But What Even Is an Expat: Unpacking the Highly Contentious Term, in Vietnam and Abroad
“Expat is a racist as hell term” — this is the take of Misan Harriman on the popular internet show SubwayTakes. The ...
Adrien Jean in Travel
The Enigmatic Neon-Lit World in the Mist of Sapa
Is there a more atmospheric place in Vietnam than Sapa on a misty night?
Khôi Phạm in Music & Arts
Review: Pieces of Me | Nao Yoshioka (feat. Mỹ Anh)
Mỹ Anh has come a long way since becoming the runner-up of The Heroes in 2021. Five years later, now with a full-length album and a spectrum of singles and extended plays under her belt, the Hanoi-based artist has proven to be one of the most dynamic singer-songwriter-producer of her generation.
Art Exhibition ‘Limerence’ Explores Where Romantic Desire Distorts Into Obsession
Thom Nguyen utilizes portraiture and depictions of mushrooms and organic objects to explore the concept of limerence in a solo exhibition at Permanently Closed Gallery in Thảo Điền, beginning Friday, August 28.
How Vinahouse Fosters Sonic Belonging in Modern Saigon's Queer Collectives
If you spend a night wandering along Bùi Viện Walking Street and its dense concentration of bars and clubs, you will almost certainly hear the same sound spilling from multiple directions: fast, pounding basslines layered with Vietnamese pop melodies, punctuated by dramatic buildups and explosive drops. If you fall into the right algorithm on TikTok, you might encounter these same sounds circulating as background audio. This music is Vinahouse. Its ever-presence in both physical and digital spaces makes it one of the most recognizable yet least critically examined musical forms in contemporary Vietnam.
Xuân Phương in Culture
Inside Tế Tiêu, Home to Vietnam's Rare 'Land Puppet' Performances
Bidding goodbye to central Hanoi, I took the National Road 21B to reach Tế Tiêu Neighborhood, a small community in Đại Nghĩa Township of Hanoi’s Mỹ Đức District. This fertile patch of land by the Đáy River is the cradle of a unique form of traditional folk art: Tế Tiêu puppetry.
How Quy Nhơn's Old Cemetery Slowly Expands up Vũng Chua Mountain
You might miss it if you were driving past, but once you walk down a small hẻm off Quy Nhơn’s main Tây Sơn Street, the massive cemetery sprawls in all directions.
All Aboard the Languorous 35-Hour Train From Hanoi to Saigon
The train connecting Vietnam’s largest cities takes 35 hours. Yet even after the first time I finished the trip, I was already coming up with excuses for why I needed to do it again. For me, the journey is much more than a chance for great views and time to reflect. It’s an exploration of life itself.
Saigoneer Podcast: Drunk Driving and Finding Phong's Depiction of Transgender Vietnamese
Episode 32 of the Saigoneer Podcast is available now!
Michael Tatarski in Music & Arts
In Saigon's Latest Indie Workshop, a Heaven for Eco-Friendly Risograph Prints
Nestled above inpages in Thao Dien, a new print studio is offering artists and other creatives a new way to express their ideas and visions.
Vietnamese Silk Painting From 1935 Sold for €440,000 at Paris Auction
A painting by renowned Vietnamese artist Nguyen Nam Son recently fetched 440,000 euros at an auction in Paris.
Saigon to Have First-Ever Singapore Film Festival This November
The festival is co-hosted by the Singapore Film Society and Vietnamese media company RICE & Partners.
Kit Humphrey in Culture
[Photos] The Unbridled Joy of Hanoi’s Walking Streets
In a claustrophobic city where cramped houses huddle shoulder-to-shoulder and roads resemble battlegrounds, walking streets provide a rare breathing space for people used to clamor. More importantly, ...
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?
