Tạp chí WORLD 01/2014:The Islands chuyên đề du lịch và ẩm thực

Tạp chí WORLD 01/2014:The Islands chuyên đề du lịch và ẩm thực

THE TALK

010 / Walk ‘n Ride

Pedestrianising Hanoi’s Old

Quarter

011 / The Big Five

Events to look out for this

020 / The Buffalo is Back

A local treasure gets restored

INSIDER

042 / The Province In-Between

We cover the resorts, fishing rods and ruins of Ninh Thuan in our special feature

052 / The Islands

For this month’s cover story,

we cast ourselves away

ARTS

080 / Art & The City

Artists who think globally, and locally, too

084 / The Future of Vietnamese Dance

Arabesque is tiptoeing on the frontier

EAT & DRINK

088 / The Caffeine Contests

We tasted our way through

11 of the best coffee blends Vietnam has on offer

096 / Vegetarian Hanoi

Finding a route past the capital’s obsession with meat

100 / Beer Club Evolution

Vietnamese nightlife has a new diversion

104 / Mystery Diner Hanoi

The KAfe: hot or not?

105 / Street Snacker Hanoi

On the menu: barbecued Muscovy duck

106 / Street Snacker HCMC

The many faces of com tam

january 2014

088 052

080

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FASHION

108 / Tusks & Dust

Aligned with a rough beauty

174 / Opportunity Knocks

What the country’s most famous footballer was doing out of country

176 / The Last Call

In a moment of melancholy, Tadioto’s Nguyen Qui Duc laments on life

114

174

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ChuyêN Đề du LịCh & ẩm thựC

albums would you bring with you to a desert

island, to listen to foreva eva?

KAREn HEWELL

Online Editor

Sia, We Are Born

Agnes Obel, Aventine

Phantogram, Eyelid Movies

Matt and Kim, Grand

Tegan and Sara, The Con

MADS MOnSEn

Creative Director

Röyksopp, Running to the Sea

Ludovico Einaudi, In a Time Lapse

Mahakala Prayer

Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha, Tara Mantra

Ani Choying Drolma, Namo Ratna Traya

FRAnCIS XAVIER

Staff Reporter

My Bloody Valentine, Loveless

Darkside, Psychic

Radiohead, The Bends

Soft Powers, Bad Pop

The Cure, Disintegration

yVES SCHIEPEK

Photo Editor

Andy Bey, Experience and Judgment

Lizz Wright, Salt

Brian Blade Fellowship, Perceptual

Sara Tavares, Mi Ma Bo

Keith Jarrett, The Melody at Night, With You

ED WEInBERG

Deputy Editor

Bob Dylan, Nashville Skyline

Bud Powell, Jazz Giant

Sam Cooke, Live at the Harlem

Square Club, 1963

WU LYF, Go Tell Fire to the Mountain

Eleanor Friedberger, Last Summer

(desert island themed songs)

Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here

U2, Running to Stand Still

Roy Ayers, Everybody Loves the Sunshine

De La Soul, Me, Myself and I

Massive Attack, Hymn of the Big Wheel

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created a timeless format

that tapped into the

fantasies and exoticism

many in the west

associate with tropical,

blue sky, blue sea, white

sand beach islands In

a country where the

weather is, well, pretty

atrocious, castaways

were asked to choose

eight pieces of music, a

book and a luxury item

to take to an imaginary

desert island where they

would be marooned

indefinitely

That the radio

programme has been aired continuously for over 70 years says much for our Robinson Crusoe-like fascination with islands Not only has the BBC show managed to attract some well-known celebrities

to its recording studios, but the programme has become an institution, a well-loved eternal radio show that continues to woo listeners

It is this same fascination with islands that we have tried to tap into with our cover story this month Although the exotic desert island

is a rarity these days, the concept of a piece of

land surrounded by a body of water, whether mountainous or flat, desert or jungle, built

up with concrete or sparsely covered in huts continues to excite the human mind However, we’ve focused on rocky reality rather than the concept of paradise — after all, few islands out there remain untouched

by the hand of man

From Phu Quoc and its partner, undeveloped archipelago Nam Du,

to the other side of Halong Bay, the islands around the island of Singapore, the islands

in the swamps, urban island living and even

rebuilding an island, we’ve tried to cover every type of island out there, at least in this part of the world But the centrepiece has to

be our story of games programmer Curtis Norris, who went in search of his very own desert island It was a journey that led him to

an uninhabited tract of land in Halong Bay and six months isolated from the outside world

Not everyone can find their own desert island

— at least not physically

— but they can certainly create an image of it

within their mind — Nick Ross

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Cover by DH Advertising Photo by Ed Weinberg

NHÀ XUẤT BẢN LAO ĐỘNG

CHUYÊN ĐỀ DU LỊCH, ẨM THỰC

VIETNAM EDITION JANUARY 2014

The Islands

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nightlife

Phuc Tan and New Century

I like your story on nightlife (December 2013, The

Nightlife Issue), but your Hanoi timeline missed out two important places The first is Phuc Tan It may

be a dive, but for years it has often been the only place open late It’s also perhaps the only bar to change names — Phuc Tan, Barracuda, Lighthouse

— and then go back to its original name You also missed New Century, that huge nightclub which was shut down in 2007 It had a huge impact in the

development of nightclubs in Hanoi — JC

in the alleyway at the side of the Palace Hotel

Linda’s 2 in Vung Tau was managed by a Kiwi guy called Andy and his room (accommodation) was between the bar and toilet Painted on the wall of his room was something on the lines of ‘Andy’s place, keep out’ It was an all day bar They were strange

times — CE

Dalat to Thap Cham Railway

I missed the original article on the

Dalat Railway (September 2013, p 176)

but caught up through the comments

section in December

The answer to CE’s question about

whether you can cycle the former

railway line is ‘yes and no’ Some

sections are used by farmers for

motorbike access to their land, others

are completely overgrown I wouldn’t

recommend trying any of the route in

the wet season The road that goes from

Dalat to Trai Mat Station (QL20) runs

close to the route for long sections so

there is always an alternative The long

tunnel (#3) is said to be blocked by a

roof collapse, but the last time I tried

to get into it from the Dalat end it was

flooded and said to be full of snakes

Anyone who would like to share

knowledge of the route should get in

touch with me at alanmurrayvn@gmail.

com — Alan Murray

What a lovely article you wrote about

Sebastien Laval’s show at the museum

(December 2013, p 94) He was so happy

about that and me, too I want to thank

you for all the great work you are doing

with your magazine — SL

NHÀ XUẤT BẢN LAO ĐỘNG

night life

NHÀ XUẤT BẢN LAO ĐỘNG

CHUYÊN ĐỀ DU LỊCH, ẨM THỰC VIETNAM EDITION DECEMBER 2013

Four years ago a new

transport scheme was

introduced to help

relieve congestion

pressure on Hanoi’s Old

Quarter — the electric car

Designed to shuttle tourists

around the labyrinthine

streets of Hanoi’s historical heart, it was

believed that this new mode of transport

would reduce bottlenecks and pollution While

it provided a welcome new sightseeing service

for tourists, the traffic jams and motorbike

fumes remained

At the time a case was also made for

pedestrianising parts of this area The night

market on Hang Dao was already successfully

closing down a slither of streets on Friday,

Saturday and Sunday nights Yet the logistics

of such a move seemed insurmountable While

long-term this would be good for business

— the area would effectively become a cross

between an on-foot shopping precinct and a

cultural tourist attraction — in the short term,

the nature of street life, business and a lack of

parking space and public transport facilities

in downtown Hanoi would make this difficult

to implement And one simple issue — the

constant need for motorbike deliveries and

pick-ups — would make it impossible to keep

such a zone vehicle-free

Fast forward to the beginning of 2014

and on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights,

Ma May, Luong Ngoc Quyen, Ta Hien and

Hang Buom have been cleared of all vehicles

It’s not the 24-hour, congestion-easing

pedestrianisation that was hoped for, but it’s a

great start For business owners there is better news No longer do licensing rules require them to close before midnight — they can now stay open to 2am

Uncapping the Bottleneck

That such a move has been tried says much for the issues faced by the capital While in Ho Chi Minh City, the Pham Ngu Lao area — known affectionately as The Pham — buses in tourists

in their beer-drinking droves, Hanoi has struggled to have the same impact on visitors from overseas As one bar owner explains, “In France, people save up for two years to come

to Vietnam But when they arrive and discover that everything closes at midnight, they leave disappointed This is a capital city.”

The opposite happens down south In The Pham, bars and clubs stay open into the early hours, providing a Bangkok-like fiesta for tourists and locals of all ilks Yet in Hanoi, it’s only in the now defunct Zone 9, Phuc Tan and occasionally in the Xuan Dieu area that the city’s watering holes are allowed to take such liberties The days of Ta Hien bars staging all-night lock-ins are a thing of the past

Yet implementing a pedestrian-only area is not without its difficulties For one, how will residents get in and out of their homes, especially if, as predicted, bars and

restaurants will spread tables and chairs out onto the street? Also, where will people park?

A space has been reserved for motorbikes just by the dyke road under Chuong Duong Bridge But will this be enough?

Spreading the Love

Should the initiative work, then it is something that should be tried down south Despite the area’s success, a lack of sidewalk space and narrow roads mean streets in The Pham such

as Bui Vien and Do Quang Dao are often difficult to navigate, whether you are on foot

or on a vehicle A recent move to prevent chairs and tables from blocking the sidewalk has eased the congestion But night-time pedestrianisation would be a welcome move

— weaving through the mass of people forced

to walk on the road can be dangerous.Businesses would also benefit A pedestrianised area would make The Pham into a much more pleasant — and safer — space for night-time shopping, eating and drinking Like Ben Thanh Market at night, it would attract more people

Despite the logistical issues surrounding the night-time pedestrianisation of parts

of the Old Quarter, it is a welcome move It’s good for business and it provides a hassle-free night-time eating and drinking environment for customers

Let’s hope local residents don’t kick up a fuss If they do, then all could be rolled back

again — Nick Ross

Walk ‘n Ride

Pedestrianising the Old Quarter

Photo by Thiep Nguyen

of leaders — 2014 is set for those who want

to make a difference and know how to make it happen

According to astrologists, people born under the signs of Cancer, Pisces and Scorpio are set to have a great year, enjoying things that are close to them

such as friends, travelling, romance and even learning a new language For the Leos, Aries and Sagittarians out there, life will also be good, although the focus will

be on their careers and responsibilities — the moneymaking potential for this year

is huge

So prepare yourself, the Year of the Horse is set to be a fiery one And if you’re not one of the lucky star signs mentioned above, grab destiny with both hands Unless you believe in fate, that is

DETROIT HOUSE

RELOCATES TO SAIGOn

Detroit house music legend Alton

Miller is coming to town The man’s

been active since 1988, when he helped

make Detroit one of the epicentres of the

underground house movement Inspired

by Stevie Wonder, Santana, Parliament,

Funkadelic, the Philadelphia sound and

DJs he’s play alongside of like Ron Hardy,

Frankie Knuckles, Larry Levan and Timmy

Regisford, Miller will be mixing the old

with the new, and showing us what house

music and hi-tech soul is all about

The Observatory is on the corner of Le Lai

and Ton That Tung, Q1 The party is on Jan 11

at 10pm, VND150,000 entry

Based on the lives of the legendary first queens

of Vietnam, the Trung sisters, whose inspiring

bravery has so affected the history of this

country 2,000 years ago, The Me Linh Drums

is a classic of cai luong — Vietnamese opera —

coming to Idecaf Theatre on Jan 7 Performing

the piece alongside others is Thanh Sang, the

most famous cai luong singer living today, a

legend since the 1960s He hasn’t appeared on

stage in nearly a decade, and hasn’t performed the classics on this list since he sang them with

Thanh Nga, the great diva of cai luong

This may well turn out to be Thanh Sang’s last concert, as well as the kind of event that people will look back on and say, “I was there.”

The Me Linh Drums will be performed Jan 7

at 8pm at Idecaf Theatre, 31 Thai Van Lung, Q1

For more info, call (08) 2229 9414

THE yEAR OF THE HORSE

THE ME LInH DRUMS

4.

SAIGOn COMEDy nIGHTS RETURnS

Remember Glenn Wool, the Canadian comic who wooed Hard Rock a year ago with his jokes about swans? Well the maestro of on-stage laughter and proverbial cool is back on

Tuesday Jan 14 at Cargo Bar, as

part of a Southeast Asian tour

As ever, he won’t be alone

Celebrated comedienne Mandy Knight will also be shaking up some tale feathers — she was the first woman to ever MC at The Comedy Store in London And while it’s yet to be confirmed, it’s hoped that some of the local comics will also be there to add some spice and all things nice

Doors open 8pm on Jan 14, and admission surcharge is VND250,000 — includes a free beer For more information email saigoncomedynights@gmail.com

Cargo Bar is at 7 Nguyen Tat Thanh, Q4

3.

the big five

SOUTH RAKKAS TO PLAy HAnOI

Jamaican-born and Florida resident South Rakkas, with his filthy sound system beats and killer rhythms, will be playing

CAMA ATK on Thursday Jan 23

Garnering a reputation as one of the best in dancehall electro riddims, Rakkas has taken on remix-duty for artists such as M.I.A and Tricky, and is signed with Diplo’s notorious Mad Decent label

For more information what promises to be

a huge gig in an intimate atmosphere, head to page 35

S treams of sunlight crawled across the early

morning sky as the sea of blue-clad participants stretched and jogged in place Close to 5,500 people were about to flood Phu My Hung over the next couple of hours — a tidal wave of runners would stretch from Crescent Mall to the Phu My Bridge, and back again

There were children and the elderly, students and expats amongst the crowd at the Dec 8 HCMC RUN

2013, the first edition of an annual concept Even a few hardcore runners turned up barefoot Some were there to have a good time and test the benefits of their healthy lifestyle, while others were there for the battle, warriors in running shoes Many were embarking on their first-ever competitive race, and I was one of them

I came across the HCMC RUN when I was looking for a safe place to do road running in the city In the weeks leading up to the event, free training sessions were organised to help drum up interest in the forthcoming race, and to promote a healthy and active way of life After I ran their 7.6km route one Saturday afternoon, I signed up for the excruciating 4am start

That’s what endorphins will do to you

Three weeks later, I stood, one of thousands, wearing the obligatory blue T-shirt covered in sponsors’ logos and a bib that wasn’t going to be splattered with gravy — instead it declared my temporary identity, 6145, and the beast I was to combat, the 5km route

Three groups awaited their respective gunfire The 10k racers — who would be expected to conquer the outrageous incline of Phu My Bridge, the run’s marquee challenge — were up front and the first to burst the banks At the rear was a massive pool of 3k

runners and, sandwiched in between both groups, a deluge of 5k-ers

The Floodgates Open

Five minutes after the 10k group had departed it was our time to shine The cascade of runners was soon flowing around The Crescent and pounding across Starlight Bridge (Cau Anh Sao)

The route followed some of the main roads, none

of which appeared to be officially closed for the race Traffic was effectively managed, to an extent, by the local police who stood at certain points with warm smiles, occasionally helping the stewards to direct runners around corners However, having to stop and wait for an impatient lorry driver to cross the junction

of Tran Van Tra and Nguyen Luong Bang — where traffic was surging in both directions — wasn’t ideal.This is how a race like this ends: you feel the roar

of the finish line in your belly, then you hear it and,

no matter how painful that stitch is, or how tight your calves are, you are sprinting until you can’t feel your legs anymore And the awareness of your accomplishment overflows as you make that final push

across the finish line, proving that you can do anything

Apart from the traffic management issues, the first HCMC RUN was a success, raising VND950 million for the Ho Chi Minh City chapter of Vietnam Red Cross and other charities Event organisers promise that the challenges faced by runners will be addressed for next year’s event and — with full and half-marathons being scheduled, and a predicted 10,000 runners — HCMC RUN 2014 should be epic.And, for those of you who are interested, my official time was 32:19, coming in a very respectable 24th place

among the female 5k runners — Jennifer Graham

Conquering the Bridge

Photos provided by HCMC RUN

All the burger talk this past month

has centred on McDonald’s

long-awaited entrée into the

chain-hungry Vietnamese market, with a

three-property location and 24-hour

drive-thru service in downtown Ho Chi Minh City

set to debut after Tet It’s a move that’s been

years in the making

But lost in all the excitement is the fact

that Vietnam already has its own American

hamburger mega-chain in Burger King —

two if you want to include Carls Jr — and

the reigning American rulers of the local

burger scene have been squaring up to

guard their 143,000 Vietnamese Facebook

likes There’s also the not-so-small matter

of Korean burger chain, Lotteria, and the

Filipino equivalent, Jolibee

Over the last couple of years, Lotteria has

been doing refurbs and refits, and setting

up its stall in as many corner locations as

possible Saigon Burger King has also been

in on the act In the past month or so they’ve

added two westerner-friendly locations to

the 11 that were already in Ho Chi Minh City

— one in the expat enclave of Thao Dien and

one in the tourist hub of Pham Ngu Lao

Careful watchers are thinking this

constitutes a strategy Says one expat, a

50-year-old Australian named Paul, “Burger

King will still find the market But the locals

will love McDonald’s How many locals

do you see here tonight? Most of them are gonna be expats.”

The Facts on the Ground

True to form, five out of seven of the patrons interviewed at these new Burger King branches say they’ll stick with Burger King when they have the choice (the only born-and-bred Saigonese interviewed, 20-year-old Loan, remains undecided)

“McDonald’s is boring,” says 17-year-old Giuliano, a three-year resident of Saigon

“It’s like the same kind of burger done all over Here they mix it up with the burgers and, you know, it’s better.”

“Burger King for me,” says Paul “Dearer but it’s much better.”

The first stop 62-year-old Ruth from Israel came to in Ho Chi Minh City was Burger King on Pham Ngu Lao She found the Whopper quite tasty But if she had a choice?

“McDonald’s Because it’s more familiar to me.”

Loan ate burgers and fries with her friends

at the Pham Ngu Lao location For now, she’s picking Burger King over Lotteria and Jollibee: “I like it very much.”

Squaring Up

From the rumours, it looks like McDonald’s

has their strategy set too

“They will have an impact,” says Paul

“They will blast the airwaves The media spin next year will be incredible.”

Leading up to the McDonald’s announcement, the press was filled with speculation as to where they’d land Sites

in out-of-downtown districts like Go Vap and District 10 were mentioned, as well as the triangle corner where Pham Ngu Lao splits off of Tran Hung Dao Burger King never generated this kind of buzz

“It wasn’t too packed when they first opened,” Giuliano says about Burger King’s two-years-ago debut And now, “it’s just consistent customers”

23-year-old South African Cameron, with 16 years in Saigon to his credit, says,

“I think when it opens it’s going to be quite busy, because the Vietnamese are gonna be like, ‘Oh McDonald’s, we’ve seen

it in the movies and TV, but we’ve never been to a real one.’ So I think in terms of Vietnamese people, they’re gonna stop there to try it.”

Paul sees it in more clear-cut terms “Not

a chance,” he says about Burger King’s chances “Macca’s’ll kill ‘em Macca’s are

coming in for the price of a bowl of pho

[They’ll have] 200 restaurants next year.”

— Ed Weinberg

Burger Games

McDonald’s is coming Time to shake up the burger market

Photo by Yves Schiepek

In Vietnam, it is rare to see exhibitions of

the most prominent Vietnamese artists

The stars of the country’s art world are

in high demand in art fairs, biennials and

museums in other parts of the globe

In a career spanning little over a decade,

Tiffany Chung has, on average, exhibited

one solo show and two groups shows per

year, and participated in an international

biennial or triennial every two years Her

art has travelled from cities across the US, to

Asia, Australia, Europe and the Middle East

The last time Tiffany’s paintings and

sculptures were shown in Vietnam was five

years ago, at Galerie Quynh in Ho Chi Minh

City, where her new show An Archeology

Project for Future Remembrance can be seen

this month, across the gallery’s two spaces

A Landmark Exhibition

This exhibition is possibly the first

in Vietnam that shows the type of

interdisciplinary research that is making

waves in intellectual circles At some point

in the second half of the 20th century, the

modernist admiration for the instinctual

genius of the artist gave way to a trend for

intelligent artworks that demonstrated the

artist’s ability to articulate theories and

illustrate concepts

Saigon resident Tiffany Chung’s

brainpower seems to be switched onto

hyperactive all the time Tiffany speaks with

energy and sharp insight Her research is a

solid backup for her unapologetic opinions

For a long time, she has been a good

friend of Erik Harms, assistant professor

of anthropology at Yale In the Dong Khoi space, the collaboration between the artist and the anthropologist is presented linearly

Excerpts from Erik Harms’ next book are glossy art objects Selected passages

of colonialist propaganda and historical descriptions of Saigon are also readable art But the research is not just text, it is drawn into the maps and crafted into the sculptures

The drawings on vellum paper, velvety and translucent, are based on historical maps

or futuristic maps projecting urban plans

of areas yet to be built The gleeful layers

of the drawing, minute doodley patterns in pretty colours, deceive us into thinking they are imaginative fabrications Their hidden research tells other stories

The maps — a trademark of her art practice — critique the political decisions that shape borders, lead to wars, construct artificial communities or displace people

The six map drawings in this show are specifically about areas in southern Vietnam, mostly referencing the forced evictions of people who lived on land slated to be turned into a fancy financial district The three-channel video art also comments on that issue

Art as Prophecy

The gem of the exhibition is the hanging

installation, Stored in a jar: monsoon, drowning

fish, color of water, and the floating world The piece was commissioned by the Singapore

Biennale in 2011 On glass puddles, dozens

of miniature houses, houseboats and boats are aligned with neat gardens reminiscent of

a middle-class American suburb

The detailed architectural models are inspired by traditional Asian design and materials Rather than glorifying colonial architecture, Tiffany’s art admires older vernacular architecture Not for sentimental reasons, however The design of her mini-housing project is informed by in-depth research, adapting ideas from all over the region, from Japan to Thailand as well as Vietnam, and crafting the models with cutting-edge technology The modern and the traditional coexist

The overall magical appearance of this calming and poised artwork is a plan for

a portable model of sustainable urbanism Wooden houses, some on stilts, have solar panels and rainwater collectors

The evidence she builds from here is a projection of how climate change will affect the Mekong region in the coming decades Floods will increase their devastating capacity, so we should prepare for them, she suggests In this, perhaps her floating communities are less artifice and more

science than her choice of mediums suggests

— Cristina Nualart

See the art exhibition of the year before the exhibition closes on Jan 10, 2014 It’s spread across Galerie Quynh’s two venues: 65 De Tham, Q1, and 2nd floor, 151/3 Dong Khoi, Q1, both

in Ho Chi Minh City For more info, head to galeriequynh.com

Tiffany Chung

Sustainable urbanism and

the future of architecture

Photos by Cristina nualart

Called ‘Duong Facebook’, the road in the north-central region of Ha Tinh has been named after the Social Media website thanks

to the charitable work of the Facebook group Khan quang do TP Ho Chi Minh — the Ho Chi Minh City Red Scarf

In response to the flooding in Ha Tinh in October earlier this year, the group visited three of the most affected areas — the rural districts of Huong Khe, Huong Son and

Vu Quang However, so touched were the group by the poverty they encountered in the village of Yen Hoi in Vu Quang, that they ran an additional campaign to raise VND30 million to build a road for the people of Hamlet 7, who were otherwise cut off from civilisation

The road will create easier transport access for the villagers, who live a life of extreme rural poverty

Tower Infinity

Incheon in South Korea has decided

to go against the phallic symbol,

ultra-high skyscraper grain by constructing a

450m-high building in stealth mode

Yes, you guessed it Tower Infinity, as the

structure will be called, will be invisible to

the naked eye

A feat of modern human ingenuity,

according to California-based GDS

Architects, the skyscraper will use LEDs to

project the image of the sky from behind it,

as captured by cameras on the other side In

the process, Tower Infinity will disappear

from Incheon’s skyline

Located just a few miles east of Korea’s

busiest airport, anyone with 9/11 intentions

can think again — you cannot plough into

what you cannot see Let’s just hope that

normal flight paths are diverted, otherwise

flying into Seoul Airport could give

turbulence a new meaning

Hello Kitty Beer

At the end of last year, Hello Kitty maker Sanrio introduced their latest marketing stunt — Hello Kitty Beer Available in China and Taiwan in a number of fruity flavours including banana, lemon-lime, passion fruit and peach, the tipple is colourfully packaged with emblems of the popular cartoon character

But worry not For anyone concerned that this brew will be alcohol-free, think again — Hello Kitty has it covered At between 2.3 and 2.8 percent alcohol, this is perfect for that young kid or experimental teenager looking to get into the adult world of boozing Even better, according

to one blogger in China, the brew is so

“ridiculously smooth and tasty”, that no one would easily know it’s beer

As another reviewer was quick to remark, the passion fruit-flavoured beer has the tinge

of Fanta, but with “a beer aftertaste.” Time to

get those mot-hai-ba-yos going…

Speed Texting

A man believed to be a Saudi local was

recently caught on video sitting on the hood

of a speeding car along a Saudi Arabian

freeway

The video shows him wearing Saudi’s

national costume — the thawb and the

keffiyeh — taking out his phone and sending

an SMS as the car travels at 100 km/h

It’s unsure whether the video was a deliberate stunt or a short movie made by some reckless Saudis But one thing’s for sure — kids, don’t try it at home

The Perfect Spread

How do you evenly spread butter on bread

or toast without creating the requisite rip or tear? Well, one option, of course, is to make sure the butter is softened or slightly melted

But for those who prefer to have their butter come cold, directly out of the fridge, Japan’s Metex Corporation have the answer — Easy Butter

A simple contraption that allows you to grate your butter into strings, the resulting substance is easier to spread It’s fun, too,

as you watch the butter come out in little stringy tendrils from a plastic tube

So when life bugs you and all those insignificant but vitally important things just get you down, now you have the answer

Easy Butter What more could a man or woman ask for?

17-19-21 Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1, HCMC

en ts

AV AIL AB

LE N OW

Riv erv iew & P

arkv iew

Lighting Up the Skies

In mid-December, to celebrate 40 years of diplomatic ties between France and Vietnam, the reunification Palace was lit up in a spectacular 3D light show created by Les allumeurs d'Images

running for 15 minutes, with a number of performances over each night, tens of thousands filled both the palace grounds and the streets outside to watch the spectacle accompanied by live music and the voice of singer

Le Cat Trong Ly, and organised by Mr Festival himself, Philippe Bouler, it was a show that will live long in memory

The Buffalo

is Back

after an electrical fire knocked out

its lights a few months ago, one

of the most photographed and

iconic symbols of modern Saigon

has returned to light up the streets

of The Pham yes, you got it

in one That enormous Crazy

Buffalo sign is back, and with a

vengeance, too

Overlooking the intersection

of Bui Vien and De Tham, it will

make you forget all the talk about

McDonald's The buffalo sign is

the real deal

brief ings

All over the

world, academic

conferences

are held yearly

on topics ranging from

nanotechnology to supply chain finance

and the oral literatures of Africa Hordes

of lecturers and a handful of industry

professionals flock to them to discuss their

investigations on some minute detail of

their speciality

Some years ago, Dr Phan Le Ha, a

Vietnamese lecturer based at Australia’s

Monash University, wanted a platform for

a broadminded discussion on her home

country As people who follow a dream

sometimes do, she set about making it

happen — organising a conference on

all things Vietnam that’s now five years

running From Melbourne, to Hanoi, to

Hawaii, Engaging With Vietnam has brought

together scholars from all sorts of fields

together to discuss the future, past and

endlessly-curious present of the country

This past month, the 5th Engaging With

Vietnam conference addressed the theme

‘The Multiple Ways of Knowing Vietnam’

The event was held in Thai Nguyen

University, two hours north of Hanoi

A Grab Bag of Ideas

From Dec 16 to Dec 17, 200 researchers

shared their work In coats, scarves and hats,

hundreds of attendants — many of them students from the hosting university — sipped hot Thai Nguyen tea in between note-taking It was easy to forget details, over the course of 100 presentations across the two days, which flustered many an indecisive person

Would you choose to learn about mitigating climate change or find out the impact on Vietnam of the Trans-Pacific Partnerships? One session on cultivating organic rice could be continued with one on conflict management, or one on cheating in schools

In one particularly interesting session, PhD candidate Nguyen Anh Tuan explained the difference between a psychic and a medium He gave examples of how an egg and some chopsticks are used to find the remains of lost ancestors His discussion on extrasensory perception and paranormal beliefs preceded an impassioned call to female empowerment, inspired by the works

of Vietnamese and Filipino women artists

From Berkeley, California, history professor Peter Zinoman came to present his book on writer Vu Trong Phung, one

of the most influential Vietnamese authors

of the past century Another history professor, Liam Kelley from the University of Hawaii, demonstrated how digital mapping systems and other software can engender a global collaboration

on research in the humanities As we know from Wikipedia, projects like this utilise the expertise of many individuals willing to contribute their time and knowledge to the greater good

Dozens more speakers, coming from all continents, shared their ideas — including yours truly, in connecting the work of artists

in Saigon with ethnographic research on the region

The conference that started off as a personal project has proved to be an ongoing success Hosting it in Vietnam offers many local educators and professionals the possibility of participating in an international event without the prohibitive cost of long-distance travel

The timing of the conference also gave its international visitors something useful

— the opportunity to plan a Christmas holiday in Vietnam Many of the speakers are now engaging with Vietnam’s sights and cities firsthand Without a doubt, Vietnam will offer plenty of material to continue the

dialogue — Cristina Nualart

To learn more about this and previous editions, head to engagingwithvietnam.com

Engaging With Vietnam

Five years in the life of a conference Photos by Cristina nualart

caravellehotel.com

In honour of the moon revolving around

the earth, Nineteen will make your

tongue revolve around your mouth with

its full-course Tet feast, every evening

from Jan 30 to Feb 5 Indulge in an

array of time-honoured Tet delicacies:

ocean-fresh fish and seafood, imported

meats grilled and barbecued to perfection

and a warm oyster pass around The

East-meets-West spread will feature

mouthwatering local dishes such as beef

in la lot leaves and banh xeo alongside

international classics, such as red

wine-poached beef tenderloin,

saffron-marinated chicken and Chinese steamed

whole fish

InterContinental

intercontinental.com/saigon

The InterCon is covering all aspects of

the Tet experience this year, starting

with the luckiest ones At 10am on Jan

31, a local dance troupe will gather in

the hotel’s lobby, dressed as lions, and

shake their tails to bring you a prosperous

2014 And if you stick around, your luck

will only multiply with the prosperity

toss of the Yee-Sang Salad, a ritual salad

tossing that symbolises ushering in

prosperity and abundance for the coming

New Year — from VND250,000 for two

people at Yu Chu At Market 39, things

get even more bountiful, with a buffet selection of traditional Tet dishes and other international selections, priced at VND498,000++ per person for lunch, VND899,000++ for dinner

Mövenpick

moevenpick-saigon.com

You have more loved ones than you know what to do with, and you won’t

have time to break banh with all of

them Mövenpick’s got you sorted this Tet, with lucky cakes and Tet hampers communicating your love and appreciation through a variety of red velvet, passion fruit, tiramisu, lychee and green tea pastries, and some of the most prized gourmet products a hamper-opener can receive Lucky cakes are available now through February, Tet hampers are available now through Feb 7

“wealthy” salmon, jelly fish, eye-catching vegetables and sauces that represent your luck and abundance in the coming year; a

“prosperous” big bowl feast with premium ingredients such as abalone, oyster, sea

cucumber, scallop, roast duck and tiger prawn; cured meat and a special dual fish glutinous rice cake And if you’re not wealthy and lucky enough by the end of all that, at noon on Jan 31, a lion dance will bestow all the good vibes you need for

a successful new year

Sheraton

sheratonsaigon.com

All through January, Mojo Café is

welcoming Tet with a special Asian delicacy menu, featuring Chinese roasted duck sandwiches, grilled fish with chilli and lemongrass, prawn and mushroom noodle soups, every day from 11am

till late From Jan 15 to Jan 31, Li Bai

Chinese restaurant really anticipates Tet with a traditional New Year Yee Sang with salmon, wok-fried baby lobster with chilli sauce and deep-fried cod fish with special sauce Not only will luck be on your side leading up to Tet, but also a full belly

VinSpace Garage

vin-space.com

VinSpace doesn’t have food for you this Tet, but they are hosting a special Tet calligraphy workshop to help you wish

your eventual benefactors “Phuc — Good Fortune”, “Loc — Prosperity” and “Tho —

Longevity” Join them on Jan 18, 10am to noon with your kids, or come by 2pm to 4pm that same day for the adult session

THE yEAR OF THE HORSE

Tet is fast coming up, and with it, all the hotel specials you can handle You can get your banh chung and quyt everywhere, but if you’re

looking for something a bit different, odds are these places will have it

Fruit is abundant in Vietnam, coming

in many forms and varieties And for Vietnamese people from the various regions and provinces of this country, fruit brings with it a series of sensory emotions — smells, tastes and memories

— visions of childhood, reminiscences of the countryside, feelings about home and the past

Such evocative images and memories are captured in the collection of essays,

Vietnamese Fruit and Other Stories, by author Cao Thi Lan Phuong Costing VND286,000

and now available in bookshops around the country in English, the 112-page work is published by Phong Lan Printing & Media Company in association with Thanh Nien Publishing House

Evocative, lyrical and nostalgic, as the author herself writes in the book’s foreword, “I grew up sitting in the sweetsop tree in my grandparent’s plot eating my lunch after school, and joining the other kids in their rowdy search for wild fruits in the garden Today when I see fruit, I see the little stories around them.”

VIETnAMESE FRUIT

Well-known and well-loved spa and hair

salon Jasmine on Ton That Thiep has

opened its third location, this time in the

confines of the former Eden Mall, now

known as Union Square, Vincom A

Providing a more exclusive, top-end

edge to its other locations, the spa and

salon includes a range of treatments

from pedicures, manicures and all things

nails, through to facials, foot, leg, hand

and full body massage, waxing, scrub

and hair services Under the auspices of

three, well-travelled hair professionals

— Jonny, Kevin and Ukrainian, Dimitry — the full range of hair, cut, colouring and treatments are available here, all in the confines of a pleasant, contemporary spa

and salon atmosphere

The new Jasmine of Saigon is at B2-01B, Union Square, Vincom A, 171 Dong Khoi, Q1, Tel: (08)

3936 9195, jasminespa.vn

JASMInE GOES THREE

1 nguyen Van Du / San Art

Born in Vung Tau in 1986, Du started

painting when he was three In his

professionally active years, he’s practised

in Ho Chi Minh City He has especially

vivid ideas about history, politics, social

problems and all that informs Vietnamese

society

2 Le Phi Long / San Art

Born in Hue in 1988, Long studied

applied arts — interior design — there,

then moved to Hanoi, where he’s since

been active in a number of collaborative

projects He’s very interested in nature

and environment, and feels that being

eco-friendly and staying in harmony with

nature is central to his artworks

3 Lai Dieu Ha / San Art

A 38-year-old Hanoian artist, this session

will help her connect with a city that she’s

done little in artistically, even through

a career which has seen her exhibit in Japan, Cambodia, Myanmar, Norway and Israel Her art is unique, obsessive and multi-faceted She’s currently interested in psychology, especially in the experiences of people who suffer from loneliness and mental breakdown

4 yanneth Albornoz / Saigon Outcast

Yanneth was born in Panama, “with an overexposure of sun, tropicality”, and ever since her career started 20 years ago, she’s been travelling to places like Barcelona, Costa Rica, Berlin and Brazil and trying things out During Janet's residency, she will also be hosting talks and sharing her life/travel experiences and how they influence her perceptions and creativity She will also be hosting workshops on graphic design and

creating acrylics on vinyl paintings She’s worked in logo design and typography, scriptwriting for TV, art direction, acting, fashion illustration and painting She doesn’t yet know in exactly which direction she’ll take the residency, but it will follow these motifs:

“Aspirational advertising and popular culture Prestige and decadence Belief and illusion What doesn’t match finally looks good.”

Find out more about San Art’s current residents — and apply for the next residency

— at art-laboratory.html, or drop by San Art Laboratory at 40/18 Pham Viet Chanh, Binh Thanh, Jan 25 at 6pm for an open studio meet-and-greet

san-art.org/sanartlaboratory/san-To see more of Yanneth’s stuff, head to issuu com/louloutoulouse/docs/yanneth_albornoz- cv-pf-2013, or check out her illustration of Le Cong Vinh in this month’s issue

RESIDEnTS’ CORnER

San Art started its fourth

six-month art residency last

month, while Saigon Outcast

is embarking on its second

San Art gives its residents six

months and VND21 million

towards a session-ending

group exhibition, Outcast’s is

a bit more free-form — “Very

similar to couchsurfing, but for

artists.” They also have plans

for an end-of-residency art

exhibition

Here we break down the

players, and what they’re

doing with their free time

How much can you save?

free advice

CAnVAS & WInE

VinSpace’s popular series has two editions

in January, which will teach you how to

paint like Monet and Klee — or at least

feed you enough to make you think you

do VinSpace’s District 1 garage will host

the Monet and The Impressionists session on

Jan 16, and the District 2 art studio will

host Paint like Paul Klee! on Jan 23.

VinSpace Garage is at 95 Pasteur, Q1, and

VinSpace Art Studio is at 6 Le Van Mien, Q2

Both sessions go from 6.30pm to 9pm For

more info, go to vin-space.com or call 0907

729846

THInKInG InSIDE THE BOX

Running until Jan 12 is Jérémie

Setton’s Boîte 2, a cultural proposal of

a new medium for visual artists — a box two metres wide, designed to welcome a contemporary work of art

The work intends to connect artists and cultural professionals, through

a connection forged by a duplicate box in Marseille Together they form

a network, promoting the mobility of French artists abroad and foreigners

in France

Although it’s a bit high-concept for some, this is the last remnant of the excellent France-Vietnam Friendship Year in Vietnam (the cross-culture continues in 2014 in France) Go catch

it before another 10 years go by

The exhibition is on until Jan 12 at The Observatory, corner of Le Lai and Ton That Tung, Q1

It’s not Vegas unless you have

a house band And now, The

Grand-Ho Tram Strip has one that would fit in any nightclub

in Las Vegas — the irrepressible

HB Wild, led by bass-playing dynamo Henri Brown, cousin

of Jimi Hendrix and son of Music Hall of Fame inductee Eleanor Collins The six-person ensemble busting out the funky licks alongside him hails from

all over the funky globe, and

will be playing Club 9 weekly,

Tuesday through Sunday nights They cover everything from rock to funk, pop to jazz

to soul, and have done so in hip resorts the world over

Catch HB Wild Tuesday to Sunday nights at Club 9, in The Grand-Ho Tram Strip Call (08) 6437

DIY indie electro sleazy

discopunk dance party

comes back to Broma

Jan 17, with the O

Dau-representing indie

attack of DJ BLX ATTK

leading the pack Indie

fun in all its forms will be

represented, with EADJ

mainstays Superkid and

Starchild filling in the

You might not have the

stamina you used to have

in the 1960s, but you can

still shuffle to the good

old American rock ‘n

roll and Motown you get

with Shimmy Shimmy Coco

Pop This month, EADJ

friend and collaborator

DJ Stickbug takes a

break from his 1950s and

1960s rockabilly-rocking

frontman duties in the 67s,

and lays down the Motown

alongside Superkid, who

will be dropping the good

REACHInG FOR THE STARS

They asked for the title pun by naming

their organisation REACH, but the

young people they help didn’t ask for the

situations they’ve found themselves in To

benefit their good work, the charitable org

organised a cycling fundraiser this past

month, ascending the Hai Van mountain

pass near Danang 30 participants, from

as far off as Thailand, took part in what

REACH hopes will be the first of many

They’re already planning next December’s

ride, but their work doesn’t wait till then —

or they wouldn’t have been able to provide

the free life skills and job training they’ve

given to 9,000 disadvantaged youth over

the past five years

To see more of REACH’s work and how you

can get involved, go to reach.org.vn

The name of this series doesn’t just refer to

the Park Hyatt Saigon’s culinary maestros,

who will host the January edition on Jan

18 at 2.30pm It also refers to the class’s

attendees, who will eat through some Saigon

staples, made by the hands of the chefs, and

learn to make their own On the menu this

time around are spring rolls with mustard leaf, rice paper and seafood, and Vietnamese crispy fried pork and BBQ duck crepes

The Jan 18 edition of Park Hyatt Masters of Food and Wine is priced at VND1.1 million++

per person To reserve your spot, email nguyen.

luu@hyatt.com or call (08) 3824 1234

THE nEW SOUnDS OF THE PARK

LOUnGE

From Jan 21 through Apr 14, the Park

Hyatt Saigon is welcoming the classy

Canadian songstress Michèle Kaye to

the Lounge, where she’ll be performing

every night except Tuesdays, from 8pm

to midnight Her style is reminiscent of

classic era jazz singing from the likes of

Doris Day and Julie London — but she’s

also got her own style, winning a Toronto

Independent Music Award in 2007

before embarking on her Asian residency

adventure

Park Hyatt Saigon is at 2 Lam Son Square,

Q1 Check parkhyattsaigon.com for details

MASTERS OF FOOD AnD WInE

THE MOnTH In SAn ART

San Art’s tentacles are continuing to reach through Saigon, into lecture halls and shop windows, and into the unexpected directions their fourth class of residents will bring with them after this ongoing session

Part of the year-long Encounter series,

Assoc Prof Thanes Wongyannava — editor of a political science journal, art writer and sociologist at Thammasat University in Bangkok — will discuss his ideas concerning ‘Buddhocentrism’, which embraces an idea of Buddhism in contemporary life moving from a focus

on ‘enlightenment’ towards a belief in all things ‘delightful’ His two lectures are

at Hoa Sen University (8 Nguyen Van

Trang, Q1), Jan 16 and Jan 21

Over at the Phuong My flagship store

(81 Le Thanh Ton, Q1), Phuong My and San Art’s second shop window silk collaboration is ending on Jan 15, and a new installment is coming, courtesy of Sandrine Llouquet Through sci-fi and astronomic symbolism, the artist will explore the idea of the human body and the transformation of the soul

And at San Art’s HQ, the group exhibition of the last group of residents is coming to a close, while the new group

is just settling in for their six-month experience See alumni Nguyen Hong

Ngoc and Phan Thao Nguyen’s Right Fiction over at San Art’s gallery space

(3 Me Linh, Binh Thanh) until Jan 24, and meet new residents Lai Thi Dieu Ha from Hanoi, Le Phi Long from Hue and Nguyen Van Du from Ho Chi Minh City

on Jan 25 at 6pm at San Art Laboratory

(40/18 Pham Viet Chanh, Binh Thanh)

For more info on these events, head to art.org

san-This month, the Caravelle has the pleasure

of hosting Chef Christopher Coutanceau, holder of two Michelin stars at his namesake restaurant in La Rochelle, disciple

of culinary legends such as Michel Guerard and Ferran Adria On Jan 8 he’ll be holding

court at Reflections, teaching a menu of

mussels and shells, grilled red mullet with shrimp tempura and smoked leek and raspberry vinaigrette — VND1.48 million net per person

From Jan 8 to Jan 12, Chef Coutanceau will be preparing an a la carte menu,

a four-course degustation menu and a

testing menu — featuring an appetiser

of caramelised, seared scallops and coral lobster sauce, a main course of tuna and vegetables piperade with grilled sardine tapenade, and a pineapple ravioli with lychee ice cream, passion fruit sorbet and angel wings for dessert

During the week, fashion designer Pascale Valery Tung Lam will also showcase 30 of her inspired dresses, while French photographer Jean Luc Pechino will exhibit photos on the intersection of fashion, art and gastronomy

For more information, call (08) 3823 4999 or email eam-fb@caravellehotel.com

Goethe-Institut is organising a joint

exhibition of two Hanoi artists active a

generation apart — Vu Dan Tan and Nguyen

Nghia Cuong — focusing on the image of

femininity through sculture and installation

art Venus in Vietnam will hit the Ho Chi

Minh City Museum of Fine Arts from

Jan 11 to Jan 24, with an opening on Jan

10 and an art talk Jan 12 This exhibition

marks the first-ever curated institutional

presentation of Tan, a seminal contemporary

artist whose multi-media cross-disciplinary

practice broke new ground in the 1980s

with its playful and conceptual use of

found materials, becoming one of the

leading artists of Vietnam’s post-Doi Moi

scene Cuong, a graduate of Vietnam Fine Arts University, will counterpoint Tan’s perspectives with his ironic approach

to contemporary reality, dominated by consumerism and brand-culture

The opening is on Jan 10 at 6pm, with an introduction by curator Iola Lenzi — and the exhibition shows every day after until Jan 24 at the Museum of Fine Arts, 97A Pho Duc Chinh, Q1 The art talk happens Jan 12 at 3.30pm For more info, call (08) 3600 9588 or email prog@

saigon.goethe.org

THE CRySTAL BALL

Once again, CanCham is looking into their crystal ball at the First International Business Luncheon of the New Year of the

Horse — The Year Ahead: Executive Summary

and Outlook 2014. This Jan 16 at New World

Hotel, HR and recruitment, legal issues, socio-economic development, investment trends and more will be discussed, as CanCham and cohosts from all over the globe look forward to the unique challenges and opportunities of the new year

Tickets for the Jan 16 luncheon are VND850,000 for members of CanCham and affiliate orgs, VND1.5 million for non-members, VND7.5 million for a table of 10 Registration

is at 11am, the location is New World Hotel

at 76 Le Lai, Q1 To register, contact hcmc@ canchamvietnam.org or (08) 3824 3754

VEnUS In VIETnAM

RAISInG SAIGOn’S MICHELIn STARS

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAyS… ALL yEAR ROUnD

Your in-laws are coming to town, and you just want to enjoy your time off What to do? Employ the services of

the new — and amazing — Villa Song

Saigon, a 23-room boutique hotel on the District 2 side of the river, and everybody wins The Villa’s got all the amenities, with a 30m-long swimming pool, gym, spa, bistro, meeting space and lushly manicured gardens, but inside each individually-tailored room you’ll find the real draw With technology, art and traditional luxury meeting in a different sweet spot in every room, every visit will

be uniquely relaxing — especially if your in-laws invite you to dinner

Villa Song Saigon is at 197/2 Nguyen Van Huong, Q2, or on (08) 3744 6090 and villasongsaigon.com

QUEEnS HALL

It looks like Q4’s influence is spreading,

as the new space Events at Queens Hall

is opening up right across the alley at

5-7 Nguyen Tat Thanh With 2,000sqm of

events space, the venue is set to welcome

gala dinners, TV shootings, product

launches — and all the performances the

former nightclub occupants put on The

focus is on state-of-the-art, and it looks like

District 4 is soon going to be a nightlife

force to be reckoned with It also happens

to be the largest venue in or close to

downtown Saigon

Events at Queens Hall is at 5 Nguyen

Tat Thanh, Q4 For more info, head to

eventsvietnam.com

LOCAL LEGEnDS

The former owner of the Kebab Café has been busy A couple of months ago, he

launched delishop.vn, an online shop —

soon to complemented with a District 1 showroom — dedicated to all the best made-in-Vietnam products available

Their range currently extends over 300 chocolate products, biscuits, candies and dry fruits, tea and coffee, home and beauty products and nice gift sets for all occasions In a few months’ time, they’re hoping to ratchet up the offerings into the 1,000-item range, and show a whole new side to Vietnamese gourmanderie

Search the current offerings at delishop.vn,

or call 0909 474534

AIS: BABIES EDITIOn

Australian International School has just developed a childcare programme

in Thao Dien for kids two years and younger, to support busy working parents Situated in the safe and secure

Xi Riverview Palace compound, the

Early Childhood Centre now offers a stimulating and nurturing environment for infants as young as three months, toddlers and pre-school children up

to five years of age Included in the facilities are a soft play adventure playground, a splash pool and two age-appropriate soft turf playgrounds Teachers are qualified expat Early Years’ professionals who teach through

‘purposeful play’, laying a foundation for years of future academic, social and emotional success

For more information, contact Ms Thanh

Do at thanh.do@aisvietnam.com, call (08)

3519 2727 or head to aisvietnam.com

LIOn CITy EXCLUSIVE In THE

SUPERBOWL

The expansion of the Singaporean

restaurant chain continues with their latest

offering in The Superbowl just down from

Tan Son Nhat Airport

Combining Singaporean fare — think

chilli crab, frog porridge, mee goreng and

nasi lemak — with teppanyaki-style cooking,

the use of an open grill to prepare cuisine

in front of customers, here you have all the

flamboyance and magician-like skills of the

chef right at the table Alternatively, you

can avoid the table-side entertainment and

eat like a normal diner with the fare coming

straight out of the kitchen

As with all their other restaurants, Lion

City have a constant flow of promotions

Simply click on ex.lioncity.com.vn to find

out what’s on offer And oh, damn the food

here is good!

Lion City Exclusive is at Superbowl, A43,

Truong Son, Ward 4, Tan Binh

+84 8 3742 4040

enrolments@aisvietnam.com | www.aisvietnam.com

There’s a newcomer to the Mediterranean

scene in Saigon, and it’s brushed past

North Africa, the Middle East, Greece,

Italy, Spain and southern France on the

way Sister to fellow Tony Fox-owned

restos Ciao Bella and Phat Phuc, Saffron

brings the same quality and panache to

its cuisine, at reasonable prices as well

The price hovers around VND190,000 for a three-course set lunch, with mains coming in at around the VND200,000 mark

Saffron is at 51 Hai Ba Trung, Q1, or call (08) 3824 8358

THE SAME GREAT TASTE In A nEW PACKAGE

Just in time for the bleary eyes of New Year’s Day, Italian Point is introducing new packaging of the Punto Italia espressos

it distributes in places such as An Phu

Supermarket (43 Thao Dien, Q2), Central

Mart Saigon Pearl (Sapphire Tower 1, Saigon Pearl, 92 Ham chui Nguyen Huu Canh, Binh

Thanh), Tiep Thi Gia Dinh Foods (Kumho Plaza, 39 Le Duan, Q1) and Pendo Gourmet

Shop (83 Thao Dien, Q2) Using a modern technology allowing for precise calibration

of each ground coffee, the company aims to make it ideal for preparing espresso with professional and home use machines

For more info, visit italianpointvn.com

SAFFROn

january 2014

Post-Doi Moi, the

representation of women in Vietnamese contemporary art

moved past the simple non

la and ao dai This exhibition

presents the image of femininity, in its playful and ironic present definition

Don’t know your

chuc mung from nam moi?

Join VinSpace’s calligraphy experts for two sessions (kids and adults),

as they teach you to sketch three of the luckiest words

in the Tet vocabulary

cULINArY cLASS WITH MIcHELIN-STAr cHEF cHrISToPHEr

coUTANcEAU 2pm @ Reflections Restaurant, Caravelle Hotel See

What’s on

09 thursday

10 friday

LAST DAY To APPLY For cHoPSHoTS - DocUMENTArY FILM FESTIVAL

SoUTHEAST ASIA Visit goethe.de for more info

VENUS IN VIETNAM ExHIBITIoN oPENING 6pm @ Museum of Fine Arts

HcMc

11 saturday

DETroIT MUSIc LEGEN ALToN MILLEr IN SAIGoN 10pm @ The

observatory See Big5

SPEcIAL TET cALLIGrAPHY 2 sessions for kids and adults @ VinSpace

Garage Visit vin-space.com for more info

19 sunday

sHImmy sHImmy CoCo pop lIon DanCe

JAN 31 — INTERCONTINENTAL JAN 24 — LA FENETRE SOLEIL

DJ Stickbug has made

the somewhat big time with rockabilly rockers the 67s, but he hasn’t forgotten his friends To show

very-semi-it, he’ll be DJing at Everyone’s

A DJ’s monthly good fashioned rock ‘n roll night at Fenetre

ol’-you’re already lucky if

you’re heading to the InterCon during Tet, but the local dance troupe they’ve enlisted will work on making you luckier, with tail-shaking lion moves that will leave you feeling optimistic

by no later than Jan 15 with a description of the event and a high-res photo

20 monday

21 Tuesday

‘ENcoUNTEr’ LEcTUrE WITH THANNES WoNGYANNAVA - PArT 2 @

Hoa Sen University See What’s on

MIcHèLE kAYE JAzz PErForMANcE From 21 Jan to Apr 14 @ the

Lounge, Park Hyatt Saigon See What’s on

SAN ArT LABorATorY SESSIoN 4: oPEN STUDIo 6pm @ San Art

Laboratory (40/18 Pham Viet chanh, Binh Thanh)

BOOKWORM’S TET MUSIC

SPECTACULAR

The guys at Bookworm are bringing some

cultural fare during the holiday time for

two nights only First up is at Bookworm

Too on Jan 25 in Nghi Tam Village from

1pm, while 24 hours later the same show is

at the Chau Long store, also from 1pm

The melting pot features live traditional

Vietnamese orchestra, a traditional fortune

teller (with a translator available), Tet

calligraphy, the printing of lunar zodiac

animals, giving guests the chance to

make banh chung Tet cake, to he sticky rice

sculptures for kids, traditional rice wine

tasting and lastly free hot mulled Tet wine

Ethnic Cham raku fired clay zodiac

animals, traditional and modern Tet toys

and some crazy book bargains are also in

store for guests

Bookworm is located in Hanoi Cooking

Centre, 44 Chau Long, Ba Dinh Bookworm Too

is at Lane 1/28 Au Co, Lang Nghi Tam, Tay Ho

CAMA SKAnKS IT UP

Skank the Tank Reggae Soundsystem’s monthly reggae night comes to its band

of followers on Jan 3 at CAMA ATK

Selectors Slo-Lo and Selecta Elpee will be joined by a powerful selection of kick-ass rum-heavy cocktails from 8pm to 11pm

Entry is free CAMA ATK is located at

73 Mai Hac De, Hai Ba Trung For more info check out facebook.com/stt.soundsystem, facebook.com/SubElements or, cama-atk.com

HIP-HOPPERS HEEM AnD DESPOT’S DOUBLE BILL

Heems of Das Racist fame will be blazing

CAMA ATK alongside New York City rapper Despot in a night which organisers claim will blow you away on Jan 24 Das Racist, a hip hop group based in Brooklyn, New York City, were an internet sensation in 2008 with their comical rap

tune, Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell

Celebrated mixtapes followed, certifying their knack for humorous yet skill-laden performances and heavy-hitting tunes Their debut album reached many “albums

of the year” lists, including Rolling Stone and Spin magazines, and similar is to be

expected of Heems’ heavily anticipated debut solo venture for Sony/Megaforce to

be released this year

Despot is another NYC scene stalwart

He was signed to rapper El-P’s label Definitive Jux in 2004, and is co-owner of Santos Party House Having been on the scene for over a decade he has collaborated and performed with the likes of Vampire Weekend, Killer Mike and Danny Brown

Tickets are VND150,000 or you can get a special deal to catch this one and South Rakkas (Jan 23) together for VND200,000 (advance)

at ticketbox.vn or CAMA ATK (73 Mai Hac

De, Hai Ba Trung), cama-atk.com The show is from 8pm till midnight

POETRy AnD DAnCE In OnE SPACE

Hanoi art lovers will have to chance to see

an interesting event featuring legendary poet Duong Tuong and Butoh dancer Siu

Pham at Manzi Art Space (14 Phan Huy

Ich, Ba Dinh) this month Organisers insist that this is an exploration of the two into the poetic and surreal world of word and physical movements

The event, supported by the Cultural Development and Exchange Fund, takes place from 8.30pm on Jan 25

Entry is free and you can pre-register at manzihanoi@gmail.com before 3pm on Jan 22

WInE TASTInG WITH APPETISERS

Lovers of fine wine are welcome to join

the wine tasting evening on Jan 31 at

Millenium (Café des Arts) (11b Ngo Bao

Khanh, Hoan Kiem) with some top offerings

proposed by The Warehouse’s specialists

In case you get peckish there will be an

array of delicious appetisers The wine

tasting evening takes place on the last

Thursday of every month

For reservations contact Jeremie Hugues on

0904 323711 or Gerard Gastel on 0904 134490,

cafe-des-arts.com

GEEK FIGHT nIGHT

The night when Geeks nationwide converge

to prove how smart they really are will take

place on Jan 7 at the House of Son Tinh

There are eight categories with eight

questions each and the night kicks off at

9pm You know the rules by now, so get

your maximum of five team members,

come up with a name, reserve a table at Son

Tinh Lounge Bar, study hard and show up

The winning team will net two bottles

of Son Tinh Premium Liquor and a

VND500,000 Son Tinh voucher

Son Tinh Lounge Bar is at 31 Xuan Dieu,

Tay Ho Tel: (04) 3718 6377

t Metiseko makes your

[travel] wardrobe and interior eco chic.

Boutique : 71 Hàng Gai, Quận Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội

www.metiseko.com

The Nam Jam Collective Spectacular will

take over Madake promising to bring

something well… spectacular to the capital

The Nam Jam team will reunite on Jan

17 with DJs BlipBlop and &ndy leading the way for a night of bouncy beats, general mischief and unrestrained shenanigans

Expect future classics of the house, disco,

techno and bass variety with plenty of genre bending throughout the night Making an appearance will be some special guests

The night kicks off at 10pm, free entry Madake is at 81 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho, Tel: (04)

6276 6665 Nam Jam Collective Podcast series can be found at djbreadman.com/namjam

DUDE BACK WITH VInyL In HAnD

That man is back The Swiss legend returns

after his meltdown success at CAMA ATK

last summer The rare vinyl collector shares

his world beats and once again takes us on a

journey through his awesome vinyl collection

The Dude of Stratosphere (aka Jerome

Doudet) is world-renowned for scouring

the best music from 50s/60s/70s funk and

afro through to pop, disco, and multitudes

of unheard gems from across the globe The

night kicks off at 8pm and finishes up at

midnight on Jan 4

Tickets are priced at VND100,000 (in

advance) from ticketbox.vn or CAMA ATK (73

Mai Hac De, Hai Ba Trung), cama-atk.com For

more info http://official.fm/etomdot

Manzi Art Space this month features The

Broken Chapters by Hanoi-based visual ist Nguyen Tran Nam who is showcasing his new series of text installations, video art and paintings

art-Nam, considered one of the wave contemporary artists in Hanoi, features the video of a bullet ripping through the air, looped and muted, texts

second-on executisecond-ons, a home video of a father

and son’s bonding, a group photograph of young men, smiling and almost washed out, and two conversations between a father and his son

The works are rooted in the stories of his own life but reach out to tell the stories

of others

The exhibition opens on Jan 6 at 6pm at Manzi Art Space, 14 Phan Huy Ich, Ba Dinh Entry is free

SHIMMy On DOWn TO JAZZ nIGHT

Responding to its regulars’ many requests

for a casual place to relax and mingle with

friends after a long day of work and some

good quality jazz to take your mind off the

midweek stress, Millenium (Café des Arts)

is offering up a Jazz Night

Featuring Domino Jazz band on the

venue’s stunning terrace available every

second Thursday of the month where you

can come along with your friends and join

a fab night of music, food and wine from

7pm to 10pm with some top jazz acts lined

up at the café

For reservations contact Gerard Gastel

on 0904 134490 or check cafe-des-arts.com

Millenium is at 11B Ngo Bao Khanh, Hoan Kiem

THE BROKEn CHAPTERS UnVEILED

MADAKE’S COLLECTIVE SPECTACULAR

Located in the international departure area — which means you’ve got to go through immigration to get your fix — it is the first international fast food chain to be housed in the airport complex American fast food giant BK now has six stores stationed at the nation’s airports

For more info click on facebook.com/

burgerkingvn.fp

nAn ‘n KEBAB

Serving up Pakistani, Afghan, Turkish and

Middle Eastern cuisine, Nan ‘n Kebab has

opened up next to the Syrena Centre on

Xuan Dieu, on the site formerly occupied

by pho ga joint, Ba Chi Em.

With a refit in tow, a lunchtime menu

with dishes from a canteen stand is backed

up by more extensive fare at night A large

range of kebabs and BBQ specials are

on offer, as are biryanis, masala dishes,

vegetarian curries and some of the best nan

you will taste in the capital Try the Kandari

and Roghani nan for something a little

more unusual All the cuisine is Halal

Nan ‘n Kebab is at 49 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho

JUST OUT

After rumours, talk, speculation and more rumours, the controversy that has engulfed Zone 9 has finally come to the fore According to reports from venue owners and the media-at-large, the entire area will be shut down on Jan 15

This is the second time that Zone 9 has been officially closed So, make sure you give it all your support over the next couple of weeks

Zone 9 is at 9 Tran Thanh Tong, Hai Ba Trung

Prepare yourself for an electro-dancehall

workout in Mad Decent proportions at

CAMA ATK, as the man who pioneered that genre stops by Hanoi for an awesome night

of Jamaican sound clash culture fused with electronic beats Jamaican-born and Florida resident, this is none other than South Rakkas, known for his hook-laden song structures, filthy sound system beats and killer rhythms

These winning elements have flung South Rakkas around the globe and garnered his reputation as one of the best in dancehall electro riddims, attracting remix-duty from artists such as M.I.A and Tricky, production

duties for Duran Duran, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Shakira, and signing up with Diplo’s notorious Mad Decent label

He runs a label and production team

in Florida The Jan 23 gig is part of his Asian tour which includes dates in China, Cambodia, India and Taiwan

For more info on the man facebook.com/ southrakkascrew Tickets are VND150,000

or you can get a special deal to catch this gig and Heems & Despot (Jan 24.) together for VND200,000 (advance) at ticketbox.vn or CAMA ATK (73 Mai Hac De, Hai Ba Trung), cama-atk.com The show is from 8pm until midnight

SOUTH RAKKAS’ FILTHy SOUnD SySTEM

What’s rare vinyl

worth if you have no-one to share it with? The Dude of Stratosphere has us, and he’ll

be bringing his trunk of funk

to ears that have been starved since his appearance last summer

When DJs BlipBlop

and &ndy get together, you know to expect bouncy beats, future classics

of house, disco and techno and shenanigans What you don’t know is what else to expect, but it promises to be spectacular

january 2014

01 wednesday

02 thursday

THE JoUrNEY oF LIFE by Nguyen The Thien @ chula runs until Feb 20

03 friday

ScrEENING oF rADIo STArS @ L’Espace, 8pm

SkANk THE TANk reggae Soundsystem @ cama ATk, 8pm to 11pm

FrIDAY NIGHT oN THE TErrAcE @ The Press club

04 saturday

THE DUDE (SWITzErLAND) @cama ATk, 8pm to 12pm

05 sunday

06 monday

oPENING oF THE BrokEN cHAPTErS BY NGUYEN TrAM NAM @

Manzi, 6pm runs until Jan 25

‘GALETTE DES roIS’ or ‘TWELTH NIGHT cAkE’ NIGHT @ Millenium, cafe

BUToH DANcE AND PoETrY @ Manzi, 8.30 pm

THE BookWorM AND HANoI cookING cENTrE’S ANNUAL TET

FESTIVAL @ Bookworm Too in Nghi Tam Village, 1pm

26 sunday

THE BookWorM AND HANoI cookING cENTrE’S ANNUAL TET

FESTIVAL @ 44 chau Long, 1pm

Tet is coming, and your

favourite bookworms have researched all the most creative ways

to make you smile Expect fortune telling, calligraphy, music, banh chung cake making, sticky rice sculptures and more

you’ll get your fill of

rice wine in the coming week, but for now The Warehouse has some other varieties on sample, to be paired with some very un-Tet traditional appetisers

by no later than Jan 15 with a description of the event and a high-res photo

TeT melTIng poT ToasTIng TeT

HOANG SA ARCHIPELAGO (VIETNAM)

TRUONG SA ARCHIPELAGO (VIETNAM)

Members of Vietnam’s women’s football

team will be awarded a total of VND3.3

billion (US$158,700) for winning silver at

the 27th Southeast Games in Myanmar in

December

It is a double reward for the team, who

lost 2-1 to Thailand in the final, as it was

announced before the tournament that they

would net VND1.5 billion (US$72,100) for a

silver medal and VND2 billion for gold

The increase of the cash prize comes

after the men’s team failed to qualify for the semifinals, said acting chairman of the Vietnam Football Federation, Le Hung Dung The men’s money is withdrawn and added to the prize fund for the women’s team

During the games, Vietnam won 73 gold,

86 silver and 86 bronze medals to finish third behind Thailand who bagged 107 golds and were 21 clear of second-placed Myanmar’s gold tally

British Council Vietnam has launched a new English test ‘Aptis’ which can be applied in businesses, universities and the educational system in general

Eldon Pascoe, director of professional and teacher development at British Council, said that this is a flexible test, with 15 solution packages that are dependent on the demands and strategies of each business

Aptis was released last year and brought

to Vietnam earlier this year with a number

of businesses and universities showing interest in the programme, Pascoe added Aptis is expected to be used widely like other popular tests such as IELTS, TOEFL and TOEIC

Test takers can access online tests via mobile phones, computers, tablets and other handy devices The results will be given within 48 hours

CHInESE TOURISTS HEAD FOR DAnAnG AT TET

The central coastal city of Danang during Tet is expected to attract around 4,000 daily Chinese tourists, with most of them arriving on chartered flights

Danang now has 16 chartered flights from China, mainly from Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Xian and Shanghai

“[The numbers of] Chinese visitors coming to Danang are expected to rise further in the forthcoming Lunar New Year holiday,” said Tran Chi Cuong, deputy director of the city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism “From the 30th day

of the 12th lunar month to the seventh day

of the first lunar month, the city will serve about 4,000 travelers from China per day.”

At present, most Chinese visitors arrive in Danang on chartered flights and stay at hotels and resorts of four to five-star standards for touring the city and destinations like Hoi An and Hue, while others are taken to the city by the cruise line StarCruises

WOMEn’S FOOTBALL TEAM In CASH WInDFALL

BRITISH COUnCIL UnVEILS nEW EnGLISH TEST