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While traditional, Tết doesn’t need to feel outdated.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.
The Cultural Depths in Contemporary Hip-Hop Dance ‘129BPM: Động Phách Tách Kén’
Have you ever witnessed a live performance so powerful that it still lives in your mind weeks later? “129BPM: Động Phách Tách Kén” is not your usual hip-hop breakdance battle, but a contemporary dance performance combining live music with Vietnamese folk elements. It is a journey that requires your full presence and attention to appreciate its fleeting and transformative moments.
New 'Số Đỏ' Movie Announced, Directed by Phan Gia Nhật Linh, Starring MONO
Another classic of Vietnamese literature is heading to the big screen in the near future.
American School of Vietnam Teacher Gets a $6,000 Haircut
In a refreshing alternative to stories about crazy things wealthy Vietnamese spend their money on, Michael Barrs, a teacher at The American School of Vietnam, promised his students that if they raised...
Zelda Goes to the Gallery: Art Basel Hong Kong
Last week, Art Basel Hong Kong proved itself worthy of its older siblings (Art Basel – Miami and Art Basel – Switzerland) and probably even bested them by becoming the meeting and merging point b...
Neighbors - Celebrate Lesbians @ La Fenetre Soleil
From the organizer: Neighbors is a series of events with the purpose to help strengthen the bond and understanding in the LGBT community. Besides, Neighbors aims to transfer the accurate information a...
Brian Letwin in Music & Arts
[Photos] Vietnamese Photographer Shoots Naomi Campbell for Harper’s Bazaar Cover
Global fashion icon, Naomi Campbell, is front and center on this month’s issue of Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam.
Saigon Urban Legends: Haunted Tao Dan Park
Listed in UK travel guidebook Rough Guides as one of the most haunted places in the world, District 1’s Tao Dan Park is said to the home of young man's ghost.
4 Traditional Trades That Are Quickly Disappearing in Hanoi
Last week we heard the story of the Saigon Post Office’s last letter writer, a trade that is unlikely to last much longer. But letter writing isn’t the only traditional occupation endangered by Vietna...
Brian Letwin in Culture
[Photos] The Mud Wrestlers of Yen Vien Village
Every year between the 12th and 14th days of the fourth lunar month (May 10 - 12), the men of Yen Vien Village in Bac Giang Province partake in the a 3 hour “Ball Catching in Mud Festival.”
Brian Letwin in Culture
15 Unusual Maps That Compare Vietnam and Other Countries
Maps are not only a great way to look back through time, but also to understand the world in its current state. Time-wasting site, Bored Panda, compiled a brilliant collection of maps that reveal some...
Brian Letwin in Culture
Great Success! Tourist Celebrates After Crossing Saigon Street
Tourists are notoriously freaked out by the prospect of crossing the street in Vietnam, with many comparing it to the 1980s video game “Frogger.”
The Cursed, Monk-less Phuc Quang Pagoda
Built in 1734 under the reign of King Long Duc III, Phuc Quang pagoda in Bac Giang Province has been mysteriously monk-less for nearly 300 years.
The Last Letter Writer of the Saigon Post Office
As I travel through life, meeting new people, I sometimes get the feeling that some have a story to tell. When I discover such a person, I secretly feel special and cool to be one of the few who perce...
Very Superstitious: 3 Popular Vietnamese Superstitions
As is the case in many cultures, superstition plays an important role in our society. It can dictate when to take a vacation, how to do business and even cure bad luck. In this monthly column, we take...
Brian Letwin in Music & Arts
[Video] Physically-Challenged Mekong Woman Paints with Her Feet
For those of us who possess little to no artistic talent, we know that creating anything more than a stick figure is a daunting task. That makes the work of 36-year-old Huynh Thi Xam incredibly i...
Brian Letwin in Music & Arts
4 Great Places to Buy Art Supplies in Saigon
Saigon-based design website, dxMAG recently made a great post about where to find art supplies in the city. Here are some shops where you can pick up sometimes hard-to-find tools for illustration, pai...
Vietnamese Man Covers his House with Antiques
Obsessed with antiques, a Vinh Tuong man, Nguyen Van Truong, collected 8,000 of them over 30 years and found an ingenious way to show off his collection - using them to coat the walls, gates and garde...
Documentary on Vietnamese LGBT Singers Screened at French Film Festival
The Last Journey of Madame Phung – a film project from Nguyen Thi Tham that highlights a group of wandering LGBT Vietnamese singers, was recently screened at the 36th Cinéma du Réel Festival in Paris ...
Saigon Urban Legends: Spirits, Curses and Sunken Ships at Thuan Kieu Plaza
Located in the heart of Saigon’s busy Chinatown, the three-unit, 33-story tower complex known as Thuan Kieu Plaza was an icon of prosperity when it was completed in 1990. During the day, it looks no d...
Brian Letwin in Culture
4 US States are Dominated by Vietnamese Speakers (Kind of)
While the Nguyens might be taking over Australia, the US claims a sizable Vietnamese population as well. Using census data, Slate created a revealing state-by-state map showing the most commonly used ...
Pictionary Battle Night! @ deciBel
From the organizer: A night of networking and gaming where illustrators and creatives of Saigon can come together to battle it out for Pictionary glory!
Brian Letwin in Culture
[Photos] Vietnamese Motorbikes and the Things They Carry
With more than 37 million of them, Vietnam is truly the land of the motorbike (for now). As we see on a daily basis, they’re not only the preferred method of transportation for people, but also for th...
