Khôi Phạm

in Culture

What Can Vietnamese License Plates Tell You About the Vehicles and Who Drives Them?

There was a game I used to play with my dad whenever we would stop at a traffic light. He would point to a random license plate in front of us and quiz me on where it came from.

in Travel

Mũi Né Among Top 10 Trending Travel Destinations Globally in 2026, Booking Says

Travel site Booking.com dubbed Mũi Né “one of 2026’s trending travel spots,” reflective of the international attention and domestic emphasis the beach city is currently receiving.

in Music & Arts

Euphoria, Ruin, Nostalgia: Tracing Hanoi's Changing Skyline by Its Soundtrack

From loudspeakers broadcasting construction anthems during wartime to melancholic ballads mourning vanished street corners, Hanoi's soundtrack reveals a city that has never quite learned to live in its present tense.

Paul Christiansen

in Rewind

In 'Cú Và Chim Se Sẻ,' a Director's Radical Empathy for Saigon's Less Fortunate

“They can do what they want. The city owns the zoo. They could sell all the animals here. They could turn it into a golf course. We’re just little people — you and me.”

in Loạt Soạt

In 'No Man River,' Dương Hướng Highlights the Raw Pain of Postwar Survival

Dương Hướng’s No Man River (Bến không chồng) was first published in 1991 and won the Vietnam Writers' Association Prize for Fiction. Translated into English by Quan Manh Ha and Charles Waugh, it captures the brutal reality of conflict in Vietnam from 1945 to 1979.

in Music & Arts

Nguyễn Đức Tín Weaves Spirituality, Faith, Everyday Life Altogether in His Paintings

Can a painting reflect who we are, even if we can’t see ourselves thoroughly? And how does faith guide us forward in life?

in Film & TV

Liên Bỉnh Phát Makes History as 1st Vietnamese to Win Best Male Lead in Taiwan

Vietnamese actor Liên Bỉnh Phát recently made history at one of Taiwan’s most prestigious national award ceremonies.

in Travel

An Ode to Vũng Tàu, Saigon's Unwavering Summer Crush

I recently took a trip to Vũng Tàu after a long summer of cultural research, which had me traveling up and down Vietnam. It had been seven years since I’d been back to the homeland, and 19 since I’d last seen the beaches of Vũng Tàu, when I was only 16. It felt like returning to a high school crush, and it made me think of the words of Trần Thiện Thanh, who once wrote, “Nhớ lúc xa xưa mười sáu trăng tròn…” I won’t say I wasn’t looking for something familiar, poetic, and possibly even as sappy.

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in Music & Arts

Amazing Vegetable Carvings In HCMC

When one thinks about materials artists use to make intricate carving, wood immediately comes to mind. But at the Taste of the World culinary festival which wrapped up last week, a group of talented c...

in Music & Arts

This Video Proves That Vietnam Is One of the Most Beautiful Places on Earth

"This Land", a short film by overseas Vietnamese filmmaker Arnaud Ly Van Manh takes viewers across Vietnam and focuses on the beautiful landscapes, people and tranquil moments one finds in t...

in Culture

19 Amazing Photos Of Animals In Vietnam

Whether you live in the city or the countryside, animals are a constant characteristic of life in Vietnam. These amazing photos sourced from one of our favorite Facebook pages, Another Side of Vietnam...

in Culture

The Highest Paying Jobs In Vietnam

Last month, Adecco released a report outlining the pay rates for the leading job titles in Vietnam. As recent years have shown us, those in finance and banking are taking the lion’s share when it come...

in Arts & Culture

Saigoneer Sunday Rewind

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

in Film & TV

December Movies At Saigon’s Alternative Film Venues

The Christmas holidays are fast approaching but our alternative film venues have more in store for you than just Christmassy-flicks. Philosophy in cinema, the first Saudi Arabian film in history and a...

in Culture

An Illustrated Guide to Old Saigon Slang: Part 2

Mã tà! Nhà dây thép! Đi bum! Do these phrases look familiar? No? Don’t worry you’re not alone. This old Saigon slang is derived from mispronounced French words, the names of locations and plenty of me...

in Culture

An Illustrated Guide to Old Saigon Slang: Part 1

Mã tà! Nhà dây thép! Đi bum! Do these phrases look familiar? No? Don’t worry you’re not alone. This old Saigon slang is derived from mispronounced French words, the names of locations and plenty of me...

in Culture

Vietnam Pulls The Plug On “Sex And The City”

After airing five episodes of “Sex and the City” last month Vietnam Television (VTV) has abruptly pulled the show from its lineup.

in Culture

Event Rewind: The Prisma Night Run

HCMC-based Pulse Active Ltd, the same team that brought the Color Me Run to Vietnam earlier this year, held a similar event on November 22 in a half-completed urban area in District 2.

in Culture

Event Rewind: Creative Drinks @ Saigon Ranger

Last Friday at Saigon Ranger, team Creative Drinks held their 4th event with the theme “Sell Your Creative Work” at Saigon’s newest alternative venue, Saigon Ranger.

in Culture

Bình Tân District’s Gold Castle

Though Bình Tân District is quite a distance from the economic center of HCMC, in it lies one of the city’s most extravagant buildings.

in Music & Arts

Zelda Goes to the Gallery: Mr. Bastian the Time Traveller

Mr. Bastian The Time Traveller opened last week at the majestic HCMC Museum of Fine Arts, where Sri Lankan-born, Australia-educated Kumkum Fernando brought to Saigon this year’s most electrifying and ...

in Music & Arts

18 Photos That Combine Past And Present Vietnam In A Single Image

We love before and after shots of Vietnam as much as anyone, to the point where we’ve dedicated an entire Facebook group to the comparisons. But Vietnamese photographer, Khánh Hmoong, takes this conce...

in Music & Arts

[Video] Superman Mất Dạy (Asshole)

There are many versions of famed D.C. comic book hero, Superman. There’s singing, slightly depressed Superman; confused Bizzaro Superman; amazingly Retro Superman and now Mất Dạy (Asshole) Superm...

in Culture

The Fading Legacy Of Lê Công Kiều’s Camera Shop

Renowned among local photographers and cameras aficionados, the Phạm Thê Camera Repair Shop, which opened before 1975, has stood the test of time. But behind the façade of customer’s smiles sit the wo...

in Music & Arts

$840,000 Vietnamese Oil Painting Sets Christie’s Record

While SE Asia may not be known for fine oil paintings the way Europe is, Vietnam boasts a few exceptional artists in this discipline. One of these is the 20th century painter, Lê Phổ, whose artis...

in Arts & Culture

Saigoneer Sunday Rewind

Our staff's favorite articles that appeared on Saigoneer this week.

in Music & Arts

Iconic Rockers, The Lemonheads To Take The Stage At Cargo

People of a certain age remember the 90s as a time of neon clothing, bad haircuts, and oversized polyester pants. Well luckily those memories are firmly cemented in the past presumably to return when ...

in Culture

The Stories Behind Vietnamese Bank Notes

Though we’ve previously written about the history of Vietnamese currency, we haven’t deeply explored the beautiful artwork the adorns their backsides which feature not only famous landmarks, but more ...