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).’
Saigon Spaces: Reuse, Recycle and Reinvent
In a slightly tired traditional tenement block in District 1 is Huong Nguyen’s latest renovation project, a studio apartment overlooking Nguyen Du. Shaded by an old tamarind tree, the building was ori...
[Video] Slick Short Film Highlights the Vibrant Life in Modern Hanoi
This beautifully shot and edited short video showcases a diverse range of activities and panoramas, capturing snapshots of life in Vietnam's bustling capital.
Khoi Pham in Music & Arts
Sketching Saigon: Charming Indie Cafes Through the Eyes of Taiwanese Illustrator
In Shao-Chen Lin’s new sketchbook, On-the-spot Sketching at Cafes in Saigon, Vietnam, the southern metropolis is defined by its most charming aspect: a robust coffee culture that permeates every ...
Cambodia’s Craft Tile Industry Is Going Extinct
Introduced by French colonists over a century ago, tile-making continues throughout Cambodia despite having been abandoned decades ago in France.
[Video] Local Youth Orchestra Wows Audience at Tan Son Nhat With Impromptu Performance
Is there a better way to while away time at the airport than to orchestrate an impromptu music performance?
[Video] Fall in Love With Saigon Again Through This Soothing Aerial Tour
Saigon can be difficult to love at times, what with city residents frequently being subjected to flooding, severe traffic congestion and the demolition of beloved landmarks. However, with just a chang...
Rihanna's Latest Fashion Project Features Designs by Local Designer Cong Tri
Nguyen Cong Tri's latest collection reportedly impressed Barbadian singer Rihanna so much that she commissioned him to produce three outfits tailored to her size.
Teenage Indonesian Girls Shred Muslim Stereotypes With Heavy Metal Band
Not necessarily your typical thrash metal band, and not necessarily your typical teenage girls, this trio expresses their ideas and love of metal from beneath traditional hijabs.
#WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week
From a Mekong Delta bridge to a stormy evening in Phu Quoc, this is what we saw through our lens this week.
Black Teeth: How Vietnam's Hottest Beauty Regimen Went From Vogue to Obscurity
Once the hallmark of youthful beauty in Vietnam, nowadays dyeing one’s teeth black is a dying custom that can only be spotted in the country’s oldest generation.
[Photos] Hanoi’s Urban Sketchers Capture the City’s Essence By Drawing
Groups of Hanoi residents and visitors of all ages have banded together to capture the city’s disappearing traditional architecture through drawings.
Michael Tatarski in Arts & Culture
[Photos] Taipei's Ghostly Disused Leprosy Sanitarium
Taipei is known as a highly advanced, efficient city famous for modern marvels such as the Taipei 101 and a fantastic metro system.
[Video] A Hundred-Year History of Vietnamese Beauty
In the most recent episode of their 100 Years of Beauty series, WatchCut shines the limelight on the beauty of Vietnamese women throughout history.
#WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week
From a morning in Tam Giang to Ngu Hanh Son's marble mountain, this is what we saw through our lens this week.
Glee's Vietnam Remake to Premiere This August Amid Online Controversy
'Gleeks' in Vietnam have mixed feelings about the remake of the popular American musical show Glee.
Michael Tatarski in Literature
Bringing Literature to Life: Kickstarter Campaign Aims to Translate 2 Vietnamese Novels
For Minh Bui Jones, editor and founder of the Mekong Review, the greatest pleasure of his work is discovering an exciting book or writer that he has never heard of before.
Urban Art Flourishes in Cambodia Despite Challenges
Cambodia’s Urban Arts Festival has had its fair share of controversy in only two years, however that hasn’t stopped the festival’s founders and aspiring artists from inspiring the next generation of K...
[Photos] 19th Century Japanese Scroll Depicts Raucous Fart Battles
Though some may try to deny it, everyone loves a good fart joke, and it seems the 19th-century Japanese were no different.
Saigon Spaces: Huy Nguyen's Home for Repurposed Vintage Treasures
Huy Nguyen’s lovingly restored colonial-era bolt-hole, tucked away above a hẻm off Nguyen Hue, is a masterclass in making the best use of small spaces. As the owner of Mountain Retreat restaurant, Ngu...
Ariana Grande to Bring Dangerous Woman Tour to Saigon
Arianators in Vietnam assemble: your favorite American pop sensation is making her Saigon debut in August this year.
