Khôi Phạm

in Music & Arts

Review: In Lope Dope's Debut Album, a Summery Fictional World Powered by City Pop

“Tình ca thành phố vịnh,” the first album by Hanoian indie group Lope Dope, might come out at the end of summer in August, but its wealth of city pop exuberance and tropical cheer is enough to power any listener through the dreary rainy season and upcoming winter.

in Loạt Soạt

Heartfelt, Queer and Wickedly Witty: How Poetry Collection 'Come Clean' Sparks Joy

Joshua Nguyen lists himself as many things on his Instagram  bio — a writer, a PhD student, a boba snob. He received h...

in Culture

On Searching for Rươi Vendor Street Calls, Hanoi's Harbinger of Autumn

Embedded in the street call of rươi vendors is the conjuring of autumn, when delectable cuisines from across the land of...

in Music & Arts

Group Exhibition 'Fiction, Fraction' Showcases 6 Artists in Diverse Visual Mediums

From August to October, art organizer Rare Sea brings a diverse group exhibition to Saigon, featuring artworks by six young artists: Lê Đ. Chung, Lê Nguyễn Minh Như, Nguyễn Thị Thanh Mai, Huyền Dương, Thanh Tùng (Ches) and Sophia Mai Brown.

Paul Christiansen

in Culture

Inside a Saigon Studio Bringing Lion Dance Costumes to Life

“This passion for lions is in our blood. Many, many kids in the past dropped out of school or quit work just to go,” said Bành Chí Hùng, owner of Saigon’s Thuận Anh Hãng lion dance costume studio.

Khôi Phạm

in Literature

5 Indie Bookstores in Saigon for Those Who Are Addicted to the Scent of Paper

Most Saigoneers who spent their formative years in the 2000s and 2010s probably grew up amongst the aisles of bookstores, not because we were particularly bookaholic, but because they were pretty much the only third place around with free air-conditioning.

Paul Christiansen

in Music & Arts

Review: Saigon Soul Revival Returns to Familiar Inspiration on 3rd Album ‘Chốn Ta Về’

More ambitious and self-assured than ever, Saigon Soul Revival (SSR) embraces their own sound and its many influences on their latest album, “Chốn ta về.”

in Music & Arts

Phương Mỹ Chi's Latest MV Tells Eternal Love Story in Vietnam's Khmer Community

After forays into the worlds of reality TV and cinema, Vietnam’s folk pop princess Phương Mỹ Chi has returned to her roots with a fresh new full-length album, pioneered by the lead single ‘Thiên đường với người thương’ (lit: In heaven with my beloved).

Back Arts & Culture

in Culture

Vietnam’s Cities Are Losing A Lot More Than Their Old Buildings: Experts

“A city is enriched by accumulation over generations. Accumulation incorporates destruction but keeps enough fabric to retain cultural identity, while obliteration erases everything includin...

in Film & TV

June Movies at Saigon’s Alternative Film Venues

This month’s films show us that it’s possible to make a great sequel from an 80s classic, that Twilight has accidentally done something good for cinema and that Hollywood producers can’t always constr...

in Culture

Check Out This Hardcore American War-Era Board Game

As the US scaled up their military presence in Vietnam during the mid-1960s, anti-American propaganda followed suit throughout communist nations in Asia. While much of this was manifested in well-know...

in Culture

[Video] Russian Daredevils (Illegally) Climb China’s Tallest Building

If you’re unfamiliar with On the Roofs (OTR), a group of Russian photographers who double as adrenaline junkies, you need only know one thing – they’re not afraid of heights.

in Music & Arts

Dragonfly: Setting the Standard for Theater in Saigon

Oscar Wilde, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Samuel Beckett, Rajiv Joseph and now Tennessee Williams - those are some of the figures whose literary works have been brought to Saigon by the only professional...

in Culture

9 Photos That Perfectly Capture Vietnamese Smartphone Addiction

While smart addiction has become rampant across the globe, the scourge seems to be particularly acute in Vietnam.

in Music & Arts

[Photos] Dong Nai Farmer Breeds Mussels That Produce Buddha And Jesus-Shaped Pearls

When we talk about humans harnessing nature, it is often on a macro scale, such as dams, solar arrays and reservoirs. One Vietnamese farmer has found a more subtle, but nonetheless impressive way of b...

in Music & Arts

London’s Little Barrie Returns to Saigon

Rock and R&B band, Little Barrie, will return for the second time in as many years this Wednesday at Cargo Bar. The three-piece band - Barrie Cadogan (Primal Scream), Vigil Howe and Lewis Wharton...

in Arts & Culture

Saigoneer Sunday Rewind

Saigoneer's staff highlights their favorite articles from the past week.

in Culture

Can You Solve This Math Puzzle For Vietnamese 8-Year-Olds?

While Vietnamese students performed very well when it came to math and science in the recent OECD education rankings, some of the local curriculum is next-level difficult, stumping even those with PHD...

in Culture

[Photos] The Majestic Sheep Of Ninh Thuan

Considered the Vietnamese province with the harshest, driest weather, Ninh Thuan has found its niche as a home for the country’s largest herds of sheep. Brought to Vietnam by the French over 100 years...

in Arts & Culture

Saigoneer Sunday Rewind

Saigoneer's staff highlight their favorite articles from the past week.

in Music & Arts

Sai Gon Art Map: Final Call For Submissions

There’s only one week left until we close submissions for the Sai Gon Art Map, a project from Saigoneer, Saigon Artbook, Dia Projects and The Alternative Art Area.

in Culture

Draft Amendment Would Restrict Vietnamese Names To 25 Characters

A new draft amendment submitted by the Ministry of Justice would limit Vietnamese names to 25 characters.

in Film & TV

2 Vietnamese Films to Be Screened at Cannes Film Festival

Two Vietnamese films, "Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories" and "Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass," will be screened at the 68th Cannes Film Festival that will take place from May 13 to May 24...

in Music & Arts

[Video] “Walk In Shanghai” Is Google Street View On High-Definition Steroids

What better way to experience a new city that to walk through its streets? This reverse timelapse video from media mastermind JT Singh lets potential visitors explore Shanghai more intimately than eve...

in Culture

[Photos] The Parks Of Saigon Seen From Above

Public parks can seem few and far between in Saigon, especially outside of the city center. But you gotta appreciate what you have and there’s no better way to do so than with the drone images of Saig...

in Music & Arts

The Incredible Origami Art Of Nguyen Ngoc Vu

In addition to digital art and stop motion films, Saigon-born Nguyen Ngoc Vu has also found success with one of Japan's most prolific analog art forms – origami.

in Film & TV

Check Out The Trailer For Victor Vu’s Beautiful New Film “Yellow Flowers On The Green Grass”

The trailer for “Yellow Flowers On The Green Grass,” the latest film from prolific Vietnamese American filmmaker Victor Vu was released late last week.

in Culture

Event Rewind: Farmers Market @ Saigon Outcast

Farmers markets are weekend staples in many cities around the globe, but these events have been noticeably absent from Saigon. Until now.