleys of District 1, capturing images of the area’s street life al...

in Music & Arts

[Photos] French Photographer Highlights Vietnam’s 54 Ethnic Groups

These photos of Vietnam’s ethnic groups are the work of French photographer, Sébastien Laval, who has been lugging his camera around the country since 1995. His works, along with those of his Vietname...

in Culture

[Photos] The Simple Differences Between Hanoi And Saigon

As Hanoi and Saigon are constantly compared to one another, graphic designer, Nhat Le, created this illustration book, The Difference Between Hanoi and Saigon.

in Music & Arts

[Video] An Giang - Back To Motherland

Produced by Tam Bui and Tung Phan, this ode to the northwestern Mekong Province of An Giang should help you escape the stresses of life for about 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

in Culture

Modernization Of A Holiday: The Mid-Autumn Celebration In Saigon

Today’s Trung Thu (Mid-Autumn Festival) has become a “modernized” affair with plastic lanterns vendors and mooncake shops sprouting up on every corner, selling their wares a month beforehand. But ther...

in Music & Arts

Saigoneer Presents: Photo Walk With Lee Starnes

Kick off your Sunday morning with some coffee and a friendly chat. Then take a slow walk through a local neighborhood and discover the beauty in the every-day details of local life.

in Film & TV

Vietnamese Film Takes Top Spot At Venice Film Festival

Dap Canh Giua Khong Trung (Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere), the work of Vietnamese female director, Nguyen Hoang Diep, beat out 7 other foreign debut features to win “Best Film” at the 2014 Venice ...

in Music & Arts

X98: Hanoi’s Zone 9 Version 2.0?

When Zone 9 was closed late last year, it was a major loss for the complex’s patrons, shop owners, artists, and more generally, the city’s cultural scene. After months of mourning, it looks like Zone ...

in Music & Arts

'Licence 2 Draw': UuDam Tran Nguyen Brings Robotic Art to Vietnam

Software-based creations are increasingly populating the 21st century art scene, which sees smart phones, websites, digital moving images and software used to investigate and address the most varied t...

Brian Letwin

in Culture

This Insane 12 Gigapixel Photo Of Hanoi Will Blow Your Mind

We love our timelapses and animations but this static, 12 gigapixel photo shot almost 270 meters above Hanoi is mighty impressive.

in Culture

Saigon’s Non-War Museums

I remember that exciting day in my childhood when I was taken to a museum for the first time. It was the War Remnants Museum, and my excitement quickly gave way to horror for having seen its exhibits ...