Old meets new in SAIGON ELECTRIC -a Vietnamese hip-hop film

In the past few years, modern dance has taken the world by storm with shows like Dancing With the Stars, High School Musical and Glee. This focus on dance and performance may have sparked rejuvenation from the youth of Vietnam but by no means is this love for dance anything new to this country. Dance is deeply ingrained into its tradition with cultural dances such as ribbon and hat dancing. Additionally, ballroom dancing is celebrated at many wedding receptions. There are even nightclubs that host daytime dance parties for adults for entertainment and fitness. Today’s youth may have some exposure to tango and cha cha but their interest lie mostly in modern dance easily revealed on any given afternoon in Tao Dan Park with different sects of hip-hop crews rehearsing in various corners.



Written and directed by Stephane Gauger with cinematography support from Bao Nguyen, Saigon Electric (aka Saigon Yo!), portrays the story of old meets new connecting a traditional girl with modern life transitions. Mai, a traditional ribbon dancer from a small village finds herself in a new world of city life, hip-hop culture and a new best friend in Kim.



Gauger and Nguyen focused on maintaining authenticity to the culture and viewpoint of the characters:

In my wish of telling universal stories with a global outlook and a distinctly Vietnamese point of view, the seeds of Saigon Electric were planted. As the population of Vietnam grows younger and younger, youth culture is seeping onto the streets of Vietnam. Hip hop and graffiti artists are alive in today’s rapidly modernized culture. As our production team researched the best underground talent in Vietnam, we found much support from the hip hop community. Hundreds of young dancers came to audition for the chance to be captured on film, and I believe we were very fortunate in the ones selected to showcase their world of expression. My wish is to give the teenagers a voice and present to an international audience a fresh new look at the dreams and struggles of Asian youth.

- Stephane Gauger





We wanted to portray Saigon in a very realist way - not the polished,
sanitized version that many people see in other cinematic depictions of the city. Saigon, to me, is gritty, chaotic, the epitome of urban but at the same very dynamic and energetic. Also since this is a hip-hop film, Stephane, the director and the other director of photography, and I wanted the cinematography to compliment the subject of the film.

- Bao Nguyen



The film has premiered in LA and Saigon and will appear in upcoming festivals in San Diego, Chicago and San Francisco.