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Music & Arts
Get in the holiday spirit this Friday with a little dress up, great entertainment, and exciting new art! GoGo City presents GLAM , an event that celebrates art and self-expression in its many forms. The aim is to engage current and potential lovers of art through different mediums and to inspire creativity and exploration.
Saigon
Even before the French formally occupied Saigon in 1859, they were active players in Vietnamese politics as early as the 17th century. Their influence can be seen in this 1790 map in the form of the massive citadel commissioned by Nguyen Anh .
Saigon
Like many other countries, Vietnam uses street names to honor fallen national heroes. As such, it should come as no surprise that both HCMC and Hanoi are planning to name streets after the recently deceased General Vo Nguyen Giap.
Vietnam
In yet another case of shady wildlife smuggling in Vietnam, after a brief chase, traffic police in the northern province of Phu Yen pulled over a suspicious ambulance and found 49 endangered pangolins .
Food Culture
Troy Nguyen runs a YouTube channel dedicated to Vietnam. While most of his videos focus on his travels and interesting aspects of Vietnamese culture, every now and then, he sets out to help the people of Saigon in small but meaningful ways. Last week, to celebrate 5,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel , Troy took to the streets around Ben Thanh Central Bus Station to give away free ice cream to commuters languishing under the hot, tropical sun.
Stories
Have you seen a giant wheel falling from the sky? When a Vietnam Airlines flight landed in Da Nang yesterday afternoon, everything seemed to be normal. But after technicians carried out a routine examination, they found that the plane’s front wheel was missing. And nobody knows where it went.
Food Culture
With thousands of pho shops across Vietnam, determining the best in the country seems like an impossible task. In fact, for any Vietnamese food, we would hesitate to crown a restaurant 'best of' since the zenith of any given dish could lie deep a winding alley. But this didn’t stop food writer, Joe Ray, from trying to nail down the best pho in Saigon and Hanoi in a recent piece for the Wall Street Journal.
Music & Arts
The Saigon Players are a non-profit community theater group who aim to uphold the arts while giving to charity. All the proceeds from their performances go towards a charity that the members personally choose. This November, they are celebrating their 10th Anniversary and are presenting two shows: a Rocky Horror Picture Show Madness Screening and a cabaret-style presentation of comedy sketches called, “The Life Cycle of Saigon.”
Culture
Wanting to reconnect with his ancestral homeland, Kyle, a 23-year-old Viet Kieu from California, packed his bags and moved to Vietnam a few years ago. He has been traversing the country ever since and documents both his travels and experiences on his blog, SoJournaling Vietnam . Supplemented by his popular YouTube channel , he injects a bit of humor into the mundane via witty commentary and observational humor. Basically, the things we think, he says. And sometimes in a funny voice.
Vietnam
Vietnam airlines plan fleet boom as roads and rail fail [WTAQ] Vietnam city police to probe utilities for paying excessive salaries [Thanh Nien] Student keen on conserving ancient HCMC wharf [Tuoi Tre] Mobile users resent huge 3G fee hike [SGGP]
Saigon
If you were caught in waist-deep water yesterday, you weren’t the only one. The floodwaters reached 1.64 meters, breaking the previous record. But the worst might not yet be over.
Food Culture
Food lovers and amateurs chefs with a passion for sharing their favourite food and recipes should not miss Mc Sorley's event “Master Chef.” It is a gastronomy competition, where teams of 4 members maximum, cook a dish on the spot.
Vietnam
Chinese woman caught with 2.2 kg of drugs at airport [Tuoi Tre] Vietnam gives green light to genetically modified crops [Vietnam Net] Vietnam's economy regaining growth momentum [SGGP] The Green Scene in Ho Chi Minh [WSJ]
Culture
Last Thursday's Saigon Artbook Party was a hit. From 6 – 11, La Brasserie de Saigon , on the corner of Hai Ba Trung and Dong Du was packed with both locals and foreigners who turned out to support this new, artistic concept .
Food Culture
American newspaper, USA Today , just published their list of the " Best food markets around the world " in which Saigon's own Ben Thanh Market ranked 15th. Along with fake DVDs and tourist nik naks, the market has some pretty awesome (and hot) food stands at its center. We've eaten at a few of them and yeah, they're delicious.
Culture
From pho and banh mi to motorbike culture, elements of French influence can still be found throughout Vietnamese society. The Vietnamese language also contains dozens of French 'loan words' that, while often spelled and pronounced a bit differently, serve as a reminder of the country's colonial past. And, unless you have a grasp on both French and Vietnamese, many of them don't seem particularly obvious.
Culture
It’s been a while since we’ve checked in with our Japanese neighbors who always seem to be one-upping the world when it comes to whacky products. We present to you – cat wine.
Asia
Government decrees support for atomic energy studies [Nhan Dan] Oil refinery projects erected all across Vietnam [Tuoi Tre] Vietnam cyber crime rising in 2013 - Vietnam Economic Times [Reuters] 4 Vietnamese among dead in Laos air crash [Thanh Nien]
Health
Vietnam may have some of the best food in the world but the country has recently struggled with food safety issues. Over the past few months, stories about tainted noodles and street drinks have been popping up in the local media, raising concerns among the public. A recent article from VOA News profiles celebrity chef, Bobby Chinn, who is trying to raise awareness about both food safety and sustainable fishing in Vietnam.
Asia
As Typhoon Nari swept through SE Asia this week, it left a path of death and destruction from the Philippines to Laos. Thousands of homes were destroyed, dozens of lives were lost and it may have even been responsible for yesterday's fatal plane crash in Loas.
Vietnam
Half of Vietnam’s industrial sewage dumped into rivers untreated [Thanh Nien] Vietnamese want city, airport, avenue named after Gen. Giap [Tuoi Tre] Vinalines former head guilty of corruption [Seashipnews] Vietnam's Tea Industry Needs to Become More Sustainable [Teanewsdirect]
Development
You’ve likely observed groups of men fishing along the banks of Saigon’s Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal and wondered how fish could survive in its waters. Apparently it’s a bit cleaner than we may think. While the waters are still not pristine, a recent piece in Bloomberg outlined the canal's transition from smelly eyesore to public space.
Music & Arts
On Monday, Saigoneer attended the premier of the highly anticipated film, "Am Muu Giay Got Nhon" ("How to Fight in Six Inch Heels"). Since the movie was directed and produced by Viet Kieu and focuses on fashion, the premier attracted Vietnam's film and fashion A-listers. With camera bulbs flashing, music blasting and celebrities striking glamorous poses, we were more attracted by the spectacle of it all than the overwhelming star power.
Society
Saigon Outcast and Work Hard Play Hard got back to collaborate again for their second ‘Thrift shop 2 – Make it a better place’ event. The aims of the event are to raise awareness of “Recycle, reuse and reduce” as well as to collect useful items to donate to charity organization for people in need from the local community.