in Travel

ACV Proposes Moving 90% of Saigon's Overseas Flights to Long Thành

The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) has proposed plans to transfer flight operations in Hồ Chí Minh City from Tân Sơ...

Khôi Phạm

in Culture

US Presidents, Russian Mascot, and Tintin: The Surprising History Behind Vietnam's Dog Names

As Vietnamese society progresses, dogs and cats’ role in our families have gradually elevated to worthy life companions instead of mere animal help in previous generations. While the archive of pet names today seems endless and every day you can easily bump into pets bearing hilariously human names, tasty food dishes, or glorious adjectives, the naming conventions of Vietnamese domestic animals in the past had recurring themes that directly correspond to the cultural and historical atmosphere of when they were coined.

Paul Christiansen

in Literature

5 Quixotic Books About Vietnam for When You're Craving a Little Quirky Read

There are too many good Vietnamese books to recommend, let alone read.

in Film & TV

Far From Vietnam: A 1967 French Anti-War Film Grapples With Its Own Contradictions

French cinema experienced a creative renaissance in the 1960s with arguably the most influential movement in its history...

in Loạt Soạt

'Making a Whore' Is Both Less and More Revealing Than Its Reputation Suggests

For the first time, Vũ Trọng Phụng’s novel Làm đĩ is available in English. Originally published in 1936, the novel has been translated by Đinh Ngọc Mai under the title Making a Whore and was released last year by Major Books, an independent publishing house dedicated to making Vietnamese literature more available for the English-speaking world.

Uyên Đỗ

in Culture

The Surprisingly Global History of Monobloc, the Chair Vietnam Loves and the West Despises

In 2024, The New York Times published a list of the 25 most iconic pieces of furniture from the past century, selected by a panel of designers, artists, and curators from the world's leading museums. Unexpectedly, the Monobloc, a plastic chair found in almost every corner of Vietnam and across the globe, had somehow secured a seat.

in Music & Arts

How Richie Fawcett's Saigon Sketches Illuminate a Decade of Change

It’s been hidden right there in the heart of Saigon for over half a decade. 

in Music & Arts

Water as a Metaphor for Trauma, Memories and Unspoken Histories in Quế’s Art

Through installations and animated films, Quế traces the flow of water as they move through personal memories and collective histories, carrying generational trauma amidst urbanization, and even natural disaster.

Back Arts & Culture

in Literature

How Indie Book Publisher Bar De Force Marries Art, Literature and Translation

“A collision of literature and art on the pages” is the descriptor that Bar De Force, a Vietnamese independent press, gives itself.

in Music & Arts

A Local High School Student Gives His Own Textbooks a Sleek Makeover

"I embarked on the project with the desire to help students like me have a more positive and interesting view of textbooks in particular and learning in general, making subjects no longer an abstract ...

Linh Pham

in Culture

The Wall, a Costume, and a Nation's Identity: How the First Áo Dài Came to Be

How does a nation represent itself to the world?

in Music & Arts

An Eclectic Collage of Tigers From the Viewpoint of Vietnamese Artists

The Year of the Tiger is officially here. To celebrate the arrival of the third zodiac animal, many Vietnamese artists have contributed to the community project "Behum 2k22." The name is a portmanteau...

in Music & Arts

Designer Lucia Phạm's Animated Video Refreshes Tết Wishes With New Visuals

To Lucia Phạm, a young graphic designer and illustrator, creating a personal project for the Lunar New Year has become an annual tradition. This year, instead of crafting static images, Lucia went all...

in Arts & Culture

[Illustrations] Colorful Cats Simply Being Loveable

Artist Dương Nguyễn has illustrated a delightful collection of cats who are as vibrant as they are adorable.

in Arts & Culture

[Video] A Wonderfully Whimsical Wander Around Saigon

Here at Saigoneer, we would argue that you can never have too much whimsy.

in Postcards

Saigon Postcard No. 29: Nhâm Dần Limps In

Humans adapted to fields, birds to branches... and yet, in Saigon...

in Music & Arts

'54 Shades of Dần,' a Tribute to Tết in Tiger-Themed Playing Cards

Tết is coming, a time of joy, new beginnings and, for some, the ideal time for card games.

in Film & TV

Indie Documentary Project on the Music of Vietnam Releases First Trailer

It started as a personal project that has turned into much more.

Kit Humphrey

in Culture

At Hanoi's Thousand-Year-Old Flute Kite Festival, Melodies and Prayers Cross the Sky

Passed down by village forefathers since the Dinh Dynasty, Ba Duong Noi Village’s kite festival has become a source of pride for the local community. With three bamboo flutes attached to each kite, it...

in Music & Arts

John Legend to Perform at Vingroup Ceremony in Hanoi Tomorrow

On January 20, the American singer behind hits such as 'All of Me' and 'Love Me Now' will perform at a Vingroup event at the Hanoi Opera House.

Uyên Đỗ

in Music & Arts

A Vietnamese French Artist Reunites With His Own Roots Through Painting

On display at Thảo Điền’s Ngõ Art Gallery last year, the watercolor painting exhibition “Dream” is the conclusion of a decades-long artistic journey that has led a French national to learn more about ...

in Music & Arts

'In Art We Trust,' a Propaganda Art Exhibition for Gender Equality

Last weekend, Heritage Space and Ơ Kìa Hà Nội held the exhibition “In Art We Trust” — a collection of propaganda art on gender equality — at the Goethe Institute.

Paul Christiansen

in In Plain Sight

Finding Fun and Revelation Aboard Saigon's Wayward Waterbus

Cement, clay, clapboard, spackle, rebar, piping, plaster smears, paint drips, pencil scrawlings: to witness the rise of a building, observe its innards, is to marvel at the pretense of an ego, for wha...

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: We Rate 2021; Lunar New Year or Gregorian New Year?

A belated Happy (Gregorian) New Year from the Saigoneer Podcast team!

in Music & Arts

The Graceful Rhythms of Áo Dài Through the Lens of Chiron Duong

Dương Quang Đạt, better known as Chiron Duong, is a Vietnamese fine art photographer. One day, his foreign friends asked him about áo dài, and he realized that he hadn’t worked much with this national...

in Film & TV

A Movie Adaptation of 'Đất Rừng Phương Nam' Will Hit Theaters in Late 2022

The adventures of the intrepid An will return to screens in a movie adaptation by director Nguyễn Quang Dũng.

in Music & Arts

Indie Meets Classical in a New Rendition of 'Tôi và Em' by Pink Frog

In the company of three violins, a cello, and a double bass, Pink Frog delivers a version of ‘Tôi và Em’ that is even sweeter than the original.

Khôi Phạm

in Music & Arts

Year in Review: Saigoneer's 30 Picks for Best Vietnamese Music of 2021

Despite the drab outlook enveloping the entertainment industry for most of 2021, this year saw a boom in new faces across genres and the release of many pandemic albums.