9000 Seconds of Saigon 05.20.11

Introducing your friendly Saigon blogger’s weekly biweekly-ish digest of roughly two and half hours worth of reading and viewing on Saigon, Vietnam, Asia-Pacific, and Asia’s intersection with New York City.

Right here on 9000 Hours in Saigon, Mike from Along the Mekong posted a query about getting your foot in the door at expat magazines to the About section. Check out my lengthy reply if you’re a budding wordsmith in Vietnam.

courtesy of diacritic.org

After a long absence from the blogosphere, contemporary artist and dia/projects founder Richard Streitmatter-Tran has dusted off diacritic.org and logged a breakdown of dia/projects’ activities one year since its opening.

courtesy of diacritics.org

Meanwhile, the folks inspired by the original diacritic have been reliably churning out dispatches from the diaspora. This week, the diacritics (plural) published articles on a surviving warren of Vietnamese refugees in France, contemporary art photography in Phnom Penh, spoken word artist Bao Phi, and Tran Anh Hung’s latest film, Norwegian Wood. 

courtesy of Asia Society

Being back in New York has its advantages–like getting to visit Ai Wei Wei’s new public sculpture in Grand Army Plaza. The Asia Society has a short post and two-minute video on Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads on its blog.

If that blurry chef in the background of the lead photo for this New York Times article looks vaguely familiar, you were probably a regular at Pham Ngu Lau’s Bread &  Butter during the past couple of years. Liza Queen is back in Brooklyn and serving up the Vietnamese fare she learned to make during her tw0-year stint in Saigon. Look for her bun thit nuong and banh xeo under the banner of Queen’s Dahn Ta at the Brooklyn Flea’s new all-food market, Smorgasburg.

And speaking of Western chefs in Vietnam, you can check out the Phan Thiet/Mui Ne segments of Gordon Ramsay’s Great Escapes on muinebeach.net (for which blogger Adam Bray was a consultant). 

From Tom’s twitter stream this week:

Border Troubles

 

Cambodia refuses to remove troops from #PreahVihear, Thailand responds by blocking Indonesian observers along border. http://t.co/guq6rtZ

 

Soundtrack of Street Life in Vietnam

 

Propaganda or poetry? Vietnam’s iconic loudspeakers punctuate public life with messages from the Party. http://bit.ly/mrFR7s

 

Trouble Among the Hmong

 

Report on #Hmong conflict in northern #Vietnam via @ChristianPost suggests some culpability among messianic leaders http://t.co/A1u4RE8

 

@hrw pressures Vietnam to open investigation into recent unrest among #Hmong hill tribes in Muong Nhe.

 

Guns Blazing

 

ASEAN defence ministers seek to halve weapons spending by coordinating trade among regional industries. http://bit.ly/im9M6r

  

A Message for Canada’s New Conservative Majority

 

Editorial: Canada needs to rethink its commitment to the #EastAsiaSummit. http://bit.ly/mzWUhU

Jetstar Crosses New Borders

Jetstar Pacific Airlines began flying once daily from HCM City to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport today and will launch its HCM City-Siem Reap route on Monday, November 3. The new routes expand Jetstar’s existing international route map, which includes connections between HCM City and Australia, Singapore and New Zealand.

Bottom rate Jetsaver Light fares begin at US $12 to Bangkok and $40 to Siem Reap. The fares allow for carry-on baggage only, though passengers can tack on a 20-kilogram bag by upgrading to a JetSaver fare for an additional US $20.

Off to Cambodia

I’ve almost forgotten what this blog looks like. This past month I got bumped up to managing editor over at AsiaLIFE, leaving me little time to do anything but figure out what the hell a managing editor does.

In this and only this respect, I sympathize with Sarah Palin.

But after a month of sleepless nights and panicked backtracking, I’ve finally orchestrated my escape from Saigon and will be heading to Siem Reap for four days. I’ve got my bags packed and visa renewed (after letting it lapse for a month … woops), and I’ll be boarding my very first Airbus A380 in a few hours.

Once there, I’ll be touring Angkor Wat, drifting through some floating villages on Lake Tonle Sap, and trying to prove that Cambodian food is in fact edible.