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?
Review: Red Balloons, a Fresh Musical Take on Vintage Vietnamese Cartoons
At 6:30pm on July 5, Red Balloons: Music for 20th Century Vietnamese Animation took place at the Institut français de Hanoi-L'Espace. It was organized by The Onion Cellar and The Centre for Assis...
Khoi Pham in Music & Arts
Ten Iconic Vietnamese Women as Drawn by Illustrator Camelia Pham
If you had to pick the 10 most iconic female figures in Vietnamese history, who would make the list?
Kelly Marie Tran to Lead First Disney Animated Movie Inspired by Southeast Asia
The Vietnamese American will be the first actress of Southeast Asian descent to have a leading role in a Disney animated film.
Two Vietnamese Films Shortlisted for SeaShorts Film Festival 2020
The film festival will be held online from September 12-20.
Paul Christiansen in Music & Arts
Velvet Chains and Epaulet Couch: How a Curious Artist Plays With Symbols
What would it mean to sit on the shoulder-attached epaulet of a military uniform that denotes rank?
From Window to Logo
Designing the “perfect” logo is a winding road littered with failed fonts, well-intended but misguided icons, and superfluous design elements — necessary artifacts that serve to catalog the arrival at...
Sơn Tùng Documentary to Premiere Worldwide on Netflix Tomorrow
The documentary chronicling the pop star's mega-successful 2019 Vietnam tour will be available to viewers in 190 countries.
Linh Phạm in Culture
[Photos] Hanoi's Perusers of Perfect Pedals
It was a cloudy Saturday morning when Saigoneer arrived at the Thanh Nien Street trà đá spot next to Ho Tay.
Envisioning the Mekong's Future Through the Eyes of 5 Regional Filmmakers
The future of the Mekong Delta is uncertain. The river and the people that rely on it are facing the impact of climate change, extreme weather conditions, rising sea levels, saline intrusion, hydropow...
This New Edition of 'Số Đỏ' Comes With Lively Illustrations by Thành Phong
If your grasp of the ingenious satire of Vũ Trọng Phụng’s Số Đỏ (Dumb Luck) is slipping, this newly published edition might prove helpful for brushing up before the film adaptation comes out.
'Con Ăn Cơm Chưa? | Have You Eaten Yet?' by Jessica Nguyen
it took me till my college years when saying “I love you” became a normal thing
Govi Snell in Loạt Soạt
Saigoneer Bookshelf: Portraits of Frontline Workers From Inside Quarantine
In Con Đã Về Nhà - I'm Home, Tăng Quang documents his two-week stint in quarantine at Military School Zone 7 in District 12 of Saigon with a combination of paintings and prose.
Saigoneer Podcast: Diacritics in English Writing; the Da Nang Covid-19 Outbreak
The podcast is back after taking a few weeks off!
Paul Christiansen in In Plain Sight
On Loving the Saigon Zoo Despite Its Flaws
We’ve all wanted something we can’t have. Something we can see but can’t touch. Something dangled in front of us but just out of reach like an especially succulent apple growing on a branch inches ...
Get to Know Vietnam's 54 Ethnic Groups via These Adorable Emojis
If only these adorable emojis existed back when we were toiling over our geography homework years ago.
Elise Luong in Film & TV
3 Vietnamese Films Selected for Locarno Film Festival
The Locarno Film Festival opens this month for the 72nd year running, this time as a new hybrid edition titled "For the Future of Films."
Paul Christiansen in Film & TV
How Famed Filmmaker Việt Linh Built a Family Around Art
“The lonely sound of a lute cannot cure your pain. You need Tơ’s singing to bring you serenity.”
Paul Christiansen in Postcards
Saigon Postcard No. 25: Child's Play
Who builds Saigon's bridges?
[Video] In 'Ba Đình Đời,' a Study of Hanoi's Nocturnal Textures and Shapes
As Vietnam battles a fresh coronavirus outbreak, art from the country's initial battle and social distancing period is still being released.
Adrien Jean in Culture
[Photos] From Bamboo to Altar: The Life of an Incense Stick in Vietnam
Vietnamese see the process of burning incense as a sacred ritual said to provide a bridge between the visible life of human beings and the spiritual world of gods.
