Between Victory and Sorrow: The Complex Realities Behind Văn Cao's 'Mùa Xuân Đầu Tiên'
Composer Trịnh Công Sơn once wrote: “In music, Văn Cao is as noble as a king. In the field of song composition, I am like a child dreaming that the sun is a paper kite to play with. Brother Văn's music is the music of soaring fairies. I wander among the human realm. He keeps flying and I keep sinking. Flying and sinking in our private destinies...”
‘Fight or Flight or Float or Fall‘ Takes Viewers on Trip Across Memory, Trauma and Healing
In Tuan Andrew Nguyen’s new solo exhibition, materials and forms associated with destruction, violence and death are reimagined and transformed into sculptures that evoke healing and resilience. Through sensory elements such as touch, sound and movement, the exhibition guides viewers through layers of memory, and a journey from trauma towards reflection and healing.
The New Year Brings New Joys at Grand Ho Tram
While traditional, Tết doesn’t need to feel outdated. Combining the timeless charm of the holiday with emerging opportunities for fun allows the season to remain enticing for people of all backgrounds and interests. A selection of entertainment offerings, culinary opportunities, and activities at The Grand Ho Tram’s District Vui balance the best of nostalgic New Years and modern thrills, making it a wonderful choice for foreign and domestic travelers booking their first trip of the year.
Heritage Encounters Contemporary Art in Exhibition ‘Thẩm / Thấu, Thưởng’
Just before the upcoming Lunar New Year, “Thẩm / Thấu, Thưởng” exhibition takes viewers on a journey to explore the beauty of traditional and folk materials re-imagined in contemporary forms. It enhances the essence of contemporary art through a fresh perspective on how heritage can be reinterpreted within modern creative practices.
Vũ Bằng's Nostalgic Longings for Hanoi Teach Us How to Love a Place Deeply
From Thương Nhớ Mười Hai to Miếng Ngon Hà Nội, Vũ Bằng’s way of lacing Hanoian features with melancholic reminiscence always brings me straight back to the embrace of my hometown, even more so after I moved to Saigon at age 19. Since then, my writing and social media posts about Hanoi have often been accompanied by quotes “stolen” from his books: “My spring — the spring of northern Vietnam, Hanoi's spring — is a season of gentle misty rain, cool tender winds, the sound of swallows calling all jade-dark night, distant chèo drum beats from distant hamlets with maidens lovely as poems singing timeless love songs.” This was how Vũ Bằng’s oeuvre made its way to my heart.
The Phenomenal Phonk of Budding Rapper Ci Pi's Fever Dream
Everybody in my university program seems to know Bùi Ngọc Cẩm Phương, though in the music world, she's more popularly known as Ci Pi, a stage name that combines her name’s 2 initials. Be it because of her music or her noticeable Japanese fashion styles, even on campus, Ci Pi’s presence is “vivid” and easy to spot. However, it wasn’t until I knew her personally through a group project that I caught a glimpse of her true self. Despite the edgy appearance with quirky hairstyles and aesthetics, Ci Pi is quiet and calm, and always seems to be immersed in her own world.
Khôi Phạm in Music & Arts
5 Classic Christmas Songs in Vietnamese for Those Craving Nô-en Wistfulness
Christmas celebration in Vietnam is something else altogether.
Composer Hoàng Việt and a Radical Romance Across the North-South Border
In a country fractured by ideology, Hoàng Việt's love for his wife Ngọc Hạnh persisted like a secret melody carried across closed borders by weak radio signals, and letters that had to circle the globe before finding their way home.
Photographer Spotlight: An Interview With Cuong Do Manh
This is a continuation of our series that presents some of the most influential and prolific Vietnamese photographers. Whether photojournalism or fine art photography, their work investigates Vietname...
Sidewalk DJ Becomes A Hit In Saigon
The motorbike karaoke singers and Michael Jackson impersonators have run into some stiff competition in the form of sexy sidewalk DJs, reports Zing.
[Photos] Event Rewind: Saigoneer Photo Walk With Quinn Ryan Mattingly
Last Sunday, photographer, Quinn Ryan Mattingly led the first monthly Saigoneer photo walk where participants traveled along Thái Văn Lung, Lê Thánh Tôn, Tôn Đức Thắng, and Lý Tự Trọng Streets to capt...
Masters Of Recycling: Saigon Technicians Turn Old Computer Screens Into TV Sets
If you needed anymore proof that Vietnamese are the masters of recycling and reuse, here it is. At District 10’s Nhật Tảo Market, technicians spend their day stripping down old computer monitors to cr...
The Fixie Fad Takes Off In Saigon
Well, it was only a matter of time. After confirming earlier this month that the hipster subculture is alive and well in Saigon (in addition to flying whales, apparently), it looks like one of its def...
4 Unique Saigon Markets
Saigon is full of markets, with each having its own characteristics. Together, they form a kind of community, comprised of everything from the aesthetically pleasing but overpriced Bến Thành to the ub...
The 90-Year-Old Lumberjack Of Hanoi
Though nearly a century old, 90-year-old Hanoi man, Lê Văn Sâm still amazes people with his incredible health and work ethic. Every day for over 70 years, Sâm has cut and transported large trees to ma...
The Differences Between Girls In Saigon And Hanoi
These illustrations, created by blogger Mèo Lười show her view of the differences between girls in Sài Gòn and Hà Nội. From reactions to breakups to eating habits, one can view them as astute obs...
[Video] Professional Vietnamese Tennis Players Trade In Rackets For Stools, Wine Bottles
Having mastered the tennis racket, a group of players in Saigon have decided to replace their normal frames with wine bottles, wooden chairs and even pieces of pattern tile.
[Photos] Architecture Student Builds Sweet Custom Bike
This badass custom, motorcycle-scooter hybrid was not built by a professional mechanic, but rather a student at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture.
Brian Letwin in Music & Arts
Saigoneer Presents: Photo Walk With Quinn Ryan Mattingly
We’re happy to announce the launch of Saigoneer Photo Walks with the goal of upping your photo game while exploring the city.
August: The Month Of Damned Spirits
The 7th lunar month, which usually falls in mid-August, is celebrated by Buddhists all over the world as the Month of Ghosts. Known as Vu Lan month in Vietnam, it is marked by large religious celebrat...
[Photos] Man Creates Incredibly Detailed, Miniature Version Of Hue In Saigon
Ready to be impressed? Nguyen Thanh Tung who hails from Hue, but lives in Saigon, found a creative way to avoid homesickness – over 7 years, he created a 1,000 square meter model of his hometown, down...
New Book Shows Saigon’s Strong Contrasts Through Photos
Saigon is a city of contrasts so it’s fitting that a Vietnamese writer, Linh Cu and graphic designer, Mai Nguyen got together to create a photo book, Contrasts of Saigon.
Brian Letwin in Culture
[Video] Beware Of The Tobacco Bong (Điếu Cày)
The tobacco bong (điếu cày) is a popular companion for everyone from café-goers to parking attendants in Vietnam who are looking for a greater high than normal cigarettes provide, or simply a strong d...
Brian Letwin in Culture
[Video] This Is What Happens When Tourists Are Asked To Speak Vietnamese
A hard a time as expats in Vietnam have pronouncing the local language, after a while, most of us are able to learn the basics. But as we see in this video from Nguyen McHung, the language was not des...
Brian Letwin in Music & Arts
[Video] “Enter Pyongyang” Hyperlapse Offers A Look At Life In North Korea’s Capital
You may remember the Rob Whitworth’s award-winning film, Traffic in Frenetic HCMC, Vietnam (2012), a culmination of 10,000 RAW images and multiple shots which perfectly captured the energy and spirit ...
CreativeDrinks #2 @ 3A Station
From the organizer: "Sure, everyone knows what a brand is. Coke, Pepsi, McDonald’s. But that buzzword is getting thrown around a whole lot in career and job search conversations these days, too. And y...
Photographer Spotlight: Dinh Q. Lê
Photography has been, over the past 180 years, one of the most misjudged artistic mediums. Some consider it a way to simply record the surface of reality, indiscriminately used by the masses. After al...
Brian Letwin in Music & Arts
Event Rewind: Saigon Artbook Edition 4
After three successful releases of the Saigon Artbook, the team held a launch event at The Cube last Thursday to celebrate the 4th edition of the book that celebrates local artists.
