Pete Walls

in Travel

Watching the Sunset From Lai Châu's Fansipan, the Roof of Indochina

Conquering Mount Fansipan’s 3,147 meters was once a feat reserved for those willing to take on the potential multi-day hike from Sapa to the summit and back.

in Film & TV

Vietnam Arrests 7 Suspects Behind Streaming Site HiAnime on Piracy Charges

As part of the current crackdown on intellectual property infringement, Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security recently took down a major network of websites providing illegal anime streaming.

in Quãng 8

Dropping the Disguise: The Evolution of Punk Band Cút Lộn Towards More Radicality

In recent years, CÚT LỘN has cemented themselves as one of the most recognizable hardcore punk bands to emerge from the Vietnamese underground scene.

in Music & Arts

From TikTok to Bars, a Group of Young Artists Brings Đờn Ca Tài Tử to Unexpected Venues

“If you happen to pass by Huỳnh Mẫn Đạt Street in Hồ Chí Minh City There’s a strange bar with a Mekong theme Where cải lươ...

Khôi Phạm

in Culture

Home Is Where the Bum Gun Is

In the 2010s, my journey to study abroad took me to Singapore. Being a tiny person in an enormous city was a huge undertaking for a teenager, as I had to adapt to countless changes, from minute to major, at once: living in a different language, academic pressures, foreign customs and cuisines, and being away from my family. Gradually, things fell into place. The public transport worked well; the accent got more familiar; and I didn’t miss bánh mì and cơm tấm nearly as much as I thought I would; but there was one thing I never managed to entirely overcome — the bum gun-shaped void in my heart.

in Film & TV

Review: From Czechia, ‘Trường Hè, 2001’ Bridges Family Divides, Both Onscreen and in Real Life

Summer School, 2001, directed by Czech-Vietnamese writer and director Dužan Duong, was first released last year and has received critical acclaim within the Czech Republic and Europe. Now, the film has come to Vietnam, where it is available in Galaxy, Cinestar, and Beta theaters across Saigon, Hanoi and Đà Nẵng.

in Music & Arts

This Wedding Is Too Boring to Nhậu, Let's Put on Some Miền Tây Remix

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.

Back Arts & Culture

in Music & Arts

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.  

in Arts & Culture

[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...

in Arts & Culture

[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.

in Music & Arts

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.

in Film & TV

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.

in Arts & Culture

[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.

in Culture

[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...

in Music & Arts

[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?

in Music & Arts

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...

in Culture

[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.  

in Arts & Culture

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...

in Arts & Culture

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.

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: Nhậu Culture, Street Food Update and an Anthropological Conversation

We've reached episode 30!

in Film & TV

'Co Ba Sai Gon' Is Vietnam's Contender for Best Foreign Language Film at Oscars 2019

Co Ba Sai Gon (The Tailor), directed by Tran Buu Loc and Nguyen Le Phuong Khanh, is an homage to áo dài.

in Culture

Tail Hair Jewelry Is a New Trend That's Hurting Vietnam's Elephants

Add demand for elephant tail hair jewelry, beside habitat loss and ivory poaching, to the list of what will likely lead to the extinction of this incredible creature. 

Kit Humphrey

in Postcards

Hanoi Postcard No. 4: The Nudists of Banana Island

The naked truth awaits those who venture beneath Long Bien Bridge…

in Film & TV

Vietnam's Award-Winning Documentary About a Trans Woman Will Premiere in Saigon Next Week

A critically acclaimed documentary about a member of Vietnam’s trans community will finally see an official premiere in Vietnam next month.

in Music & Arts

High School Student Gives Vietnam's History Textbooks a Sleek Makeover

This bold makeover project of Vietnam’s history textbooks might make you wish you were in school once again.

Khoi Pham

in Music & Arts

In Saigon Supersound Vol. 2, an Unabashed Celebration of Saigon's Retro Tunes

In less than a year and a half between the releases of the first and second volumes of Saigon Supersound, the highly celebrated compilation’s unique sound hasn’t changed, but the city it celebrates ha...

in Arts & Culture

[Illustrations] Watercolor Paintings of Tokyo, a City That Defies Total Darkness

While it's easy to bemoan the effects of light pollution on what would be a starry sky, for Polish artist Mateusz Urbanowicz, an abundance of light sources brings out Tokyo's unique midnight scenes an...