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?
In 88Rising's Concert, Asian Artists, Including Suboi, Sing From the Comfort of Home
Last week, 88Rising put together a reimagined concert experience during the global pandemic.
[Photos] An Other-Worldly Wander Through a Human-Less Hanoi at Night
Tracing Hanoi’s spirit: that was the initial goal of the photographic project I set out to do from November 2018 onward.
Saigoneer Podcast: A View of Vietnam From World Cinema
Episode 84 of the Saigoneer Podcast is now available!
Vietnamese Curator Do Tuong Linh on Creating a Global South-Led Art Scene
Walking into the Vincom Center for Contemporary Art (VCCA) in Hanoi, visitors almost immediately encounter a fifty-foot line of dirt and small rocks. The pathway of sorts — which some visitors step ov...
[Video] Heel-Flipping Through a Deserted Da Nang in This Awe-Inspiring Short
For skaters, emptiness can be bliss.
[Video] Hanoi Studio Turns Local Student's Drawings Into Kickass Earth Day Animation
Don’t you wish that every time 10-year-old you came up with a kickass comic, a team of veteran artists would step in to turn it into a professional animated short?
[Photos] In the Digital Age, Film Photography Offers a Chance to Slow Down
In fast-paced Saigon, sometimes it pays to slow things down a bit.
Saigoneer Podcast: The End of the National Social Distancing Order
The Saigoneer Podcast has returned!
An Online Fashion Exhibit Spotlights the Plights of Vietnamese Garment Workers
Part of Fashion Revolution Week, the online exhibition coincides with two presentations this week along with a social media campaign aimed at improving working conditions for women in Vietnam's many g...
Paul Christiansen in Music & Arts
We Made Some Saigoneer Coloring Templates for You Because Adults Need Whimsy Too
Feeling monochromatic? Well, Saigoneer can help with that.
[Photos] Tracing Hanoi's Contrast Between Neon and Shadow, Old and New
What is beneath the capital's skin?
Paul Christiansen in Literature
Saigoneer's Guide to What to Read While Social Distancing
“In good times arts are magical, and in tough times they are essential. That’s when you need them the most. Art makes you human.”
A Slovak-Vietnamese Photographer Explores Her Own Hybridity Through Food
A feeble limb of cucumber supports a plastic cup filled with mango pulp. Enoki strands grow out of the orange mush, hoisting up a sheet of bánh tráng. The translucent rice paper bends, as if wilting, ...
Paul Christiansen in Postcards
Saigon Postcard No. 23: A Round of Applause
"Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'"
Biti's Hunter Launches National Pride-Themed Shoe Design Competition
The made-in-Vietnam shoes feature inspiring street-art style depictions of the nation's response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Khoi Pham in Music & Arts
A Local Artist's Vision of Vietnam, Rendered in the Dreamlike Nature of Anime
In 2016, Toho released the Japanese romantic fantasy Your Name. worldwide to rapturous reception. The feature, written and directed by Makoto Shinkai, went on to become the most financially successful...
Saigoneer Podcast: Review Roulette
With no end in sight to working from home — and the coronavirus dominating daily life — we've had to think outside the box for this episode.
Govi Snell in Culture
To Learn How to Love Your Jeans Sustainably, Talk to Saigon's Denimheads
I never feel better than when I am ensconced in denim. This love for jeans is caught up in my genuine adoration of the cowboy aesthetic, the particular beauty of a denim-clad ass and the snug hug of a...
Iconic Novel ‘Số Đỏ’ by Vu Trong Phung Is Being Adapted for the Screen
Production on the film adaptation of Vu Trong Phung's satirical masterpiece Số Đỏ, or Dumb Luck, is set to begin this August.
Saigoneer Podcast: Covid-19 Dispatches From Saigon
We're back after taking a week off!
