Paul Christiansen

in Literature

Meet Dạ Ngân, the Author of the Most Important Vietnamese Novel You've Never Read

When the wind strafes Dạ Ngân’s window, seedpods shake and rattle like spent bullet casings in the tamarind tree that Americans planted decades ago. They also built the large apartment complex where she now lives. It’s an ironic place to call home, considering Dạ Ngân was a resistance fighter in the south during the American War.

Khôi Phạm

in Culture

What Can Vietnamese License Plates Tell You About the Vehicles and Who Drives Them?

There was a game I used to play with my dad whenever we would stop at a traffic light. He would point to a random license plate in front of us and quiz me on where it came from.

in Travel

Mũi Né Among Top 10 Trending Travel Destinations Globally in 2026, Booking Says

Travel site Booking.com dubbed Mũi Né “one of 2026’s trending travel spots,” reflective of the international attention and domestic emphasis the beach city is currently receiving.

in Music & Arts

Euphoria, Ruin, Nostalgia: Tracing Hanoi's Changing Skyline by Its Soundtrack

From loudspeakers broadcasting construction anthems during wartime to melancholic ballads mourning vanished street corners, Hanoi's soundtrack reveals a city that has never quite learned to live in its present tense.

Paul Christiansen

in Rewind

In 'Cú Và Chim Se Sẻ,' a Director's Radical Empathy for Saigon's Less Fortunate

“They can do what they want. The city owns the zoo. They could sell all the animals here. They could turn it into a golf course. We’re just little people — you and me.”

in Loạt Soạt

In 'No Man River,' Dương Hướng Highlights the Raw Pain of Postwar Survival

Dương Hướng’s No Man River (Bến không chồng) was first published in 1991 and won the Vietnam Writers' Association Prize for Fiction. Translated into English by Quan Manh Ha and Charles Waugh, it captures the brutal reality of conflict in Vietnam from 1945 to 1979.

in Music & Arts

Nguyễn Đức Tín Weaves Spirituality, Faith, Everyday Life Altogether in His Paintings

Can a painting reflect who we are, even if we can’t see ourselves thoroughly? And how does faith guide us forward in life?

in Film & TV

Liên Bỉnh Phát Makes History as 1st Vietnamese to Win Best Male Lead in Taiwan

Vietnamese actor Liên Bỉnh Phát recently made history at one of Taiwan’s most prestigious national award ceremonies.

Back Arts & Culture

in Music & Arts

Rec Tour Returns This July With Month Full of Live Music Across Central Vietnam

From a humble audio recording studio, Rec Room went from a small close-knit community of like-minded music lovers to organizing multi-event live performance tours spanning provinces.

in Film & TV

Director Mai Vũ Wins 'Lights on Women' Award at Cannes Film Festival

Spring Roll Dream is a touching rumination on inter-generational dynamics of a Vietnamese family living in the US.

in Literature

'My Father’s Bàng Tree': A Poem by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

This poem is featured in Volume 1 of In My Ear, Your Voice Still Flickering // Bên tai tôi, giọng người vẫn chờn vờn, a three-part, bilingual collection of works by more than 20 Vietnamese artists and...

in Quãng 8

The Trio of 7UPPERCUTS Exist for the Love of Punk and One Another

Founded in 2017, 7UPPPERCUTS signifies a new generation of musicians who are teeming with youthful and creative energy. 7UP’s music, filled with the rebellious spirit of punk rock, not only delivers h...

in Literature

Read Saigoneer's Literary Zine, Featuring 20 Works by Vietnamese Writers and Artists

In My Ear, Your Voice Still Flickering // Bên tai tôi, giọng người vẫn chờn vờn is a collection of work from twenty Vietnamese writers and artists released as part of the Miami Book Fair, one of ...

in Culture

How Châu Đốc's Chăm Muslim Community Celebrates Ramadan

Vietnam's recent four-day holiday coincided with observations of Ramadan this year.

in Culture

Here Are the Fabulous Finalists of Miss Universe's National Costume Design Competition

From feng shui to bánh tráng trộn, the chosen designers find their inspiration everywhere. 

in Literature

Đà Lạt-Born French Writer Linda Lê Passes Away at 58

Born in Đà Lạt in 1963, Linda Lê moved to France as an adolescent and went on to write numerous award-winning works of fiction in French.

in Film & TV

'Spring Roll Dream,' a Short Film by Vietnamese Director Mai Vu, Is Screening at Cannes Festival

A short film directed by a Vietnamese director will be screened as part of the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: A Look Back and a Farewell (for Now)

Sad times.

in Music & Arts

Thai Rapper Eats Mango Sticky Rice During Coachella Set, Wins Our Hearts

Maybe Suboi can eat a plate of cơm tấm during her next performance.

Paul Christiansen

in Loạt Soạt

Saigoneer Bookshelf: Ocean Vuong Asks Questions in 'Time Is a Mother'

Fame and poetry rarely go together.

in Music & Arts

Marvel at These Ceramic Boots Created by Legendary Bát Tràng Artisan Vũ Đức Thắng

"The Bát Tràng Ceramic Boots. An Inspiration from Italy" exhibition will feature 12 ceramic boots created by artisan Vũ Đức Thắng, who blended Italian fashion and Bát Tràng craft traditions.

in Music & Arts

Local Photographer Recreates Mai Trung Thứ Paintings in Fashion Shoot

In hopes of recreating the paintings of silk master Mai Trung Thứ, photographer Minh Sơn and his collaborators have done something extraordinary with this photo collection. The resulting works bear st...

in Music & Arts

Mythology, History, and Supernaturals Mingle in the World of 'Lĩnh Nam Chích Quái'

Lĩnh Nam Chích Quái was one of Vietnam’s first anthologies written in Hán characters in prose form. It’s a collection of 22 folk tales, mythologies, and legends surrounding the origin story of the Vie...

in Music & Arts

Japanese Mobile Game 'Fate Grand Order' Unveils Hai Bà Trưng as Playable Heroines

Time for all Vietnamese Masters to save their Saint Quartz.

in Culture

Handbook Project Empowers Local Communities to Write Their Own Cultural Narratives

“No one could sing our song but ourselves.” — Inrasra, Chăm poet and anthropologist.

in Music & Arts

Photography Exhibition Spotlights the Beauty and Perils of Vietnam's Mangrove Forests

Transcending the boundaries of a conventional art exhibition, “Midnight in the Mangroves - Đêm Trong Rừng Ngập Mặn” tackles the beauty and important environmental role of mangrove forests via the lang...

Paul Christiansen

in Film & TV

Review: In 'Đêm Tối Rực Rỡ!,' Watch a Fraught Family Disintegrate During a Funeral

If a family is like a broken leg, does healing it require a more painful break? Đêm Tối Rực Rỡ! (The Brilliant Darkness!) grapples with this question by thrusting characters into a situation that expo...

in Film & TV

Netflix Announces Next 'Bridgerton' Season to Focus on Long-Lost Vietnamese Sister Hường Bridgerton

Steamy night rendezvous, sordid secrets, and stupendous wigs — historical smash hit Bridgerton returned last week with all the glitz and glam that made its first season one of the most-watched se...