This Wedding Is Too Boring to Nhậu, Let's Put on Some Miền Tây Remix
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- Published on 24 June 2026
- Written by Phương Quỳnh. Top graphic by Dương Trương.
While phasing in and out of sleep on a coach in the Mekong Delta, have you ever been jolted awake by the bouncing beats of a Vinahouse version of ‘Quê em mùa nước lũ’ (Flooding Season in My Hometown)? Or, a mindless TikTok scroll would bring up the catchy tune of ‘Lấy cây kim may đồ’ (Pass Me the Sewing Needle) that’s trending nationwide.
Review: Horror Game 'Tai Ương' Exposes the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Our Culture
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- Published on 23 June 2026
- Written by Khôi Phạm.
Natural disasters, illnesses, accidents, breakages, or even deaths: when a series of consecutive tragedies engulf a family, it’s often said that tai ương has befallen the unfornate victims. The term is also the name of a recently published Vietnamese horror game that has been making waves amongst gaming communities both nationwide and internationally, thanks to its layered narrative, chilling atmosphere, and meticulously crafted game environment.
Indie Short Film 'Saigon Kiss' Is a Quintessential Saigon Queer Love Story
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- Published on 22 June 2026
- Written by Saigoneer.
Is there a meet-cute more characteristically Saigon than a motorbike breakdown and subsequent friendly assist from a stranger?
WildAct's Trang Nguyễn Turns to Social Media to Inspire a New Generation to Love Nature
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- Published on 21 June 2026
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Top Image by Dương Trương.
Dr. Trang Nguyễn — a wildlife conservation scientist with a PhD from Cambridge and the founder of WildAct — needs little introduction. She has been recognized as one of Forbes Asia’s 30 under 30, called a conservation “hero” by Sir David Attenborough on BBC’s Planet Earth III, and had her inspiring story, which includes going undercover to bring down illegal ivory poaching rings in Africa after surviving cancer, covered widely. But much of her work has been behind the scenes or at least in corners devoted to conservations. Her recent arrival on the social media scene, amongst memes, music videos, and TikTok challenges, represents a shift in approach.
Bánh Ú Tro Wraps the Childhood Joy of Tết Đoan Ngọ Within Its Green Leaves
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- Published on 19 June 2026
- Written by Thu Hà. Graphics by Ngàn Mai.
Since the beginning of our festive history, Vietnam’s special occasions have always been closely associated with traditional dishes. Lunar New Year is the time to enjoy bánh chưng and bánh tét, while the arrival of Trung Thu is foretold by the appearance of moon cakes and bánh pía. In the case of Tết Đoan Ngọ, revelers eat bánh bá trạng and bánh ú tro to get a taste of festivity.
After Saigon Police Bust Major Pet Theft Ring, the City Rallies to Help Care for 400 Cats
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- Published on 17 June 2026
- Written by Saigoneer.
After an extended investigation, the Hồ Chí Minh City Police Department has busted a major cat theft and distribution ring that operated across multiple southern provinces.
The History of Hanoi's Lost Tramway Network
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- Published on 15 June 2026
- Written by Tim Doling.
When they first drew up plans for a citywide tramway network in 1894, it seemed as though the Hanoi authorities would follow Saigon’s example by opting for steam traction. Yet, by the time government approval was forthcoming in 1899, advances in technology made it possible to construct the entire system as a state-of-the-art, one-meter gauge electric tramway.
Vietnamese Vernacular Modernism Is a Local Language Created by the Ordinary People
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- Published on 14 June 2026
- Written by Phạm Phú Vinh. Photos by Jimmy Art Devier. and Huy.
In the history of architecture, rarely have we seen such a challenging movement as Vietnamese modernism. Not only does it show how a culture evolves and expresses itself across historical epochs through its building practice, from the traditional to colonial and eventually modern period, but the language of Vietnamese vernacular modernism also reveals deeper understandings of human creative potential.
Hẻm Gems: Om Momo Brings Stories, Tasty Dumplings From Tibet to Saigon
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- Published on 14 June 2026
- Written by San Kwon. Photos by Jimmy Art Devier.
Though I’ve known about momos for quite some time, it was only recently when I first visited Om Momo — a cozy little Tibetan restaurant tucked deep inside a dark nook in Thảo Điền — that I finally tried momos. Inside, one finds a world with a life of its own: at its center stands a mysterious figure, thinly veiled by a cylindrical sheath of turquoise; hung on the walls are vibrantly colored photographs and artworks; and between them sit tables of diners who gaze and converse around salt-rock lamps that warmly illuminate the room.
In Xuân Diệu's Tender Poetry, a Reminder to Love Honestly and Courageously
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- Published on 12 June 2026
- Written by Linh Phạm. Graphic by Phan Nhi.
“Tenderly, fondly, Xuân Diệu held on to my wrist, caressing it up and down. Our eyes locked in affection…Xuân Diệu loved me.”
For the Freshest Fish of the Day, Head to Hội An's Coast Before Sunrise
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- Published on 10 June 2026
- Written by Pete Walls. Photos by Pete Walls.
The alarm goes off at 3am. By 3:30am, scooters laden with empty crates and baskets are already moving through the dark lanes and sandy passages towards Hội An's coast. Long before the old town wakes, the beaches along the shore are coming alive with engines, head torches, waves, and fishermen preparing to return to land. Thankfully, coffee is readily available almost anywhere.
From the Mind of 'Mekong Review' Comes ‘Yellow,’ a New Lit Mag Focused on SEA
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- Published on 09 June 2026
- Written by Saigoneer.
“Cooped up in my apartment-cage in Tân Định, I created, with scissors and glue, dummy after dummy of a cosmopolitan rag positively pumping with scandals and half-truths. I was having a lot of fun dreaming of a magazine that I would never be able to do. And buried somewhere in that detritus on the floor—advertising cutouts and newspaper clippings—was Yellow … Once I knew I had the name, the magazine more or less made itself, as though the name determined the rest, ie, form and content,” writes Minh Bui of the birth of Yellow, his “what-do-I-do-after-Mekong Review magazine.”
In Saigon's Bửu Long Pagoda, a Meditative Escape and Pan-Southeast Asian Architecture
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- Published on 08 June 2026
- Written by Raffie Malec. Photos by Raffie Malec.
It all started with a sparkle on the horizon, a beam of solar brilliance bouncing off a garish metallic surface.
On Reading Ocean Vuong and Thinking About the Sniff Kisses of My Family
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- Published on 07 June 2026
- Written by Tom Phạm. Illustration by Mai Khanh.
Having always been a little brother, I had to learn to be a big one when I was 10 years old. In the midst of the confusion of this new role, I found myself pressing my nose to this newborn’s head and inhaling as hard as I could. This “sniff kiss” was not an action I invented. Rather, it was an instinct forged through mimicry: I started noticing from this point that my father and grandmother both did the same thing to me.
Meet Th.ink Room, the Tattoo Collective Bringing New Life to Old Artworks and Onto Skin
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- Published on 07 June 2026
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Photos by Jimmy Art Devier. Top graphic by Dương Trương.
Tattoo Therapist, dr.99hz, cd.cadao, goc.viet, Solarist and Baby Nepotism: listing the artists that call Th.ink Room home feels like shouting out the members of a rap clique. Indeed, tattoo artists, more than any other visual artists, are akin to rappers in their use of pseudonyms, so to employ a common hip-hop refrain, Saigoneer became interested in Th.ink Room because “game recognize game.”
How Saigon's V.A.R Building Epitomizes Vietnam's Architectural Autonomy
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- Published on 05 June 2026
- Written by Phạm Phú Vinh. Photos by Alberto Prieto and Lê Thái Hoàng Nguyên.
Completed in 1973, the V.A.R building at 9 Nguyễn Công Trứ Street in Nguyễn Thái Binh Ward, District 1, is a prominent example of Vietnamese mid-20th-century modernist architecture designed by architect Lê Văn Lắm. It not only represents the Vietnamese architectural identity in post-colonial eras, but also exemplifies its cultural autonomy.
A (Literally) Brief History of Vietnamese Representation in 'Mean Girls' (2004)
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- Published on 05 June 2026
- Written by Khôi Phạm.
Written by Saturday Night Live alum Tina Fey and premiered in 2004, Mean Girls is often heralded as a sharp, self-aware comedy that was ahead of its time, yet still holds up surprisingly well today. Alas, its depiction of Asians has aged a little more poorly, even though at the time of its release, the Asian representation was shockingly accurate for its time, despite some haphazard characterizations.
A Visit to Lê Minh Xuân, a Rare Craft Village Making Incense Sticks Amid Saigon
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- Published on 03 June 2026
- Written by Lã Khánh Giang. Photos by Alberto Prieto and Jimmy Art Devier.
From inside the workshop, artisans carry bundle after bundle of freshly made incense sticks into the courtyard amid the morning mist. A gentle scent of spices linger in the air.
Cà Rem Cây, Kem Chuối and the Frozen Tickets to Our Childhood
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- Published on 01 June 2026
- Written by Uyên Đỗ. Graphic by Mai Phạm.
Sometimes, when I hear the distant sound of a tinkling bell, fond memories of summer days from my wonder years come flooding back to me.
On Shooting an Entire Movie on 35mm Film: The Curious Case of 'Quán Kỳ Nam'
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- Published on 31 May 2026
- Written by Irving Ly.
“Let’s go to Vietnam!” declared Sabrina Baracetti, president of the Far East Film Festival (FEFF) in Udine, Italy, as she wrapped up her introduction for Leon Lê's Quán Kỳ Nam (Kỳ Nam Inn). Sitting in the Teatro Nuovo, watching Quán Kỳ Nam unfold for the first time, I felt an overwhelming surge of pride.
