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.
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.
Creativity and Quality Surprise at Mai House’s Affordable Seafood Buffet
Unripe mangosteen chicken salad has been all over Vietnamese social media during the past few weeks, though we didn’t expect to find it at an upscale hotel dinner buffet. But across from the sushi and beside a spread of European cheeses at Mai House, there it was: the newest trend ready for tasting. The semi-sweet fruit generously spread amongst moist chicken and fresh vegetables was an interesting item indeed, but the biggest surprise was finding it at a style of dining one typically associates with conventional recipes. The dish thus exemplifies Mai House’s creativity and responsiveness.
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.
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 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.
Khôi Phạm in Culture
What to See, Taste, and Do If You Have a Free Morning in Tân Định
There’s not much you’ll need to do to persuade me to drive, walk, crawl, scuttle or skate along the Nhiêu Lộc-Thị Nghè Canal — I adore its shaded, tree-lined pavements that much.
I Grew up Among Ducks in the Mekong Delta. They Always Remind Me of Home.
On a recent ritual walk around my suburb, I was held up by the sight of a middle-aged man with his “fur kid.” I introduced myself and when he heard the word “Vietnam,” his eyes lit up and with a smile...
Khôi Phạm in Culture
What to See, Taste, and Do If You Have 3 Hours to Kill in Chợ Lớn
One of my favorite parts about being in a new city is dropping by any random neighborhood and just walking around until my feet get sore. Walking affords me the leisurely pace and multi-dimensional fr...
Giang Brothers Hits Milan Streets for Sleek Fashion Shoot After Setting New World Record
After establishing another Guinness record in Milan, Vietnam’s acrobats extraordinaires, the Giang Brothers, collaborated with local photographer Quỷ Cốc Tử to produce a mesmerizing fashion shoot that...
A Day in the Life of Phùng Hưng, a D5 Street With Two Personalities
Nestled in the historic Chợ Lớn section of District 5, Phùng Hưng Street runs from the canal along Võ Văn Kiệt through to Hồng Bàng. Within its length, the street has two distinct personalities.
On Táo's Transformation From Rapper to Curator of Good Taste
"The artist can’t reflect the truths of life if they don’t live, can they?"
The Ethereal Fever Dream Inside MV 'Dung Họa' by Hanoi Indie Duo Limebócx
After years in production, Hanoi indie duo Limebócx’s long-awaited music video for ‘Dung Họa’ was finally released this month, a much-needed treat for fans who have waited years for new music from the...
Local Studio's Animated Short Gives Adorable Crash Course on Vietnam's Spiritualism
Putting up offerings on the altar, burning votive money, and lighting incense: these are just some rituals that every Vietnamese is probably familiar with during Tết or even on special occasions. A lo...
Khôi Phạm in Literature
From Architecture to Folklore: 5 Indie Book Projects for Vietnamese Culture Buffs
In our years of writing about Vietnam, Saigoneer has had the pleasure to meet many passionate, inquisitive individuals whose creative and academic projects inspired us to appreciate the many facets of...
On Its 12th Birthday, a Brief History of Hanoi Rock City, a Bastion of the Indie Spirit
Hanoi Rock City (HRC) is even more than a household name for the youth of Hanoi, especially anyone who’s fond of the “Rock n Roll” culture. Twelve years after its founding, HRC has become a special cu...
New Board Game Set Puts an Aesthetic Feline Touch on Bầu Cua Tôm Cá
In two weeks’ time, we can temporarily put down our laptops, shut away documents, and set up holiday auto-replies to slip into a bánh chưng-induced coma for a week.
Vietnamese Historical Gay Romance Wins Bronze at Japan International Manga Award
A gay-themed comic from Vietnam recently won a bronze award at the Japan International Manga Award.
Saigoneer's Favorite Original Photography of 2022
If our Saigoneer moments in 2021 were marred by catastrophes and heart-breaking departures, 2022 has been a year of rediscovery and picking ourselves up.
Khô Mực Studio Releases Surreal Calendar Featuring Art From 12 Local Artists
For the 2023 calendar, 'Robots vs. Flowers,' twelve young Vietnamese artists were each given a month and tasked with creating an image responding to the question: "Can technology and nature survive to...
Learning About Life and Death From the Stories of Funeral Directors in Vietnam
Sitting down with Hương Thủy and Đức Thịnh, I was able to listen to a plethora of fascinating anecdotes about Vietnam’s funerary practices.
Amid Phố Cổ, the Unassuming Cultural Exchange Center Tells Stories of Hanoi's Heartland
In the heart of the Old Quarter, the Hanoi Cultural Exchange Center carries a rich repertoire of knowledge and stories of the city’s architecture and history.
'Tro Tàn Rực Rỡ' Wins Top Prize at Film Festival in France
Recently, Tro Tàn Rực Rỡ (Glorious Ashes), a Vietnamese film directed by Bùi Thạc Chuyên, was awarded the highest honor at the Nantes Festival of Three Continents.
Khôi Phạm in Music & Arts
Two Decades of Women's Vintage Fashion in Saigon, as Illustrated by a Young Hanoian
In conversations surrounding Vietnam’s fashion history, it’s impossible not to discuss áo dài and its many iterations across the eras as symbols of Vietnamese femininity, but it would be amiss to leav...
Rắn Cạp Đuôi Collective's Only Rule in Music Is Having No Rule
To write any music interview, my formula is quite simple: start with the story of how they got into music, followed by their critical opinions on the field. There will always be a narrative that the m...
Vintage Music Compilation 'Saigon Supersound' Releases 3rd and Final Volume
Since Saigon Supersound presented its first volume back in 2017, the anthology of vintage Vietnamese music has become a household name for fans, both in and out of Vietnam, with a penchant for tunes f...
