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.”

in Music & Arts

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.

in Culture

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.

in Travel

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...

in Loạt Soạt

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.

in Travel

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 Fashion

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).’

Back Arts & Culture

in Culture

[Video] Saigon Artists Craft Beautiful, Handmade Lucky Money Envelopes

With the lunar new year just days away, everyone is scrambling to complete their last-minute Tet preparations, from getting a haircut to re-painting the house to stocking up on those ever-important lì...

in Arts & Culture

#WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week

From a poetic Da Lat sky to a shrine on Con Dao Island, this is what we saw through our lens this week.

Dana Filek-Gibson

in Culture

The Story of Ông Táo, the Kitchen God Who Rides a Carp to Heaven

This evening, as Saigoneers continue their many Tet preparations and young revellers head out for a night on the town, Ong Tao is packing his bags for his annual trip to heaven.

Michael Tatarski

in Literature

How Mekong Review Aims to Connect Southeast Asia Through Literature

First published in late 2015, The Mekong Review has quickly garnered a sterling reputation in a region short on quality print publications. Minh Bui Jones, its founder and editor, talks to Saigoneer a...

in Music & Arts

[Photos] Saigon's Oldest Street Artist Jazzes up the Hẻms of D4

For the last two years, a few remote hẻms in District 4 have slowly been covered in the city's most adorable graffiti.

in Arts & Culture

[Photos] #WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week

From Saigon's dingy hẻm to the serenity of life in Tam Giang Lagoon, this is what we saw through our lens this week.

in Arts & Culture

Vietnamese Comic ‘Dia Nguc Mon’ Earns International MANGA Award

For the second year in a row, a Vietnamese comic has won one of Japan’s prestigious International MANGA Awards.

in Arts & Culture

[Photos] Colors of Saigon: Xanh, Sạch, Đẹp

From its ambitions and its people to the general color palette of daily life, Saigon is a bold city.

in Arts & Culture

#WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week

From sunrise in the city to Mui Ne's magnificent sand dunes, this is what we saw through our lens this week.

in Film & TV

Vietnam Unveils New Film Rating System

As of January 1, Vietnam’s new film rating system allows the local movie industry to screen adult content.

in Literature

[Illustrations] Young Illustrator Breathes New Life Into Work of Vietnamese Poet

Poet Tran Dang Khoa’s most beloved collection of children’s poetry is receiving a makeover, thanks to young illustrator and graphic designer Pham Quang Phuc.

in Arts & Culture

#WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week

From sunsets to fishing nets, this is what we saw through our lens this week.

in Arts & Culture

[Photos] The Godfather of Saigon's Water Puppets

While Saigon’s younger crowd is busy picking up the hottest new foreign trends, like parkour or wearing bean sprouts on your head, artisans from older generations have held fast to their traditional c...

in Arts & Culture

Meet The Girl in Reuters' 2016 Vietnam Photo

For its recent One Photo, One Country, One Year series, Reuters picked a snapshot from Vietnam depicting an áo dài-clad lady posing on an ornamental peach tree plantation in Hanoi.

in Culture

[Photos] The Weird Fruits of Tet Are Coming

With Tet fast approaching, Vietnam’s array of strange, misshapen fruits is returning in full force.

in Arts & Culture

[Photos] New Children's Book Introduces Southeast Asia's Animals to the World

A New York-based art director and illustrator recently published a children’s book on the fauna and flora of Laos and Vietnam featuring a host of intricate drawings.

in Music & Arts

[Music] How Indonesia’s Horn-Honking Became a Hit Among EDM DJs

On the streets of many Southeast Asian countries, vehicle honking presents yet another opportunity to stand out from the crowd.

in Arts & Culture

#WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week

From quiet, waterfront cafes to bustling city corners, this is what we saw through our lens this week.

in Music & Arts

[Recording] Listen to Saigon’s Hottest Track From 1900

At the turn of the 20th century, with French colonialism well under way in Vietnam and the age of motion pictures just beginning, Saigon – and much of the rest of the country – became a subject of gre...

in Arts & Culture

Wonderfilled Magazine Explores Saigon’s Sustainable Leather Goods

Ahead of their Saigon issue, Saigoneer presents an exclusive excerpt from Wonderfilled Magazine. Now in its sixth volume, the travel magazine tells stories about creativity around the world. Each issu...