Saigoneer Audio Archive

It's our last episode of the year, and we're taking the chance to share some stories that may have gotten overlooked during the last 12 months ̣(1:03), from Facebook groups dedicated to acts of kindness and a stowaway raccoon, there was much more to 2020 than just the (admittedly very important) pandemic.

As always, we end with Bánh Mì Banter (35:22).

Happy holidays, and see you in 2021!

With Christmas approaching, we had some fun this week and shared our ideas for festive movies that could take place in Vietnam (1:52). 'Home Alone' set in an old Saigon villa? A female-led 'Die Hard' sequel that takes over the Bitexco Financial Tower?

Our interview guest (24:38) is Debby Nguyen, a student at Northeastern University and author of the new book 'Pills, Teas, and Songs: Stories of Medicine Around the World.' We talked about her family's background in traditional Vietnamese medicine and the practice's role in the modern world.

As always, we end with Bánh Mì Banter (48:21).

This week, we begin (1:14) by discussing Vietnam's first known community transmission of the novel coronavirus in 88 days. How has this small outbreak in Saigon been handled, and what has the public reaction been?

Then (17:55), we look at the popularity of video games in Vietnam, domestic development and production of games, and how smartphones have helped local companies get games out into the world.

As always, we end with Bánh Mì Banter (31:41).

On this week's show, we welcome our colleague Elise down from Hanoi for a wide-ranging discussion (1:10) about street/public art in Vietnam. What's out there that we like, what don't we like, and what could be done to foster a community of talent street artists?

Our interview guest (24:34) is Linh Valerie Pham, a theater and puppetry artist based in Hanoi. We had a discussion about experimental theater in Vietnam, the art of storytelling, and the different alleys one artist can take.

As always, we end with Bánh Mì Banter (1:05:29).

On this week's show, we look (1:11) at the ongoing historic flooding in central Vietnam, where five provinces have been hit by multiple tropical storms in recent weeks and have sustained massive damage and tragic loss of life. What could be done to prevent such calamity in the future, and what sort of charity and relief efforts are currently underway?

Our interview guest (23:10) is Le Ngoc Ha Thu, a Hanoi-based fashion designer who won the menswear category at the Redress Design Award 2020, a competition aimed at promoting sustainable clothing production and design. Thu talked about her background in design, how to be an environmentally conscious clothing consumer, and what she hopes to achieve in the future.

As always, we end with Bánh Mì Banter (47:20).

We're back! We begin this week (1:08) by chatting about plans to expand pedestrian areas in Saigon and Hanoi. What do we like about existing spaces like Nguyen Hue, and what would we like to see in future vehicle-free zones?

Then (17:18), in preparation for Halloween, we share a few scary stories and tales from Vietnam, including the legend of 'rock apes;' ông Ba Bịa, a thin man who haunts kids with three bags; and a demonic grandma.

As always, we end with Bánh Mì Banter (41:02).

On this week's show, we begin (0:53) by looking at the uproar over a New Yorker article titled 'The Public-Shaming Pandemic' that was published last week. The feature covered, among other things, the social media abuse aimed at two wealthy Vietnamese sisters who caught the coronavirus back in March, but painted Vietnam poorly and contained several errors regarding the country's response to the pandemic. What does this episode say about foreign coverage of Vietnam, and of the way some Vietnamese perceive journalists and media outlets?

A link to the article: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/09/28/the-public-shaming-pandemic

Then (18:48), we discuss a new proposal from the Ministry of Education that would allow students at public middle and high schools to use their phones during class for 'educational purposes.' Is this realistic? What are the pros and cons?

There is no Bánh Mỉ Banter this week.

We begin (1:13) this week by talking about the recent launch of Urbanist Vietnam, our Vietnamese-language sister site. How do we decide which Saigoneer stories to translate into Vietnamese, and what can readers expect in terms of original features in the future?

Then (16:23), we discuss the áo dài in contemporary Vietnam. Cultural officials in Thua Thien-Hue Province have started wearing the outfit on the first Monday of every month. What is the iconic garment's place in contemporary Vietnam?

As always, we end with Bánh Mì Banter (34:24).

On this week's show, we begin (1:08) with a conversation about our recent decision to use diacritics in Vietnamese names on the Saigoneer website. What are the benefits of using the language to its full extent, and what does the fact that most websites publishing in English don't use diacritics say about our relationship to Vietnamese?

Then (21:16), we look at the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak centered on Da Nang - how has this development impacted daily life in Saigon, and what do we think of the protective measures being taken here?

As always, we close with Bánh Mì Banter (31:38).

On this week's show, we begin (1:09) by discussing the Vietnamese government's effort to get women to marry by age 30 and have two children by age 35, which is aimed at tackling Vietnam's rapidly aging population. What does this mean for young women, and what is missing from this official suggestion?

Our interview guest (24:04) is Bill Nguyen, a visual arts curator and writer currently working at The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre in Saigon. We talked about his work, the status of art in modern Vietnam, and why, in his view, Hanoi is better than Saigon.

As always, we end with Bánh Mì Banter (56:27).