Uyên Đỗ

in Arts & Culture

Strangevisuals Is an Archive of Daily Life on Postcards of Rice and Dó Papers

What are our memories made of?

Paul Christiansen

in Loạt Soạt

Within the Shocking Brutality of Queer Novel 'Parallels' Rests Poignant Poetry

Parallels by Vũ Đình Giang shocked me. While I refrain from spoiling its plot, allow me to share my experience when reading this novel, as translated by Khải Q. Nguyễn, to better explain how the book jolted me from expectations and why the experience provides a unique and valuable addition to the array of Vietnamese novels translated into English.

in Music & Arts

‘129BPM’ Carries the Contemporary Hip-Hop Heartbeat From Vietnam to Malaysia

Under the shared heartbeat of “129BPM,” the dancers channeled their emotions through movement, navigating between individuality and collectivity both on and off stage. Extending beyond Vietnamese audiences, the piece has now been presented on an international platform at George Town Festival 2025 in Penang, Malaysia, marking a significant milestone for Vietnamese contemporary hip-hop performance on the international stage.

in Trích or Triết

Trần Dần, the Literary Maverick Teaching Us How We Should and Can Be an Artist

In the mind of many Vietnamese readers, the name of writer Trần Dần has been inextricably linked with artistic experimentation and innovation. His poetic voice feels nothing like those of writers I learnt back in high school: there is something so different, refreshing and oddly contemporary about it. As I consider every page of his bulky posthumously published anthology Thơ (Poetry), I find his legacy remains inspirational even for contemporary readers — especially other young Vietnamese — on what it means to “be an artist.” This does not only entail one’s appreciation and production of Vietnamese art, but also their adoption of an artist’s mindset into daily life.

in Travel

A Tribute to the Incredibly Eye-Catching, Organic Signage of Sa Đéc

Signs are like voices.

Linh Phạm

in Travel

On a Walking Tour, Mulling Over the Glorious Past and Odious Present of Tô Lịch River

We began our journey in front of a bank where the street Trần Nhật Duật turned into Chợ Gạo.

in Music & Arts

In 1920s–1940s Paris, Vietnamese Artists Painted Through the Interwar Period as the 'Others'

How did Vietnamese artists navigate the complex tides of social and political changes, and mark their own position in the art world as the “Others” during interwar Paris — which was celebrated as the “City of Lights,” yet also a stage for both colonial propaganda and a ground for anti-colonial resistance?

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in Music & Arts

Can Tho Launches Cardboard Police Force to Reduce Traffic Violations

Police in Can Tho have devised a basic but brilliant strategy to reduce traffic violations on the city’s streets - cardboard cutouts of themselves.

in Music & Arts

[Photos] Artist Creates Natural Oasis In Phu Nhuan District

These are images of a painter’s three-story house in Phu Nhuan District built by Truong An Architects back in 2012. The artist recently opened the doors to his home that is characterized by harmonious...

in Culture

[Map] What Are Vietnamese Most Afraid Of?

Pick a few countries at random and you’re bound to find a number of different concerns shared by their people, from climate change and ISIS to economic instability. According to a recent survey, howev...

Brian Letwin

in Music & Arts

DJ Ed Davenport On Electronic Music, Life and Saigon

After stops in Singapore and Indonesia, British-born, Berlin-based DJ and producer Ed Davenport is bringing his music to Saigon as part of his Asian tour. He took some time to chat with the organisers...

in Music & Arts

Epic Drone Video Shows Another Side Of Hong Kong

Add this drone video to the body of impressive video work we’ve seen come out of China in recent months.

in Music & Arts

San Art Laboratory Launches Kickstarter Campaign

Saigon-based non-profit art organisation San Art has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for their Laboratory.

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...