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Saigon Still Stories

A portrait of Saigon through the eyes of Philip Van, a Belgian photographer and writer.

  • Le Bui
    Director
  • Phan Long
    Producer
  • Philip Van
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 24 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 10, 2021
  • Country of Origin:
    Vietnam
  • Country of Filming:
    Vietnam
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Le Bui

"Saigon Still Stories" is Le Bui's debut film as a professional filmmaker and his first beloved child.

Le's filmmaking journey started in early 2015. He had recently finished the first half of his sophomore year at Texas Christian University and tried various courses in business and information technology to figure out what he would be passionate about doing for a living in the future. Nothing ticked until Le happened to watch “Midnight in Paris” by Woody Allen and realized that there was more to cinema than just blockbusters. A few weeks of contemplation and Google research later, he switched his major and became a student filmmaker.

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Director Statement

To a certain extent, I think I'm qualified to be a true Saigonese. Saigon is where I was born and raised for the first 18 years of my life. Then I went to study abroad for 5 years and came back to reside here permanently afterwards.

Funnily enough, I'm not particularly a fan of my own hometown, which seems to be romanticized by many foreigners and expats like Philip. Am I taking the city for granted? Or is Philip just simply still in the honeymoon phase with the "exotic" Asia? Whatever the answer is, it's always interesting to re-learn Saigon through the lens of someone with a completely different upbringing and life philosophy than mine.

"Saigon Still Stories" is Philip's touching love letter to the vibrant Saigon.