Paul Christiansen in Literature
Meet Dạ Ngân, the Author of the Most Important Vietnamese Novel You've Never Read
When the wind strafes Dạ Ngân’s window, seedpods shake and rattle like spent bullet casings in the tamarind tree that Americans planted decades ago. They also built the large apartment complex where she now lives. It’s an ironic place to call home, considering Dạ Ngân was a resistance fighter in the south during the American War.
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.
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.
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 '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.
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?
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.
Hoang Oanh: Vietnam’s Original Pop Star
The crate diggers over at music blog, Bodega pop have put together a collection of songs from Hoang Oanh, the “Saigon Siren,” produced between 1960 and 1975, the Golden Era of Vietnamese pop.
How to Draw Buddha, the Right Way
During the Golden Age of Tibetan Gupta rule, strict guidelines were created for how one should draw Buddha. And they’re insanely specific.
[Video] Hilariously Awesome Vietnamese Remix of The Avengers/Unstoppable
In Vietnam, where the concept of ‘copyright’ is as foreign as queuing in line, we’re bombarded by faux Western products on a daily basis. While these knock-offs generally carry a reputation for cheap ...
[Video] American Shows off Impressive Vietnamese Skills in Trinh Cong Son Tribute
While most foreigners in Vietnam seem to be intimidated by the tonal nuances of Vietnamese, Kyo York, an American expat living in Vietnam for over 4 years, seems to have the language down pat.
[Slideshow] Motorbikes Can Carry Anything and Everything
In many developing countries, motorbikes are the main method of transportation for not only people but also, well, everything else. To illustrate this, the Global Post recently published an article, “...
Beautiful Origami Street Art in Hue
French street artist, Mademoiselle Maurice, learned the art of origami when living in Japan in 2011. After mastering the craft, she began a quest to stimulate positive emotions by adding some color to...
International Pillow Fight Day @ 23/9 Park
From the organizer: Wake Up Saigon brings you our city's participation in this international day of fun for the 3rd straight year! Join us as we pummel each other with pillows joining over 120 cities...
Expats and #SAIGONISHAPPY
Everyone should, at least once, climb to a high rooftop in Saigon. On most days, the subtle fog on the horizon recedes just far enough to let you glimpse a motley patchwork of aquamarines, drab and pa...
[Video] Presenting: Grand Theft Auto Saigon
As if driving in Saigon weren’t close enough to a videogame, a group of enterprising gaming enthusiasts have created a seemingly Vietnamese mod of the popular title, Grand Theft Auto 3.
[Video] In the Ruins of a Hue Temple
From 1802 – 1945, Hue was the imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty. Buildings from this period have become popular tourist attractions and many, such as the city’s famous citadel, have been painstak...
[Video] Saigon Is Happy
You've probably seen the video for the hit song Anh Không Đòi Quà where a women is stripped (literally) of the gifts given to her by her ex-boyfriend. While there have been dozens of remakes of this v...
The Brains Behind Vietnam’s Meme Explosion
Vietnamese netizens have embraced internet memes which employ a mix of humour and satire to create a new lens with which to view everything from daily life to pop culture. In a recent interview, Vietm...
Apocalaughs Now @ Cargo
From the organizer: You've seen the amateurs, now it's time to see the pros.
The Second Portion 'Red' Opens at the Observatory
Upon entering the gallery section, visitors find themselves in a dark space lit only by Le Brothers’ video installations on the wall and by the shiny red reflections coming from the two cage-like scul...
How to Approach People When Taking Photos in SE Asia
I’ve wanted to write something on this topic for ages. To be honest, this is probably the question that I hear most from my students: how should I approach people to take their photos?
Tropicaliente Returns to Saigon Outcast
From the organizer: We invite all our latin "panas", local friends, lovers and curious of the latinamerican culture to our second TROPICALIENTE night!
[Slideshow] Propaganda Art of Vietnam
“All Art Is Propaganda” – George Orwell Propaganda art serves as a rallying call for the defense of both ideas and nations; a colorful and static reminder of the things we should strive to cherish a...
Photography/Digital Editing Courses with Quinn Ryan Mattingly
From the organizer: Do you have a great camera or editing software but not sure how to get the most from it? Saigon School of Imaging is here to help. With current courses in Lightroom, Photoshop and...
3 Vietnamese Women Make Forbes 'Asia's Power Businesswomen' List
Forbes recently released their 2014 list of the most powerful Asian businesswomen which included 3 Vietnamese – the CEOs of Vinamilk and REE, along with the chairwoman of SeABank.
[Video] Vietnamese Students Create Epic Fight Sequence
When kids have too much time on their hands, it often results in toilet papered houses and/or motorbike racing. But for some, free time allows for imaginations to run free, which was clearly the case ...
