Paul Christiansen in Music & Arts
The Unquenchable Spirit of Artist Lê Triều Điển
“Điển is like a flower; there is no question of growing or not growing.”
Cổ Động's Live Session Series 'Động Tag' Returns for Season 2 With 9 Vietnamese Artists
Động Tag Live Session, Cổ Động’s series of live recordings aiming to highlight Vietnam’s up-and-coming musicians, is returning with a second season.
The Artist Preserving Saigon's Cultural Tapestry Through Hand-Painted Signs
"In the early 2000s, the market experienced an exodus of painters due to the shift to digital; it was difficult to retain customers otherwise. I didn't want my craft to be forgotten, so I started everything all over,” Nguyễn Hoài Bảo told me in Vietnamese when I visited his studio.
Vietnam Welcomes 21m Tourists in 2025, Highest-Ever Figure in History
Last year marked an impressive year for tourism in Vietnam. A record number of 21.17 million international tourists visite...
Viet Thanh Nguyen's New Essay Collection Is Both Theoretically Sharp and Intimately Tender
Last year, acclaimed Vietnamese American writer Viet Thanh Nguyen published To Save and to Destroy: Writing as an Other, a collection of six essays adapted from the prestigious Norton Lectures that he delivered at Harvard in 2023–2024.
Hanoi's Proposal to Stop Train Service Might Spell the End of 'Train Street'
Hanoi’s infamous train street might be going away if a new municipal plan becomes a reality.
In Sa Pa, Learning How to Indigo Dye, One Plant, Vat, and Beeswax Pen at a Time
My first meal in Sa Pa was accidentally earned. After a few hours of uneven rest in a sleeper bus and a short ride from Sa Pa city center to the village, I finally arrived, along with two other indigo enthusiasts, at a small hill in bản Cát Cát. A few modest houses framed a quiet courtyard where indigo vats rested, and long strips of dyed fabric hung on bamboo poles, drying in the morning air.
Khôi Phạm in Quãng 8
Hanoi Indie Duo Limebócx Brings Tried-and-Trù Traditions to Young Ears
A grazing buffalo, frolicking water puppets, mystifying tam cúc cards, an insolent maiden in áo tứ thân, a rustic meal around cái mâm. These are just a few standout visuals that will haunt your brain upon feasting your eyes on Limebócx’ debut music video ‘Yêu Nhau (Qua Cầu Gió Bay).’
Concert Honoring Nguyen Van Quy, the ‘Vietnamese Beethoven,’ to Take Place on October 30
No other composer since Beethoven has written as many as nine sonatas for violin and piano.
[Photos] Relish this Rare 1894 Edition of 'Truyen Kieu' Through World Digital Library
The World Digital Library allows people around the world to see high-resolution scans of the 1894 edition of The Tale of Kieu, annotated by Paul Pelliot, the famous French Sinologist, who bo...
Saigoneer Podcast: Coworking Spaces and Vietnam's Four Mythological Creatures
The Saigoneer Podcast is back after taking a couple of weeks off!
From November, Vietnam to Ban Gratuitous Smoking in Movies, Stage Productions
Starting from November, filmmakers will need to carefully deliberate over their decision to include smoking in their work or risk the ire of the culture ministry.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra to Release Instrumental Jazz Album Recorded in Hanoi
The Portland, Oregon-based psychedelic rock band recorded the album entirely in Vietnam.
The Bachelor's Happy Queer Romance Is the Positive Representation That Vietnam's LGBT Community Needs
Last Wednesday, the couple talked about their declaration of love during a live stream Facebook interview with the reality show centered around straight relationships.
[Illustrations] Vietnam's Childhood Toys Through the Harrowing Lens of Adulthood
If it seems like Saigon’s creative industry is running on nostalgia right now, it’s because it is. The crop of young Saigoneers born in the 1990s and 2000s are now entering the workforce and driving t...
Workroom Four’s Annual Open Exhibition Running in Hanoi Next Week
This year marks the fifth time the event has taken place, with over 6,500 visitors and nearly 500 artists taking part over the least four years.
[Photos] In Guangxi, Life Goes on as if Urbanization Never Happened
Just across the border from Vietnam in Guangxi, China, the Dong ethnic minority leads lives far removed from massive cities churning out cell phones, computer chips, skyscrapers, high-speed train...
[Illustrations] A Series of Colorful Depictions of Quy Nhon's Charismatic Coastal Cuisine
Quy Nhon is regarded as a hidden oasis thanks to its sweeping and sparsely populated beaches and untrammeled terrain, but its food is no less unique or laudable.
New Art Fund Offers Financial Support to Projects Exploring Vietnam’s Musical, Film Heritage
Starting from this year, GBP100,000 (VND3 billion) is available in grant packages for artistic projects that interact with traditional Vietnamese music and cinema through the ages.
Inside the Poignant Vietnam Episode of Netflix Animated Series 'BoJack Horseman'
In season five of Bojack Horseman, an animated show that follows a self-loathing humanoid horse and 90s TV star BoJack, the producers devote an episode to Vietnam.
[Illustrations] Stylized Postcards Showcase Vietnam's Architectural Icons
While Saigon and Da Nang can be characterized by their high-rise buildings and urban spaces, Hanoi and Hue are more often recognized for their architectural remnants of Vietnam's feudal history.
[Video] Revitalizing Traditional Khmer Arts With Cambodia's First Queer Dance Company
When the Khmer Rouge took power in Cambodia, their assault on the elite included murdering 90% of the country's traditional dancers. Therefore, it's astounding that only 40 years later, a group of nat...
[Video] With Minimalist Music Video, Ca Hoi Hoang Tells Story of Post-Breakup Longing
In the latest music video, local indie band Ca Hoi Hoang attempts to answer the age-old question: After a relationship was severed, what to do if the involved cross paths again?
Into Thin Air 2, the Pokémon Go for Art Lovers, Will Launch in Hanoi This Weekend
The first Into Thin Air exhibition took place in April 2016 and featured physical artworks displayed around the capital. The second installment is a permanent display of 10 digital artworks, which can...
[Photos] Behold the Fierce Onna-Bugeisha, Japan's Badass Female Samurai
A large number of ruthless women warriors throughout Japan's history upend the popular notion that all samurai were men.
Milo Threatens to Sue Ovaltine Over Defamatory Advertising Campaign
Recently, a photo of two billboards from chocolate powder competitors, Milo and Ovaltine, went viral on social media. The Milo copy reads "A champion made by Milo." while the tagline for Ovaltine read...
Hanoi’s First Zine Festival Is Coming up This Week
Beginning this Thursday and stretching over three days, the event taps into a niche, yet growing, subculture in the capital.
Saigoneer Podcast: Nhậu Culture, Street Food Update and an Anthropological Conversation
We've reached episode 30!
