Paul Christiansen

in Literature

How Nam Cao Almost Ruined My Favorite Canal Cafe

Spoilers for an 80-year-old story that every student in the nation is required to read: the dog dies, the old man dies, his son's misfortunes show no sign of abetting. Simply, misery abounds at the end of ‘Lão Hạc.’

Paul Christiansen

in In Plain Sight

On a Boat Ride Through Nhiêu Lộc Canal, a Fish's-Eye View of Saigon

Could your life in Saigon be made into a quirky indie film? 

in Music & Arts

Galuocad's Artworks Create a Universe of Very-Vietnamese Whimsy

Staying in one place for an extended period can lead to what's known as the "boiled frog effect."

in Loạt Soạt

A World of Riveting Medically Inspired Magic in Vanessa Le's YA Debut

Captured by Butchers, the “blackmarket bogey men who deal in rare goods,” Nhika Suonyasan is caged and auctioned off to the city’s elite. A figure in a fox mask attempting to purchase her is outbid by a rich family that carts her off to a mansion that boasts luxury beyond anything Nhika has ever seen. The family immediately commands her to heal a witness to the wealthy patriarch’s death.

in Music & Arts

Lemaire's Campaigns Blend Vietnam's Street Scenes, French Fashion

Stuck in traffic on a Honda Cub, but make it fashion.

in Film & TV

Indie Short Film 'Saigon Kiss' Is a Quintessential Saigon Queer Love Story

Is there a meet-cute more characteristically Saigon than a motorbike breakdown and subsequent friendly assist from a stranger?

in Culture

In Ê-đê Villages, Bến Nước Is the Heart Pumping Water Across the Community

Ever since the beginning of time, Ê-đê people have treated water as a respected resource of the community. Water, in their belief, is the life force bringing about bountiful harvests for the villages.

in Music & Arts

Nam Jam Festival Returns to Đà Nẵng With Week of Mural Arts

The Nam Jam Festival from March 4 to 10 invites more than 50 local and international street artists to create massive works of street art in Đà Nẵng. 

Back Arts & Culture

in Film & TV

[Videos] Get up Close and Personal to Hanoi's Myriad of Urban Textures

To walk through Hanoi is to move simultaneously forwards and backwards in time.

Paul Christiansen

in Postcards

Saigon Postcard No. 26: Urban Decay

What happens after the cho thuê nhà signs go up?

in Music & Arts

Đinh Tiến Mậu, Photographer of Old-School Saigon Glamor, Passes Away at 85

You might not know who Đinh Tiến Mậu is, but if you’re a fan of nhạc vàng, his works are impossible to miss.

in Music & Arts

How a Controversial SEA Games Mascot Design Inspired an Art Campaign

The upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) will take place next year in Hanoi and some nearby provinces.

Khôi Phạm

in Film & TV

'Ròm' Review: A Sterling Portrait of Saigon's Dark Underbelly, Despite Falling Short of Its Potential

I stepped out of the theater after watching Ròm with a heaviness weighing down my shoulders. It was, however, a refreshing feeling that one rarely experiences after a Vietnamese feature film these day...

in Music & Arts

Vietnam Debut of 'Les Misérables' to be Staged Next Month in Hanoi

The play with a title that currently describes the general mood of humanity is heading to the Hanoi Opera House.

Paul Christiansen

in Loạt Soạt

Saigoneer Bookshelf: 'Other Moons' Aims to Amplify Voices of Vietnam's Wartime Writers

Why must we continue talking about war?

Khôi Phạm

in Culture

These Illustrations of Vintage Trung Thu Lanterns Are a Ticket to Your Childhood

There are many harbingers of mid-autumn in Saigon: the mushrooming of street-side mooncake vendors, the gradual arrival of corporate mooncake boxes, and a kaleidoscopic tapestry of lanterns along...

in Film & TV

Ngô Thanh Vân to Produce Vietnam's First Superhero Movie, Vinaman

Horror, historical fiction, comedy, heist, coming-of-age — in recent years, Vietnamese filmmakers have gradually come up with their own interpretation of many classic movie genres. But what about a su...

in Culture

'The Worlds Between My Wings' by Kim Loan

From the time I began learning Vietnamese at home and English in public school, I have lived with dual identities pulling me from seemingly opposite ends of a spectrum.

in Music & Arts

Penguin Random House to Publish Acclaimed Storybook by 2 Vietnamese Illustrators

An’s first journey to school isn’t just limited to the Mekong Delta anymore, he’s paddled his way to the wide oceans of the world.

in Music & Arts

On the Road With One of Vietnam's Last Traveling Cải Lương Troupes

Most Saigoneers know cải lương as a form of television entertainment usually enjoyed by their parents or grandparents, but not many are aware of the art form’s important role in the nightlife of resid...

in Music & Arts

This Ghost Month, an Other-Worldly Exhibition Not for the Faint-Hearted

The topic can be summed up in one word — “ghosts” — but it was enough inspiration for illustrators to create a plethora of artworks as part of the Hù project spearheaded by Khô Mực Studio.

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: Urbanist Vietnam's Launch; Áo Dài's Place in Modern Society

The podcast is back!

in Music & Arts

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?

in Film & TV

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.

in Film & TV

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?

in Culture

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...