Saigoneer Podcast

The Saigoneer Podcast allows listeners to take our reporting, insight and banter anywhere through in-depth discussions on Vietnamese society and culture, as well as interviews with special guests.

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Episodes

Contemporary Vietnamese Literature and the LGBTQ Community in Vietnam

We’re back! This week we made up for lost time over our month-long break with an episode featuring two longer, in-depth conversations. Unlike in previous shows, this episode features just one staff discussion: a deep dive into contemporary Vietnamese literature, including poetry, fiction and graphic non-fiction, by both native and overseas writers. Our extended interview segment features a fun, wide-ranging talk on LGBTQ issues in Vietnam with Anh-Thu Nguyen, a lead organizer for Les Come Out, S...

Mar 09, 2018•58 min

U-23 Football Pride, Bubble Tea Madness and the Saigon Heat

We're one month old! On this episode, our last before the Tet holiday, we discuss the staggering national outpouring of support during the U-23 football team's run to the final of the recent AFC championship. Then, we look at Saigon's ongoing bubble tea craze and play a few rounds of 'Bubble tea shop, or porn company?' Our interview segment features a conversation with Harry Hodge, who has covered sports in Saigon for years. We sat down to talk about the Saigon Heat basketball team and the city'...

Feb 09, 2018•36 min

Grab & Uber, Indie Music and Modernist Architecture

This week we discuss how Grab and Uber have revolutionized the way Saigoneers get around, in addition to the regulatory challenges these disruptive companies pose. Then, we fawn over Vietnam's up-and-coming indie bands, including Cả Hồi Hoang, Ngọt, Những Đứa Trẻ and Gảc Mải. (Soundcloud links listed below.) Mel Schenck, a co-founder of the excellent Vietnamese Modernist Architecture Facebook group and architect with years of experience in Vietnam, joins us to talk about why this style b...

Feb 02, 2018•41 min

2017 Recap, a Record Tourism Year and Coffee

This week we discuss the biggest changes and stories in Saigon from 2017, as well as last year's record-breaking international tourism figures and the impact this industry is having on Vietnam's environment. Our interview segment features a conversation with Dao Duy Bang Thanh, a co-founder of Vietnam Coffee Republic. We discussed their brand, Saigon's growing cafe market and the impact climate change is having on coffee production in the country. Finally, we close with Banh Mi Banter.

Jan 26, 2018•36 min

Street Food, Star Wars and Sidewalks

In our debut episode we discuss street food vendors in Southeast Asia receiving international awards, as well as Vietnamese representation on the big screen in recent movies such as Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Downsizing. Our interview segment features a conversation on Saigon's sidewalk-clearing campaign with Annette Kim, an associate professor of public policy and director of the Spatial Analysis Lab at the University of Southern California. Kim wrote the 2015 book Sidewalk City: Remapping Pu...

Jan 18, 2018•34 min

Saigoneer Podcast Preview Episode

Welcome to the Saigoneer Podcast! Debuting in January, this weekly podcast will allow listeners to take our reporting, insight and banter anywhere. This preview episode will give you an idea of what to expect - give it a listen, and we look forward to seeing you again in January!

Dec 19, 2017•5 min

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