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Khôi Phạm

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Khôi has a soft spot for em dashes, cats, and the occasional curry — the heat might be mild, but his metaphors aren't.

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Stories by Khôi Phạm

257 stories

A Brief History of Hanoi's Iconic Bia Hơi Glass

Food Culture

A Brief History of Hanoi's Iconic Bia Hơi Glass

Hanoi’s iconic bia hơi glass is more than meets the eye.

Khoi PhamMar 15, 2018
The Yin and Yang of Saigon Street Desserts: Black Sesame Soup and Bean Curd

Snack Attack

The Yin and Yang of Saigon Street Desserts: Black Sesame Soup and Bean Curd

In the back of my mind lives a chorus of street calls : the staccato pauses in a recorded advertisement "bánh mì Sài Gòn, một ngàn một ổ" (hot Saigon bánh mì , only thousand [dong] per loaf), the clink-clank of ice cream bells, and the reverberating belting from our hẻm ’s bean curd lady.

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Khôi Phạm
Mar 13, 2018
The Legends of Tam Nương: Why You Shouldn't Start a Business on the 7th Day of Tet

Culture

The Legends of Tam Nương: Why You Shouldn't Start a Business on the 7th Day of Tet

There’s little doubt that superstition is still deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture. These silvery threads of mysticism are woven into a plethora of aspects of locals’ daily lives, ranging from rather innocuous do’s and don’ts regarding food to serious rules one should follow when selecting a wedding date.

Khoi PhamFeb 22, 2018
[Illustrations] How Tet Traditions in Saigon and Hanoi Differ, From Booze to Bánh

Culture

[Illustrations] How Tet Traditions in Saigon and Hanoi Differ, From Booze to Bánh

How one’s family celebrates Tet can reveal a lot about where they hail from.

Khoi PhamFeb 14, 2018
Ve Ve Hat Boi: Saving Vietnam’s Age-Old Art With Youthful Passion

Arts & Culture

Ve Ve Hat Boi: Saving Vietnam’s Age-Old Art With Youthful Passion

Obsolescence is not a problem unique to Vietnam’s traditional art forms. All over the world – in Cambodia , Bangladesh , and India , for example – ancient crafts are going out of fashion faster than they can be passed down to younger generations; in some cases, there isn’t anyone with enough interest to learn them.

Khoi PhamFeb 6, 2018
Kato Sakae and 34 Years of Translating Vietnamese Literature Into Japanese

Arts & Culture

Kato Sakae and 34 Years of Translating Vietnamese Literature Into Japanese

There’s little doubt that Vietnam is enchanted by Japanese culture. From sushi restaurants to anime to the works of Japanese novelists like Haruki Murakami and Kenzaburo Oe, cultural imports are welcomed with open arms by local fans.

Khoi PhamFeb 1, 2018
Milk Tea-Flavored Water Is Here. Is the Apocalypse Near?

Food Culture

Milk Tea-Flavored Water Is Here. Is the Apocalypse Near?

The stark, clinical fluorescent lighting inside the convenient store casts an air of ominous dread all over the shop’s beverage section. With a glance, I find it. The blue package stares back at me menacingly, almost scornfully, as if it’s trying to tell me not to disturb the slumber of the harbinger of our world’s impending apocalypse.

Khoi PhamJan 29, 2018
It's Official: Vietnam Beats Qatar, Advances to Final of AFC U-23 Cup

Sports

It's Official: Vietnam Beats Qatar, Advances to Final of AFC U-23 Cup

Un-f*cking-believable!

Khoi PhamJan 23, 2018
Preserving Hanoi's Hang Trong Paintings Through Digitization

Arts & Culture

Preserving Hanoi's Hang Trong Paintings Through Digitization

You’ve probably spotted them before: a black catfish leaping out of the water, people dressed in ancient festive costumes or, most famously, a pack of five tigers staring at you with piercing eyes. These are just a few of the most common subjects of Vietnam’s Hang Trong paintings.

Khoi PhamJan 18, 2018
H'Hen Nie's Pageant Win Sparks National Conversation on Racial Diversity

Society

H'Hen Nie's Pageant Win Sparks National Conversation on Racial Diversity

Vietnam’s new Miss Universe, 25-year-old H’Hen Nie from the E De ethnic minority in Dak Lak Province, has quickly become one of the most beloved winners in the history of the contest in the country.

Khoi PhamJan 16, 2018
Cơm Âm Phủ: Hue’s ‘Purgatory Rice’ That Tastes Like Heaven

Food Culture

Cơm Âm Phủ: Hue’s ‘Purgatory Rice’ That Tastes Like Heaven

Throughout the Vietnam’s decades of development from a war-torn nation to one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies, rags-to-riches stories are a dime a dozen. This is especially true in the country’s culinary heritage.

Khoi PhamJan 5, 2018
Doraemon and 25 Years of Fostering Friendship in Vietnam

Culture

Doraemon and 25 Years of Fostering Friendship in Vietnam

To a generation of young Saigoneers, there are many things that might conjure up fond memories of childhood. Those remnants of past decades could take the form of once-popular TV series about time-traveling dragon slayers or just simply crab-shaped rice chips . However, none of those come close to the national phenomenon that was – and still is – Doraemon .

Khoi PhamDec 11, 2017
Co Ba Sai Gon: A Reverent Homage to Áo Dài and a Feast for the Eyes, but Not Much Else

Film & TV

Co Ba Sai Gon: A Reverent Homage to Áo Dài and a Feast for the Eyes, but Not Much Else

When the poster of Co Ba Sai Gon (The Tailor) was unveiled for the first time, you could almost hear the sound of Old Saigon fans’ panties dropping all over town.

Khoi PhamDec 10, 2017
Hẻm Gems: In Hẻm 284, O Thu Brings a Touch of Hue to Saigon With Cơm Hến

Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: In Hẻm 284, O Thu Brings a Touch of Hue to Saigon With Cơm Hến

As the sun went down and Saigon’s throngs of workers ventured out of their office nests to fill local streets, I was perched on a red plastic stool in a hẻm in District 3 weeping and snorting like an unhinged moron.

Khoi PhamDec 1, 2017
A Brief History of the Internet in Vietnam on Its 20th Birthday

Tech

A Brief History of the Internet in Vietnam on Its 20th Birthday

My first memory of the internet in Vietnam occurred in an internet café on Tran Hung Dao Street. It was the early 2000s: Walkman players were still a thing, MTV actually played music, and Britney Spears’ bubblegum chart-toppers were the “it” tunes in local hip hangouts (mind you, Britney didn’t reach Vietnam until five years after her debut in America).

Khoi PhamNov 19, 2017
Meet Le Duy Loan, the First and Only Female Senior Fellow at Texas Instruments in 87 Years

Society

Meet Le Duy Loan, the First and Only Female Senior Fellow at Texas Instruments in 87 Years

When Le Duy Loan fled to the US in 1975, she was still a shy and demure girl from Nha Trang who barely knew any English. Today, Loan belongs to the top rung in her field of engineering and remains the only woman with the title of Senior Fellow at the renowned US-based semiconductor company Texas Instruments.

Khoi PhamNov 18, 2017
Short Film 'The Old Ways' Reminds Us Why We Love Vietnam's Northwest

Film & TV

Short Film 'The Old Ways' Reminds Us Why We Love Vietnam's Northwest

Travelogues are a special genre of video. For those who have set foot in the actual locations featured, perhaps nothing could compare with being able to immerse oneself in the local landscape and culture. However, for the less fortunate among us who are stuck behind a desk, they provide a necessary reprieve – albeit a fleeting one – from the humdrum of daily routines.

Khoi PhamNov 15, 2017
For Saigon's Circus Performers, Money Is a Problem. But the Lack of Viewers Hurts the Most.

Arts & Culture

For Saigon's Circus Performers, Money Is a Problem. But the Lack of Viewers Hurts the Most.

Nestled in a corner of Phu Nhuan District’s Gia Dinh Park, the Phuong Nam Circus is hidden under a canopy of towering trees. The main facility is an old, patched-up canvas that’s seen better days, while the metallic containers behind it currently serve as the circus’ office space. During rainy season, floods put the area under water.

VViet Pho CoNov 5, 2017
Saigon's Creepiest 'Haunted' Places and the Urban Legends Around Them

Culture

Saigon's Creepiest 'Haunted' Places and the Urban Legends Around Them

Saigon has no shortage of eerie stories surrounding the city’s most famous “haunted” locations. Vietnam’s impressive leaps in wealth and modernization haven’t stopped local citizens from leaving a special corner in their daily lives for spiritualism, time-honored superstitions and, at times, chilling urban legends.

Khoi PhamOct 31, 2017
A Food Folk Tale: The Savage Clapback That Turned a Girl Into a Pineapple

Food Culture

A Food Folk Tale: The Savage Clapback That Turned a Girl Into a Pineapple

Growing up in Vietnam, it seems that everything – from common household objects to fruits – has an origin story. Some of these local folk tales have a decidedly romantic angle, but others – like the legend of the pineapple – serve as a cautionary tale for children who misbehave.

Khoi PhamOct 28, 2017
Retro Typeface 'Cotdien' Is an Homage to Vietnam's Old Hand-Drawn Signage

Arts & Culture

Retro Typeface 'Cotdien' Is an Homage to Vietnam's Old Hand-Drawn Signage

Vietnam’s sense of aesthetics is going through a retro revolution: from niche cafes playing nhạc vàng and an upcoming feature-length film on áo dài artisans to retrofitted album covers of today’s pop artistes , a crop of local creatives are finding inspiration for their products through vintage styles.

Khoi PhamOct 14, 2017
Bánh Cuốn, Chee Cheong Fun and Pork Intestine Rice Rolls: A Sprawling Family Tree

Food Culture

Bánh Cuốn, Chee Cheong Fun and Pork Intestine Rice Rolls: A Sprawling Family Tree

One of Vietnam’s most common breakfast foods, bánh cuốn , might not save a life – not in the way that a bowl of hearty phở can – but the silky rice rolls sure do make living easier.

Khoi PhamSep 29, 2017
A Food Folk Tale: Mai An Tiêm, CEO of Vietnam’s First Watermelon Startup

Food Culture

A Food Folk Tale: Mai An Tiêm, CEO of Vietnam’s First Watermelon Startup

If you’ve been around a traditional Vietnamese household during Tet, you have probably noticed the presence of gargantuan, child-sized, dark green watermelons on the altar.

Khoi PhamSep 15, 2017
Bò Bía: A Piece of Saigon's Hokkien Heritage in a Simple Street Food Roll

Food Culture

Bò Bía: A Piece of Saigon's Hokkien Heritage in a Simple Street Food Roll

Historically Saigon has been a busy trading hub that attracts merchants from all over the region, and the city's culinary repertoire is a smorgasbord of eclectic cultural influences. In the latest installment of our Food History series, Saigoneer takes a closer look at the history of a refreshing street treat that’s both delicious and healthy: bò bía .

Khoi PhamSep 7, 2017
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