in Music & Arts

Cá Hồi Hoang to Disband After National Tour Marking 10 Years of Making Music

On the cusp of their current nationwide tour, indie band Cá Hồi Hoang abruptly announced that they would disband after touring finishes.

in Culture

The Hanoi Village Where Making Folding Fans Involves Every Family

One summer day, I made a trek into suburban Hanoi to Thạch Thất District. Walking along the dirt road surrounded by green maturing rice fields, I reached Chàng Sơn Village.

Paul Christiansen

in Music & Arts

Art Exhibition 'Ngẫu Biến' Invites Viewers to Find Their Own Meaning

“When you write, you go inside yourself, when you paint, you go outside,” said poet and painter ng. anhan.

in Film & TV

Filmmakers Trần Anh Hùng, Phạm Thiên Ân Win Awards at Cannes Film Festival

At the 76th Cannes International Film Festival, Phạm Thiên Ân's Bên trong vỏ kén vàng (Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell) was awarded the Camera D'or while Vietnamese-born French filmmaker Trần Anh Hùng won the best director prize for The Pot-au-Feu.

in In Plain Sight

In Hanoi, the Vietnam Museum of Nature Is an Inquisitive Child's Heaven

Amidst the dull, grey buildings of the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, a giant dinosaur model stands out. The T-Rex was guarding the entrance to the Vietnam National Museum of Nature (Bảo tàng Thiên nhiên Việt Nam), and as I approached it I felt a sense of childlike wonder wash over me. I thought I would learn much about Vietnam’s natural history; I was wrong.

Khôi Phạm

in Film & TV

Review: Wow! This Brochure for Vietnam Tourism Has a Plot and a Romance.

I was prepared to hate A Tourist’s Guide to Love on sight. As a movie setting, Vietnam has been burned by foreign productions one too many times, so I often find myself dry-heaving whenever any international project announces its intention of portraying Vietnam on screen.

Paul Christiansen

in In Plain Sight

An Ode to Saigon’s Chò Nâu Trees

It’s too cold for chò nâu to grow where I’m from, but we still gave it an English name: dipterocarp.

Back Arts & Culture

in Music & Arts

On an Eerie Night Tour Through Hell at 'Hù: Quả Báo' Art Exhibition

Have you ever wondered how those who steal designs or borrow without returning would repent for their sins in hell?

in Film & TV

Fantasy Film Based on 'Maika' to Represent Vietnam at Sundance Film Festival

A fantasy film will represent Vietnam at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.

in Film & TV

Charlie Nguyen to Direct Film Based on Life of 'Perfect Spy' Phạm Xuân Ẩn

The storied life of perhaps Vietnam’s most famous intelligence officer will be adapted for the silver screen in the near future.

in Arts & Culture

Vietnamese Photographer Wins Top Prize in Drone Photo Awards' People Category

As part of the Drone Photo Awards 2021, which focuses on honoring aerial photography, eight works by Vietnamese authors were commended by the jury in the People category. The top prize went to Phạm Hu...

Michael Tatarski

in Music & Arts

What to Do When You Discover That Your Mom Was a Superstar Singer in 1960s Saigon

In early 1960s Saigon, Phương Tâm was a star singer, performing every day in the city’s busy nightclubs and music venues.

in Music & Arts

A Photographer's Quest to Document Vietnam's Provinces From Two Angles

Hanoi-based photographer Justin Mott has taken a unique approach to depicting Vietnam in his ongoing photo series.

in Quãng 8

How Tùng Writes Modern-Day Fables in Both His Audio and Visual Arts

Tùng admits that he writes lyrics and sings based on imagery in his imagination. Listening to Tùng’s music or perusing his artworks, one might feel as if they’re being enticed into a poetic world that...

in Music & Arts

'The White Distance' Ruminates on the Pandemic Gaps Within Ourselves

The final exhibition of Heritage Space's annual contemporary international art exchange project, "Month of Art Practice - MAP 2021," will be on display in Hanoi until December 12.

in Music & Arts

A Typographic Tribute to Áo Dài in This Elegant New Typeface

Đạt Đỗ, a graphic designer based in Ho Chi Minh City, is embracing local culture through the release of a brand-new typeface, Vén.

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: Rating 'Bonjour Vietnam,' Plus Waterbus v. Metro

After a brief Covid-related break, we're back with a new episode!

in Music & Arts

Graffiti Artist Nguyễn Tấn Lực Is Serious About Changing Public Opinion of Street Art

As an art form deeply rooted in the streets, graffiti embodies the liberation of creativity from strict societal framing. But like other street creations, it’s never free from public scrutiny due to i...

in Music & Arts

Liberation Radio: The Ultimate Message of Peace Through Audio Broadcast

An audio-visual installation at Manzi Exhibition Space followed in the footsteps of the American military deserters who opposed the war in Vietnam.

in Ton-sur-Ton

A Gia Lai Entrepreneur Brings Her Hometown's Brocade Art to Modern Jewelry

Vũ Thị Thanh Vân had a simple wish: she wanted to find a well-crafted brocade gift for a friend but the only items she could find were generic, run-of-the-mill fillers sold at tourist sites. Thus bega...

in Film & TV

Filmmaker Hà Lệ Diễm Wins Best Directing Award at Documentary Film Fest

Children of the Mist (Những Đứa Trẻ Trong Sương) is the debut long feature of Vietnamese documentarian Hà Lệ Diễm.

in Literature

Hanoi to Name 2 New Streets After Literary Couple Lưu Quang Vũ-Xuân Quỳnh

The Hanoi People’s Council has proposed naming two streets in Cầu Giấy District after Lưu Quang Vũ and Xuân Quỳnh, two of the most prominent poets in Vietnam's literary world.

in Music & Arts

Year of the Tiger Through Tết Artworks by Vietnamese Illustrators

“Lịch Con Hổ” (The Tiger Calendar) is an initiative to raise funds for Hanoi-based NGO Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation. The creative project was brought to life thanks to a young artist collective a...

in Quãng 8

Not Just Tender and Unostentatious, Mạc Mai Sương Is a Multi-Faceted Gem

Mạc Mai Sương, with her endearing curly hair and warm tone of voice, has been on heavy rotation in our playlists since she released ‘Mơ,’ ‘Hoa,’ and ‘Mưa.’ But upon delving deeper, one would realize t...

in Music & Arts

A Striking Tapestry of Emotions in the Exhibition 'Postcards From the Pandemic'

“Postcards From the Pandemic,” a community exhibition organized by Work Room Four and Hanoi Grapevine, is on display in Hanoi from November 10 to 23. After days of seeking public contributions, the e...

in Quãng 8

Vũ Thanh Vân Makes Staying at Home Seem Effortlessly Cool

Vũ Thanh Vân is not a new name among indie music lovers, as she's well-known for her soothing voice in past singles like ‘Tori,’ ‘Hát Ru’ or ‘Lấy Chồng.’ When I finally meet Vân, I feel her quiet pres...

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: Riding on a Motorbike With Someone; Karaoke or Nightclub?

A new Saigoneer Podcast episode is out now!