On the Cusp of a Modern New Year, Reflections on a Simpler Tết Past
Every year, as the pages from my block calendar peel off, bringing me towards another Vietnamese New Year, my mind once again fills with nostalgia about an old Tết. Tết in my memory begins with my childhood in a small house nestled under a coconut grove on the outskirts of Bạc Liêu in the Mekong Delta. Those were days of hardship, yet my parents worked hard so that Tết could bloom magnificently for all of us.
A Damaged Masterpiece Reveals How Much We Take Our Cultural Heritage for Granted
A once-damaged national treasure remains on view as if nothing had happened, while other works are displayed with little context — what does this tell us about how art museums preserve Vietnam's cultural heritage and shape our art history narratives today?
In 'Đêm Giao Thừa' EP, a Đàn Tranh Artist Offers Novel Twists on Nostalgic Tết Sounds
Indie đàn tranh artist Brian Bùi has just released Đêm Giao Thừa, an EP containing energetic covers of three classic Tết songs and an original track that pays homage to styles from the 1960s and 1970s.
Khôi Phạm in Culture
Unraveling the Mystery Behind the 'Mùi Việt Kiều' of My Childhood
My favorite candy used to be Hershey’s Kisses. Wrapped in colorful, sparkling foil, these little nubs of decadence made me feel special as a child, not just because of their sugary sweetness, but also because, for much of Vietnam’s contemporary history, you could only enjoy them if you have relatives abroad.
When Lịch Bloc Is Gone, What Will Vietnam Use to Keep Discarded Fish Bones?
I have never bought a lịch bloc, or tear-off calendar, for personal use, because every new year, I'm bound to be gifted a brand-new one. In Vietnam, a calendar is often something one purchases as a present for others.
The Year of the Horse Gallops into The Grand Ho Tram
Inspired by the spirit of the horse, The Grand Ho Tram encourages you to have a year of success, confidence, and new horizons. Traditional Tết performances and activities alongside special feasts and opportunities for revelry will usher in a year of remarkable achievements and memorable moments.
Paul Christiansen in Music & Arts
The Vibrancy of Vietnam's Mundane Depicted by Illustrator Chan-Nhu Le
“I miss that. When I was young, on the motorbike with my friends, it was like ’hey, you have 15 minutes?’ and we just met up [...], had some street food and did literally nothing; just street watching. It was fun,” Chan-Nhu Le shared with Saigoneer about the inspiration for her illustrations.
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.”
Film Adaptation of 'Miss Saigon' May Be Directed by Oscar Winner Danny Boyle
Academy Award winner Danny Boyle, the director behind Slumdog Millionaire and Steve Jobs, is allegedly in talks to direct the film adaptation of famed 1991 musical Miss Saigon.
[Photos] Exploring Saigon’s Sun-Deprived Hẻms
Saigon is full of interesting, undiscovered places. While many people have explored the alleys in their own neighborhoods, few are willing to brave the narrow, crumbling side roads that look a little ...
Q&A: Thai Artist Bends Reality With Kaleidoscopic Saigon Photo Collage
Saigon is the latest city to join the urban landscape photo collage series by Thai artist and graphic designer Pariwat A-nantachina, also known as Big. With drastic perspective compositions, rich deta...
A Tribe of Survivors: The Ethereal Jewelry of La Fiancée du Facteur
The new collection by Saigon-based jewelry designer La Fiancée du Facteur is an ode to human strength where the mystical and the mythological merge in wearable original art pieces.
Dana Filek-Gibson in Arts & Culture
Drawing Saigon: How One Artist Is Preserving the Downtown Skyline
Tawny brown, a few inches thick and secured with a cord, the leather binder lands on the bar with a thud. Midday sun beams into the pop-up whisky library atop Centec Tower, a room that could pass for ...
Local Designer Preserves Retro Saigon Font
Pass by any old building in the city and you're bound to stumble upon at least a few vintage typefaces from decades past. Saigon's old-school signage is a work of art in its own right, with everything...
Vietnamese Festival Criticized for Penis Plagiarism
This year, residents of Lang Son province celebrated their annual Na Nhem Festival with all the standard accoutrements of a countryside celebration: musical activities, games and a giant pink penis ma...
[Video] 100 Years of Vietnamese Fashion in 1 Minute
If you've ever spent any time wasting your life away on YouTube, you may have come across the “100 Years of Beauty” series, which documents the fashion and beauty trends of a particular culture t...
March Movies at Saigon’s Alternative Film Venues
Transporting a novel or news story from the page to the big screen does not always have to be disastrous, as Carol,Room, High Fidelity andSpotlighthave demonstrated. Saigon's March film program shows ...
[Photos] Vietnamese Students Edit Their Textbooks With Hilarious Results
Normally reserved for the creative and perpetually bored, the art of doodling in textbooks has been around for as long as students have been forced to read dry, painfully dull tomes on their least fav...
Wowy Goes LIVE!: Saigon Rapper Aims to Raise 50k for New Show
There are a few things you should know about Wowy.
6 Vietnamese Films to Play at Osaka Asian Film Festival
A total of six Vietnamese feature films will play at Osaka's Asian Film Festival, held from March 4-13.
[Photos] Inside Hue’s 'City of Ghosts'
During Hue's imperial days, emperors of the Nguyen dynasty spent an inordinate amount of time and energy building their tombs. Emperor Khai Dinh, for instance, led Vietnam for only nine years, but his...
[Photos] Competition for Lucky Balls in Phu Tho Turns Into Mayhem
Every spring in northern Phu Tho Province, locals celebrate Phet Hien Quan, a unique traditional festival that is held on the 13th day of the Lunar New Year.
Inside THE BOAT: Phnom Penh’s Floating Art Space
Last October, Phnom Penh's ambitious floating art center, THE BOAT, announced its plan to renovate a majestic but disused vessel docked where the Tonle Sap River meets the Mekong. Earlier this mo...
Readers' Picks: 20 Best Films From the Year of the Goat
We asked both our readers and regular moviegoers at local alternative film venues like DeciBel and Saigon Outcast to weigh in on the top three films from the Year of the Goat. The results are in and A...
Nuoc 2030: Inside Vietnam's Visually Stunning, Character-Driven Sci-Fi Flick
A wonderfully shot love story set in a water-logged dystopian world, Nuoc 2030 is the first Vietnamese sci-fi film produced to international standards. Filmmaker Nguyen Vo Nghiem Minh discusses t...
[Photos] Photographer Captures the Last of Mongolia's Eagle Hunters
Ever since he saw a photo of Mongolian eagle hunters at 17, Palani Mohan had dreamed of documenting their story.
Vietnamese Comic Book Takes Prize at International MANGA Awards
Vietnamese comic book duo Phong Duong will take home a Silver Award at Japan's International MANGA Awards for the first volume of their series Long Than Tuong.
'Skull Island' Begins Filming in Ninh Binh, 'Fast & Furious 8' May Be Next
If you're a Hollywood filmmaker, it appears Ninh Binh is the place to be these days.
