An Ode to Vũng Tàu, Saigon's Unwavering Summer Crush
I recently took a trip to Vũng Tàu after a long summer of cultural research, which had me traveling up and down Vietnam. It had been seven years since I’d been back to the homeland, and 19 since I’d last seen the beaches of Vũng Tàu, when I was only 16. It felt like returning to a high school crush, and it made me think of the words of Trần Thiện Thanh, who once wrote, “Nhớ lúc xa xưa mười sáu trăng tròn…” I won’t say I wasn’t looking for something familiar, poetic, and possibly even as sappy.
Paul Christiansen in Literature
5 Books by Vietnamese Authors Centered on Strong Female Protagonists
Literature, more than any other art form, allows people an intimate vantage point from which to witness the experiences, emotions, and thoughts of individuals drastically different from themselves. Books thus hold the unparalleled power to inspire, foster empathy, and expand one’s understanding of the human condition.
Women in Post-Đổi Mới Vietnamese Cinema: From Archetypal to Multifaceted
In Vietnamese cinema, the female figure has long been employed to deliver macro-level messages rather than just mundane narratives.
Khôi Phạm in Music & Arts
The Multiverse Behind the 1990s Classic 'Người Tình Mùa Đông' by Như Quỳnh
There is a certain timelessness to the song ‘Người Tình Mùa Đông’ by Như Quỳnh, especially in the visuals of its very first performance. For generations of Vietnamese listeners, ‘Người Tình Mùa Đông’ is an icon in the hall of fame of Vietnamese music, but as I have come to discover, the melody that Vietnamese know as ‘Người Tình Mùa Đông’ has lived a life much richer and more transcendent than it might appear.
Vietnamese Creators Teach Kids to Appreciate Rice in 'Con Ăn Hết Rồi' Book Project
If one day, the grains of rice that you frequently put in your mouth suddenly start to move, talk, and give you a rundown on how they were created on the field, would you believe it? This seemingly absurd scenario is exactly what happened to Minh, a little boy who's the main character of Con ăn hết rồi!, a children's book by author Đỗ Nguyệt Hà and illustrator Lê Phương Quỳnh, also known as Buffy.
Paul Christiansen in Music & Arts
In Hội An, Artist Nguyễn Quốc Dân Breathes New Life Into Scrap Materials
The several dozen family altars that formed a hodgepodge pile had each been abandoned in graveyards. For many, this would make them extremely inauspicious. But to artist Nguyễn Quốc Dân, they are perfect for making art.
Enlightening Misery Under French Rule Explored in 'Light Out and Modern Vietnamese Stories'
Light Out and Modern Vietnamese Stories, 1930–1954 offers the contemporary reader an honest glimpse of a period in Vietnam history characterized by corruption, exploitation, dehumanization, poverty, and starvation. The Vietnamese texts, both a novella and accompanying short stories, not only delineate the immediate influence of French colonization on the sociopolitical functions of Vietnam, an enterprise solely designed for its economic potential, but also expose the extending impact on the quotidian lives of proletarians, particularly the peasantry.
What Shipwrecks Can Teach Us About Vietnam's Centuries-Old Maritime History
Deep beneath the ocean surface, colorful ceramic fragments have been scattered and stacked upon one another for centuries. Some remain whole, others broken, many still covered with corals and ocean dust. Once precious commodities, these pieces have become time capsules, carried into the Vietnamese waters by ships that never reached their destinations. What stories might these centuries-old ceramic artifacts hold about Vietnam’s connection with surrounding kingdoms?
Wiz Khalifa Drops Visuals for New Song Featuring Vietnamese Farmer Sô Y Tiết
"Usually I make a w**d song. So here goes a w**d song."
Michael Tatarski in Film & TV
Review: 'Monsoon' Peruses the Chasm Between Past and Contemporary Vietnam
Monsoon is Vietnam-shot film directed by Hong Khaou that was released earlier this year. It is spoken by Lee (David Tran) to Kit (Henry Golding) as they have tea on a Saigon sidewalk and referenc...
“Tree Spirit” Plants Lim Khim Katy’s Soothing Landscapes in Saigon
“I just fly with my knife,” Lim Khim Katy explains of the process behind her striking landscapes.
Chí Tài, Beloved Comedian and Talented Musician, Passes Away at 62
One half of the iconic comic duo Chí Tài-Hoài Linh has left us today.
Mầm in Ton-sur-Ton
Tarp, but Make It Fashion: A Saigon Trio Upcycles Canopies Into Backpacks
With a love for the environment and ample creativity, Kiều Anh, Trang, and Tú Quân have built a unique fashion brand named Dòng Dòng Sài Gòn. The line of bags and other items created from recycled tar...
Saigoneer Podcast: Saigon's Covid-19 Cluster; Video Games in Vietnam
We're back!
Ngô Thanh Vân to Produce Movie Based on Historical Comic Series 'Long Thần Tướng'
One of the most prestigious Vietnamese comic projects is slated for a big-screen release.
Vlogger Brittanya Karma Passes Away at 29 Due to Covid-19
Vietnam’s vlogosphere has lost a tireless beacon of positivity this year.
Vietnam's Art Fondling Epidemic and the Online Vigilante Policing It
There are many clumsy shoe prints beyond the foot-high metal boundary, next to a small sign that screams out in all caps: "PLEASE, DON’T TOUCH THE ARTWORK."
Adrien Jean in Culture
[Photos] Get Set, Row: The Aquatic Exuberance of Soc Trang's Ooc Om Bok Festival
Also called the Moon Worship festival, Ooc Om Bok is one of the liveliest festivals in the Khmer calendar.
Citizen Earth Program Returns to Hanoi With Art, Culture, Science, and More
Citizen Earth is a Six Space project exploring art, culture, and education through a community lens. The year-long program brings together artists and researchers from various fields such as history, ...
Q&A: A History of Fading Colors — An Interview With Artist Quynh Lam
Nguyễn Đức Diễm Quỳnh (otherwise known as Quynh Lam) is a Vietnamese contemporary artist. She was trained early as a painter and was influenced by her family's traditional photography practices which ...
Saigon to Host Major Street Art Festival Next Year
Saigon is banking on the festival's success to draw international visitors back to the city after the COVID-10 pandemic subsides next year.
[Video] 'Lão Hạc' Movie Adaptation Releases Trailer, to Hit Theaters Next Year
The movie is among a handful of Vietnamese features that have a dog in a starring role.
Saigoneer Podcast: Street Art in Vietnam; Puppetry Artist Linh Valerie Pham
A new podcast episode is available now!
Khôi Phạm in Film & TV
Review: 'Đoạn Trường Vinh Hoa' Is Cải Lương at Its Most Heart-Wrenching
As the screening came to an end, there were quiet sobs echoing softly across the auditorium. For a lot of us viewers with water in our eyes, it was a complete surprise that a documentary about a seemi...
Christ Pratt to Star in Hollywood Remake of 'Vệ Sĩ Sài Gòn'
Will Chris Pratt play the sullen or the silly half of the bodyguard duo in the Hollywood remake?
Elise Luong in Music & Arts
Culture Lab, a Creative Feast Spanning Disciplines, Media, and Even Physical Borders
In May this year, the Goethe-Institut of Hanoi initiated the project "Xưởng Văn Hoá" (Culture Lab) in an effort to support artists and their community during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Saigoneer Bookshelf: In Poetry Collection 'OM,' Đặng Thân Embraces Human Turmoil
At the heart of Đặng Thân's poetry collection, OM [Other Moments], is the poetics of dichotomy: beauty and brutality, light and darkness, hope and despair, nihilism and existentialism.
Memories of 1960s Hanoi, as Captured by a German Photographer
Manzi Art Space’s current exhibition “Hanoi 1967–1975” displays the vision of German photographer Thomas Billhardt through documentary imagery taken during his multiple trips to Hanoi from 1967 to 197...
