In Dialogue With Trần Nữ Yên Khê on Her 'White Blank' Art Exhibition
Tran Nu YênKhê may be most well-known to Vietnamese audiences because of her unforgettable performances in Tran Anh Hung’s Vietnam Trilogy. However, in recent years, YênKhê has become increasingly established as a contemporary artist. In 2019, her sculpture ‘Borderline’ became the first contemporary artwork from Southeast Asia shown at Paris’s Guimet Museum. Upon returning to Vietnam this year, she continues her artistic journey with the solo exhibition “White Blank” at Galerie Quynh in Saigon from October to December of 2023.
In Tây Hồ, an Artisan Community Holds Fast to Their Lotus Tea Traditions
Every sip of lotus tea encapsulates all the essences of the natural landscapes of Tây Hồ.
Indulge in Festive Flavors at Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers
Saigon residents and visitors share a diverse set of backgrounds and values. This manifests most during holidays when many seek to celebrate but in unique ways. Sheraton Saigon Hotel and Towers is the epicenter of this diversity and when they began to plan their festive season offerings, they had this squarely in mind.
Inside the Bình Thạnh Depot Where Retro Military Knick-Knacks Live
“This furniture has been around for many decades, but you can use them normally without the fear of breaking them. Because they are industrial equipment made for the military or office buildings, they were manufactured to be hard as a rock,” explains Hoàng, a vintage military interior enthusiast. This durability is one of the many qualities that made Hoàng fall in love with the furniture, going so far as to set up a unique shop dedicated to them.
Paul Christiansen in Music & Arts
The Haunting Beauty in Một Mét Studio's Vintage Photography Experiments
“With the wet collodion process, when you get your portrait shot, it really cannot lie; it really reveals the story of your life on your face. You will see through your make-up, through the tattoos; there are no wrinkles, no scars that can be hidden. People really see themselves in a new light,” Hugo Armano, the assistant at Hội An’s Một Mét Studio, explained to Saigoneer.
At Bá Tân Bookstore, a Home for Vintage Books, Readers, and Goodness
I got to know Bá Tân Bookstore thanks to a friend’s suggestion.
English-Language Edition of 'Chinatown' by Thuận Wins US Translation Award
The 2023 National Translation Award for fiction was given by the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) to Nguyễn An Lý’s translation of Chinatown by Thuận.
'The Mountain in the Sea' Is a Meditation on Myths, Monsters, and the Mind
“A myth,” said existentialist psychologist Rollo May, “is a way of making sense in a senseless world.” Humans need myths and legends to survive. And they need us to survive too; it’s how we’ve learned to escape ourselves so that we can live with ourselves.
Brian Letwin in Culture
Nixon’s Plan to Nuke His Way out of Vietnam
B52 Stratofortress Taking Off. Source: US Government Remember that time Nixon gave orders to drop nukes on Moscow to end the war in Vietnam? No? Well neither did I until I came across this article wr...
Brian Letwin in Culture
Who Does Hoi An Exist For?
Ancient houses, beautiful beaches, great restaurants and plenty of places to take long strolls have given Hoi An a reputation for being one of Vietnam’s most charming destinations. But as the number o...
Brian Letwin in Music & Arts
Event: Art House Cinema Presents “The Night James Brown Saved Boston”
Tonight, Art House Cinema will screen the 2008 film, “The Night James Brown Saved Boston.” The film covers a James Brown concert which took place after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and ...
Brian Letwin in Music & Arts
Vietnamese Language Garden 'Green City' Photo Contest
About the Contest We are now accepting submissions for the Vietnamese Language Garden photo contest. Use your creative eye to shoot photos that capture nature in Saigon - tree-lined streets, a day i...
Brian Letwin in Culture
How Vietnam’s Rich Earn Their Millions
Two words: Real estate. Citing an unnamed report, VietnamNetBridge found that nearly 30% of Vietnamese millionaires made their money from real estate investments and development. As living standard...
Brian Letwin in Culture
Hanoi Train Travels Though Narrow Gap Between Houses
Just as in Saigon, Hanoi is a dense city where, outside of downtown, little attention was paid to details like infrastructure planning. This can result in some impactful visuals such as this video of ...
Brian Letwin in Culture
A Look at Vietnam's Love Hotels
Walk through any urban public space in Europe, South America or the US and chances are you’ll encounter a young couple doing…couple’s things. Public spaces are an escape from the oversight of family a...
Brian Letwin in Culture
Vietnam's Ancient Villages Face Serious Problems
Vietnam realized long ago that its ancient villages and towns would be big hits with foreign tourists. Over the last 15 years, the country has rushed to protect its historical heritage by anointing so...
Brian Letwin in Film & TV
Record Profits for Vietnam's Cinemas
For those whom frequent movie theatres, it’s probably not a surprise to learn that 2012 was a record year for ticket sales in Vietnam. The country has seen massive growth in this industry with a 514% ...
Brian Letwin in Film & TV
Local Director Heading to Cannes Film Festival
Vietnamese director, Tran Dung Thanh Huy, will be showing his short film, 16:30, at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The film follows a group of street kids who sell lottery tickets in Saigon’s street...
Brian Letwin in Culture
Vietnamese Celebrities Flaunt Their Wealth
It’s no secret that for most in Vietnam (and most of the world for that matter), success is measured by accumulation of wealth. For the country's celebrities who live in the spotlight, showing off the...
Stunning Street Art in Saigon
French street artist, Julien Malland, AKA Seth Globepainter, travels the world using buildings as a canvas for his huge murals. Collaborating with local artists, he tries to learn new artistic techniq...
A Brief Look at Catholic Funeral Rites in Saigon
For me, as most of us non-nationals living here in Saigon, the word funeral only evokes ideas of dreadful sounds emanating from a tent set up halfway in the street and haltering the flow of traffic. T...
Brian Letwin in Music & Arts
Digital Media/Art Project Launching This Month
If you’re a creative, digital-minded person who is passionate about Indochina, here’s a great project for you. Riverorchid Digital, an agency specializing in branding, PR and media, is embarking on a ...
Brian Letwin in Culture
Forget the Fockers, Meet the Nguyễns
Meeting the girlfriend’s parents is an intimidating experience in any culture. So what’s the best way to add even more awkwardness to an already awkward situation? Meeting the parents of a girl from a...
Home Has Shifted
For just over a year now, I have been living on the edge of district one, on a street named Tran Khac Chan. It is an unremarkable street on the face of it, a typical bustling hive of activity, of whic...
Brian Letwin in Music & Arts
Incredible Thai Version of the Iron Man 3 Trailer
Iron Man 3 hit theaters last week grossing a whopping $195.3 million internationally. With numbers like that, there’s no doubt that the film will be one of the most illegally copied of all time. But p...
Another Step Forward for Gay Marriage in Vietnam
Vietnam is on the path to becoming the first Asian nation to legalize same-sex marriage. This week, in Hanoi, Deputy Health Minister, Nguyen Viet Tien, told the press: “[A]s human beings, homosexuals...
Brian Letwin in Culture
H&P Unveils Low-Cost Bamboo Home Design
When it comes to construction in Vietnam - from one-story shops to luxury office towers - one will find bricks on every site. For more than a century, these unassuming orange squares have literally la...
Brian Letwin in Film & TV
Sex Scenes Becoming More Frequent in Vietnamese Films
In a recent VietnamNet op-ed, Lao Dong takes a deeper look into the increasing eroticism of Vietnamese cinema.
