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?
Linh Phạm in Trích or Triết
In Xuân Diệu's Tender Poetry, a Reminder to Love Honestly and Courageously
“Tenderly, fondly, Xuân Diệu held on to my wrist, caressing it up and down. Our eyes locked in affection…Xuân Diệu loved me.”
Pete Walls in Travel
For the Freshest Fish of the Day, Head to Hội An's Coast Before Sunrise
The alarm goes off at 3am. By 3:30am, scooters laden with empty crates and baskets are already moving through the dark lanes and sandy passages towards Hội An's coast. Long before the old town wakes, the beaches along the shore are coming alive with engines, head torches, waves, and fishermen preparing to return to land. Thankfully, coffee is readily available almost anywhere.
From the Mind of 'Mekong Review' Comes ‘Yellow,’ a New Lit Mag Focused on SEA
“Cooped up in my apartment-cage in Tân Định, I created, with scissors and glue, dummy after dummy of a cosmopolitan rag positively pumping with scandals and half-truths. I was having a lot of fun dreaming of a magazine that I would never be able to do. And buried somewhere in that detritus on the floor—advertising cutouts and newspaper clippings—was Yellow … Once I knew I had the name, the magazine more or less made itself, as though the name determined the rest, ie, form and content,” writes Minh Bui of the birth of Yellow, his “what-do-I-do-after-Mekong Review magazine.”
In Saigon's Bửu Long Pagoda, a Meditative Escape and Pan-Southeast Asian Architecture
It all started with a sparkle on the horizon, a beam of solar brilliance bouncing off a garish metallic surface.
On Reading Ocean Vuong and Thinking About the Sniff Kisses of My Family
Having always been a little brother, I had to learn to be a big one when I was 10 years old. In the midst of the confusion of this new role, I found myself pressing my nose to this newborn’s head and inhaling as hard as I could. This “sniff kiss” was not an action I invented. Rather, it was an instinct forged through mimicry: I started noticing from this point that my father and grandmother both did the same thing to me.
Paul Christiansen in Music & Arts
Meet Th.ink Room, the Tattoo Collective Bringing New Life to Old Artworks and Onto Skin
Tattoo Therapist, dr.99hz, cd.cadao, goc.viet, Solarist and Baby Nepotism: listing the artists that call Th.ink Room home feels like shouting out the members of a rap clique. Indeed, tattoo artists, more than any other visual artists, are akin to rappers in their use of pseudonyms, so to employ a common hip-hop refrain, Saigoneer became interested in Th.ink Room because “game recognize game.”
Khôi Phạm in Film & TV
A (Literally) Brief History of Vietnamese Representation in 'Mean Girls' (2004)
Written by Saturday Night Live alum Tina Fey and premiered in 2004, Mean Girls is often heralded as a sharp, self-aware comedy that was ahead of its time, yet still holds up surprisingly well today. Alas, its depiction of Asians has aged a little more poorly, even though at the time of its release, the Asian representation was shockingly accurate for its time, despite some haphazard characterizations.
Saigoneer Sunday Rewind
Saigoneer's staff highlights their favorite articles from the past week.
Saigoneer Presents: Photo Walk With Glen Riley
Saigoneer is happy to announce the first photo walk of the year! Join us on February 1 for a chat, a coffee and a stroll around “south Pham” with photographer Glen Riley.
[Video] Vietnamese Editor Uses Pancake Batter To Make Edible Art
45-year-old Le Phong Giao spends his days as an editor at the Youth Publishing House. During is free time, he unleashes his artistic prowess with sand painting, architecture, oil painting and comic bo...
Trung Nguyên’s Massive Geography Fail
Trung Nguyên puts out some pretty darn good coffee, providing a solid alternative to corn and chemical based street variety. When it comes to packaging, however, it looks like they could use a bit of ...
[Photos] A Sneak Peek Into Saigon’s 2015 Tet Flower Street
There are many changes in store for Saigon’s annual Flower Street this year, from a new location to the use of QR codes and free WIFI.
[Video] 80-Year-Old Vietnamese Man Owns Foreigner In Arm Wrestling Match
Looks can be deceiving as one foreign man found out the hard way when he entered into an arm wrestling match with an elderly Vietnamese man.
Saigoneer Sunday Rewind
Saigoneer's staff highlights their favorite articles from the past week.
Artist Spotlight: Thanh Xinh
With her bubbly personality and welcoming smile, one may assume that Saigon Artbook artist Thanh Xinh's journey as an artist has been nothing but smooth sailing. Like anything that is w...
Saigon Blog Spotlight: Seen In Saigon
Here comes a new player in your daily surf-for-stuff in Saigon routine.
Saigoneer Sunday Rewind
Saigoneer's staff highlights their favorite articles from the past week.
[Video] Parkour Gaining A Foothold in Vietnam
Parkour, or freestyle walking, follows fixies and skateboarding as the latest international subculture to gain popularity among Vietnam’s young urbanites.
Saigon Xưa: A Closer Look At Lê Hưng Trọng’s Dreamlike Creations
Author and artist Lê Hưng Trọng picks his favorite illustrations from his upcoming art book, “Saigon Xưa,” to give us a closer look into these fairytale-like drawings.
Vietnam Takes Lead on Gay Rights by Eliminating Same-Sex Marriage Ban
On January 1, Vietnam officially abolished regulations that “prohibit marriage between people of the same sex.”
[Infographic] Vietnamese Only “Moderately” Difficult for Native English Speakers
Many foreigners living in Vietnam find Vietnamese a challenging language to master, often citing its many tones as the biggest stumbling block. According to the US Department of State’s Foreign Servic...
At Least 10 Vietnamese Have Ordered The New $450k Mercedes Maybach
At least 10 wealthy Vietnamese have ordered the new Mercedes Maybach sedan retailing at a cool $450,000 here in Vietnam.
[Video] The Gangnam Style Coracle Dancers Of Quang Nam Province
You were probably hoping that Gangnam Style wouldn’t still be relevant in 2015, but a group of Quang Nam Province tour guides has figured out a way to mix the modern, YouTube-breaking dance with tradi...
January Movies At Saigon’s Alternative Film Venues
International cinema in 2014 was marked not only by a number of solid films, but also by exceptional performances. With ‘award season’ in full swing, Saigon’s alternative film venues have lined up a n...
Behind The Curtain: Standpoint Theories
Brimming with creative ideas, the multi-disciplinary Standpoint Theories, which first made an appearance last year at Cargo Bar, will grace Saigon once more for three days in January.
Saigoneer’s 10 Most Popular Stories Of 2014
As the calendar is set to flip to 2015, we’ve put together a list of Saigoneer’s most popular stories from 2014.
Left For Dead, Vietnam’s First Restored Steam Locomotive Makes Miraculous Return
After an 18-year absence from Vietnam’s tracks, it looks like steam locomotives are making a comeback.
