This week, in honor of Friday the 13th, we begin with a chat about our favorite urban legends and ghost stories, including a Shakespearean tale of separated lovers in Da Lat and the mysteries surrounding Saigon's Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School. Check out some other spooky yarns in our roundup of such tales from last Halloween.
Then, we dig into a series of recent articles claiming that an "anti-rich" sentiment is holding Vietnam's most successful businesspeople back. The country is home to some of the world's fastest wealth growth rates, in addition to four Forbes-listed billionaires. How has Vietnam traditionally viewed the rich, and is there anything to this theory?
Our extended interview segment takes us across the border for a wide-ranging discussion with LinDa Saphan, a Cambodian researcher who is currently an assistant professor of sociology at the College of Mount Saint Vincent in New York. She was also an associate producer of the 2015 documentary Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll.
We called LinDa on Skype to find out how rock and roll became so popular in Cambodia through the 1950s and 60s, who the big stars were, what happened when the Khmer Rouge arrived in Phnom Penh and much more. This conversation was inspired by the tragic recent death of Kak Channthy, the Cambodian Space Project's lead singer.
We've also put together a Spotify playlist including many of the musicians mentioned during the conversation for your listening pleasure; just make sure you wait until you've finished this episode!
As always, we close with Banh Mi Banter.
Listen to the Saigoneer Podcast through the SoundCloud link below, or find us on Radio Public or the Apple podcast app.
Please leave us a review letting us know what you think, and have a great week!
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- Saigoneer Podcast: Spotify Arrives and the Ties That Bind Vietnam & Japan
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