Hanoi Histories: Whatever happened to The Durian?

Expat Folklore: The Durian was a sadly short-lived satire page that was a hit with fellow migrants. Photo courtesy of The Durian.

Alex Reeves – @afreeves23

Getting the opportunity to write for a national newspaper is further than most aspiring writers get, but we seem to live in a place where it feels like anything can happen if you make the right choice on the right day, that feeling gets us out of bed on a morning and keeps many of us around, long after we might have headed home.

Writing about a city and a country you have a deep love affair with is without any hint of sarcasm, a privilege, verging on an honour. I’m proud to be doing so and sharing whatever insights on life in this wonderful country I can find the words for.

That being said, finding a new topic of discussion in Expat Corner on a fortnightly basis, even in the most fertile of ground, can be tricky. There’s only so many times we can talk about the traffic, the weather or Anthony Bourdain. We love Việt Nam, temperatures soar and more people than ever think SUV’s fit in tiny alleyways.

This week, inspired by a comment from someone who might have actually read a previous article, I decided to dive into some expat/migrant folklore. Keen readers and netizens who’ve been here over five years will likely remember a short-lived but genuinely amusing publication, known as ‘The Durian – Hanoi’s Smelliest News’.

Those familiar with satirical content such as The Onion, Waterford Whispers and The Daily Mash will find much to love in their still active yet archived stories, postulating at parts of life here which we all acknowledge as normal but when viewed from an outside perspective, veer towards the absurd.

Oscar Wilde famously said, “Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about” and his contemporary Mark Twain proposed “The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter”. It’s often true that the most comedic aspects of our existence can be found in the dance we do each and every day.

The Durian poked fun at daily life, stereotypes and the rich tapestry of Việt Nam, which to outsiders can be made up of a very confusing pattern. It is however important to respect the country in which we are guests and ultimately a combination of both this and the departure of a key writer, de-facto editor of the publication led to an abrupt stop to their satirical operations.

In a fortnight of conversations, I have heard many fascinating theories about why The Durian seemingly expired. Having spoken with the people behind the words, I can confirm that any of the more exotic speculations are wilder than the content of the publication itself. Sometimes things run their course and not every ending is a blockbuster.

The writers behind this witty slice of the expat literary scene are mostly still among us. Their anonymity may add to the mystique but as hopefully their articles get a few more views this week, what I can say for sure is that they enjoyed contributing to the keen reader’s week just as much as I do here in Expat Corner and their intentions always came from a place of humour, a love for Việt Nam and the adventure that living here can be. VNS