Kẹo Kéo: Sài Gòn Sound explores the life of Huỳnh Thanh Hậu, a street performer whose kẹo kéo singing captures the spirit of Saigon’s nightlife and culture. Co-directors Mike Pham and Anh Phi discuss their experience following Hậu, the inspiration behind the film’s aesthetic, and the challenges performers face amidst the city’s changing soundscape.
How did you meet Huỳnh Thanh Hậu? What was it like following him and learning his story?
Mike Pham: We met Anh Hậu right before Tết of 2022 when we needed a kẹo kéo set-up for our collective Nhạc Gãy’s photoshoot. I was driving around the “Nhậu Street” of Tôn Đản in District 4, [when] I spotted him. He was the only one who had the original custom kẹo kéo rack, and his sharp outfit showed he took pride in his work. A true performer – I thought.
When NTS Radio offered us a collaboration on Vietnamese music, we immediately thought of Anh Hậu’s inspiring story. Through him, we explored the raw, authentic side of Sài Gòn’s nightlife and street entertainment. Kẹo kéo is the only original type of street performance of Sài Gòn. Learning about his routine was fascinating – the relationships with restaurants, the street politics, the guest interactions, the song choices. It’s clear that this is an art form requiring serious skill and dedication.
Spending time with anh Hậu also allowed us to connect with him on a deeper level. We learned about his dreams and background; how he left his hometown for Sài Gòn with determination. But as the film shows, parts of Hậu are still deeply rooted in the Mekong Delta, and that remains a core part of his identity.
What led you to tell the story of kẹo kéo street performers?
Mike Pham: We found kẹo kéo to be a fascinating street performance unique to Southern Vietnam. It’s an integral part of the street “nhậu” culture, a vibrant mix of food, beer, entertainment, and music. Through kẹo kéo, we not only immerse ourselves in the distinctive nhậu culture but also gain insight into the music of the working class (Vietnamese: “bình dân”).
The film has a very distinct aesthetic. What were your inspirations? What moods and feelings were you trying to channel?
Anh Phi: The city itself was our core inspiration. Saigon is Anh Hậu’ stage. It is a place where you can build your own world and share it within an uninterrupted flow of energies around you. There’s always different interesting dynamics between Anh Hậu and the city depending on what he is doing and the time of the day, whether it is being small in a crowded street at night (using a long topshot zoom out), in his own world when he’s preparing to perform (with only tight close-ups), or doing an acapella at the more quiet outskirt of the city while fishing. We wanted to channel the pure passion Anh Hậu has for singing while embracing his humble, committed and inspiring force. The mood we sought was some type of intimacy and introspection [to capture a naturalistic feeling].
In the film, we learn that in an effort to fight noise pollution, these kẹo kéo singers are being targeted with fines and legislation. How have kẹo kéo fought back against these attempts?
Ann Phi: Noise pollution is a growing problem in a gigantic city of 10 million like Saigon. The city has been suffering from what we call the “karaoke” pandemic – cheap, loud Bluetooth speaker systems are readily available, leading to enthusiastic late-night singing and partying that disturbs neighbors’ sleep. While the city aims to improve its acoustic environment, kẹo kéo performers like Anh Hậu could unfortunately be caught in the crossfire of noise control measures. With no clear way for them to appeal new laws, we can only hope for improved entertainment zoning, dedicating specific areas to nightlife. We already see this in places like Bùi Viện walking street (District 1) and the Tôn Đản food street (District 4) featured in the film.
Can you share how the sounds of kẹo kéo have shaped those of your own music collective, Nhạc Gãy?
Ann Phi: I would enlarge “the sounds of kẹo kéo” to “city sounds”, in all its forms and sources: karaoke on saturated bluetooth speakers, street performers, street vendors, loud bars and clubs, traffic, birds… and sometimes all [the sounds] at once like in Bui Vien. The vivid, rich, and sometimes intense sonic landscape the city life imposes, can have influences on creating new music. Saigon is loud. My assumption is that the environment elevates the threshold of sensibility to people’s ears, and therefore, allows music producers, DJs, and audiences to welcome more varied – and harsher – strains of sounds.
Kẹo Kéo: Sài Gòn Sound is available on Viet Film Fest 2024’s virtual platform as part of the short film set entitled “Home Is Where the Art Is”.
Interview conducted by Chenglin Lee
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ABOUT Mike Pham
Mike is the co-founder of Booncha – a creative production studio based in Ho Chi Minh City. He’s driven by the purpose of bringing true Vietnamese authenticity and culture into the growth of contemporary media via music, arts and film-making. In this journey, he had the opportunities to work on projects with international organizations and brands like CNN, 88rising, Bandai Namco, US CDC and Warner Music.
Mike is also the co-founder of Nhạc Gãy, a local electronic music and art collective that is featured on MixMag, Dazed, i-D and Boiler Room.
ABOUT Anh Phi Tran
For the full content, please visit the About page on Anh Phi Trần’s website.
VIET FILM FEST 2024
October 5 to 20, 2024
Program Schedule and Tickets:
https://vietfilmfest2024.eventive.org/schedule
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