Khôi Phạm

in Film & TV

Remembering Thuy Trang, the First Vietnamese Power Ranger

It was the late 1990s, and I was standing in front of the bathroom mirror of our childhood home, holding my dad’s solid-metal belt buckle up with a pseudo-serious expression on my baby face. Fortunately, I wasn’t doing a YouTuber-style makeup review, but was in fact mirroring the transformation sequence of my favorite TV idols, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

in Music & Arts

In 'Vietnam Retropunk,' a Young Illustrator Dreams of a Cyberpunk Hanoi

To Đặng Thái Tuấn, the talent behind illustration project “Vietnam Retropunk,” whimsical depictions of robots and animatronics sprouting out from everyday objects and activities embody the space in between the ancient and the futuristic.

in Loạt Soạt

A Story of Personal, Political Reckoning in a Singaporean Writer's Fictional Wartime Vietnam

The Immolation first came to me as a bewildering surprise: at a now-relocated bookshop in Singapore, the book caught the eyes of the 17-year-old me. It was not so much the cover’s pale blue background, or the expression of ennui on the author’s post-impressionist portrait, but rather its dealing with the American War. After all, the title directly referenced the iconic protest by the Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức, who set himself on fire on the street of Saigon.

Xuân Phương

in Culture

Under the Sky, Above the Water: Into the Heat at Ninh Thuận's Salt Fields

A 3,000-kilometer coastline is one of nature’s best gifts to Vietnam, bringing about not just ample seafood, but also a motherlode of sea salt.

Paul Christiansen

in Music & Arts

Enter the Dreamy Tales Told by the Works of Young Illustrator Thố Đầu • Hổ Vĩ

Being born at the cusp of the Year of the Rabbit (cat) and the Year of the Tiger offers the literal meaning for Hoàng Phúc's artist name, thố đầu • hổ vĩ, but he hopes it carries a metaphorical one, as well: “a humble beginning but a positive end,” he explained to Saigoneer. thố đầu • hổ vĩ’s origins may be humble — he started seriously focusing on illustrations just four years ago when he started university — but he has already reached remarkable achievements, as evidenced by three projects he shared with us.

Khôi Phạm

in Travel

Bask in the Morning Sun in the Green Heart of Huế Along the Hương River

As tourists, it's in our built-in compass to seek out novelties and excitements, if anything, to remind us that our daily humdrum is not everything, and there exists a world out there with multitudes to explore.

Back Arts & Culture

in Music & Arts

Central Vietnam Photography Workshop With Saigoneer’s Lee Starnes

This August, Saigoneer photographer Lee Starnes will be leading a central Vietnam photography workshop alongside Pics of Asia founder, Etienne Bossot.

in Music & Arts

Fashion Is Art At Dzung Yoko’s First Solo Exhibition

While in Paris the Helene Bailly Gallery is hosting an art show by designer Maurizio Galante and Viktor & Rolf are dressing models in canvasses, here in Saigon, we have the city’s very first show that...

in Music & Arts

[Photos] Artist Creates Mini Country House With Incredible Detail

The art of bonsai is one steeped in tradition and characterized by the miniaturization of trees, some of which fetch prices of up to US$1.2 million.

in Music & Arts

“One Country” Celebrates 15 Vietnamese Contemporary Artists

Vietnamese fine art is often looked through a geographic lens (South, Central and North) or by groups of artists rather than individual ones.

in Music & Arts

[Photos] Photographer Miniaturizes Saigon With Tilt-Shift Lens

Last year, amateur photographer, Nguyen The Duong, fitted his camera with a tilt shift lens and perched himself atop various buildings across the city. The effect of the lens in tandem with birds-eye ...

in Culture

[Photos] The Hidden Gems of Saigon's Notre Dame Cathedral

The Notre Dame Cathedral is among Saigon’s most obvious iconic buildings, but while we may think we know everything about the building, its attic is filled with hidden treasures, from dusty old pipe o...

in Music & Arts

Saigoneer's June Art Picks

Two video installations from the 6th San Art Laboratory, a sculpture from one of Vietnam’s most prolific artists, photographs depicting life in Vietnam and the works from the latest Saigon Artbook are...

in Culture

Authorities Considering Glass Cage for Ancient Hoi An Bridge

Hoi An’s beaches aren’t the only tourist attractions threatened by erosion. The town’s famous Chùa Cầu Bridge (aka the Japanese Bridge) is in poor condition, leading authorities to consider a number o...

in Music & Arts

Vietnamese Performance Artist Featured At The Artists’ Film International in London

Vietnamese pioneer performance artist, Tran Luong, continues to attract huge interest abroad. His video, Lập Lòe/Welts, is currently being shown at White Chapel in London (UK) as part of Artists’ Film...

in Film & TV

July Movies At Saigon’s Alternative Film Venues

Dinosaurs, androids, socio-political documentaries and juicy indie films from around the world make up this month’s menu at Saigon’s alternative film venues.

in Culture

[Video] 94-Year-Old Hanoi Woman Becomes “Internet Master”

94-year-old Hanoi resident, Le Thi, might not be churning out code or learning the finer points of InDesign, but for someone born in 1921, her computer skills are downright impressive.

in Culture

[Video] Hanoi Police Hunt for Man for Allowing Dog to Drive Motorbike

Hanoi police are on the hunt for a man who let a dog drive his motorbike after a video of the incident surfaced online last week.

in Music & Arts

Esoteric And Reimagined Religious Rituals Lay The Ground For “Carne Vale” At Galerie Quynh

Greco-Roman ruins and imaginary masked characters set the stage for “Carne Vale,” the new exhibition by Nadege David and Sandrine Llouquet at Galerie Quynh.

in Music & Arts

[Video] The Sounds Of Saigon

Every city has a soundtrack and Saigon is no exception. There is no composer for this score, but rather a harmonious free-for-all composed of a seemingly infinite number of sounds, from ice melting in...

in Music & Arts

Saigoneer’s Recent Art Picks

The haunting installation by a Saigon-born writer/artist; a visual diary of Vietnamese portraits; a visual map of Saigon’s urban changes and the opening of the first urban gallery in town are among ou...

in Music & Arts

8 Places Where You Can Pick Up A Saigon Artbook

Missed out on the Saigon Artbook Party at the 3A Alternative Art Area? Fret not, for they are available at five locations around the city!

in Music & Arts

[Photos] 12 Rare Images of Saigon From Above

Back in 2009-2010, famous Vietnamese photographer, Gian Thanh Son, boarded a military helicopter and flew over Saigon, capturing some beautiful areal photos of the city.

in Culture

54% Of Vietnamese Are Unhappy With Their Salaries: Survey

A recent survey conducted by recruitment firm VietnamWorks found that up to 54% of Vietnamese workers are unsatisfied with their salaries.

in Music & Arts

Event Rewind: Saigon Artbook Edition 5

The first 2015 edition of Saigon Artbook was released last Thursday at the 3A Alternative Art Area, attracting a crowd of more than 800 people.

in Culture

A Guide To The Secret Sign Language Of Vietnamese Drivers

Drivers in every country seem to have their own set of signals to communicate with one another.