Pete Walls

in Travel

Watching the Sunset From Lai Châu's Fansipan, the Roof of Indochina

Conquering Mount Fansipan’s 3,147 meters was once a feat reserved for those willing to take on the potential multi-day hike from Sapa to the summit and back.

in Film & TV

Vietnam Arrests 7 Suspects Behind Streaming Site HiAnime on Piracy Charges

As part of the current crackdown on intellectual property infringement, Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security recently took down a major network of websites providing illegal anime streaming.

in Quãng 8

Dropping the Disguise: The Evolution of Punk Band Cút Lộn Towards More Radicality

In recent years, CÚT LỘN has cemented themselves as one of the most recognizable hardcore punk bands to emerge from the Vietnamese underground scene.

in Music & Arts

From TikTok to Bars, a Group of Young Artists Brings Đờn Ca Tài Tử to Unexpected Venues

“If you happen to pass by Huỳnh Mẫn Đạt Street in Hồ Chí Minh City There’s a strange bar with a Mekong theme Where cải lươ...

Khôi Phạm

in Culture

Home Is Where the Bum Gun Is

In the 2010s, my journey to study abroad took me to Singapore. Being a tiny person in an enormous city was a huge undertaking for a teenager, as I had to adapt to countless changes, from minute to major, at once: living in a different language, academic pressures, foreign customs and cuisines, and being away from my family. Gradually, things fell into place. The public transport worked well; the accent got more familiar; and I didn’t miss bánh mì and cơm tấm nearly as much as I thought I would; but there was one thing I never managed to entirely overcome — the bum gun-shaped void in my heart.

in Film & TV

Review: From Czechia, ‘Trường Hè, 2001’ Bridges Family Divides, Both Onscreen and in Real Life

Summer School, 2001, directed by Czech-Vietnamese writer and director Dužan Duong, was first released last year and has received critical acclaim within the Czech Republic and Europe. Now, the film has come to Vietnam, where it is available in Galaxy, Cinestar, and Beta theaters across Saigon, Hanoi and Đà Nẵng.

in Music & Arts

This Wedding Is Too Boring to Nhậu, Let's Put on Some Miền Tây Remix

While phasing in and out of sleep on a coach in the Mekong Delta, have you ever been jolted awake by the bouncing beats of a Vinahouse version of ‘Quê em mùa nước lũ’ (Flooding Season in My Hometown)? Or, a mindless TikTok scroll would bring up the catchy tune of ‘Lấy cây kim may đồ’ (Pass Me the Sewing Needle) that’s trending nationwide.

Back Arts & Culture

in Literature

Q&A: Shades of Hanoi, a Diary of Many Authors Writing Their Own Version of the City

For Long, Sơn and the young millennials penning Shades of Hanoi, writing is a brave act of self-reflection.

in Music & Arts

An Ode to Vietnam’s Identity Amidst Modernization via 28 Years' Worth of Photos

Comprising 28 years' worth of photos, the Punk Dragon exhibition makes older visitors feel nostalgic and younger ones pause and think about changes.

Tuyết Nhi

in Culture

Fall in Love With the People of Hai Phong, One TikTok at a Time

Being a late-bloomer who is slow to catch up with social media trends, I only just got TikTok installed on my phone about a month ago. As I've found that the majority of the clips on this platform are...

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: Vietnamese Brands Abroad; TV Show Pitches

The latest Saigoneer Podcast episode is out now!

in Film & TV

Vietnamese Film 'Taste' Wins Berlin Film Fest Award, Is Fined at Home

This is why we can't have nice things.

in Music & Arts

Event Series Photo Hanoi ’21 Celebrates Storytelling Through a Camera's Lens

A major series of events dedicated to photography will be available to Hanoians interested in the craft starting this month. 

in Music & Arts

Rapper Wowy Auctions off Blood Portrait to Raise Funds for Children's Hospital

A joint exhibition by rapper Wowy and artist Tuấn Andrew Nguyễn began last month with an auction that yielded hundreds of million of dong that will go towards humanitarian causes.

in Ton-sur-Ton

Vietnam's Traditional Indigo Dyes and Kimono Come Together in Kimono Ơi's Designs

Will there be a day when the image of a woman wearing a helmet, clad in a kimono with ripped jeans while driving around the streets of Saigon becomes the next trend?

Paul Christiansen

in Music & Arts

Pull up a Plastic Stool, Break out the Watercolor, We're Painting Saigon

What is worthy of being painted?

Mầm

in Quãng 8

Dzũng Phạm, the Progressive Metal Guitarist Enamored With Folk Music

“I want to elevate Vietnamese traditional music to the most glorious and heralded position. There, it's the center of attention, not merely something added just for the sake of embellishment.” Buildin...

in Film & TV

Saigon's Young Voice Actors Learn There's More to Dubbing Than Pretty Voices

Voice actors are rarely given enough attention, for they are always working behind closed curtains, giving the movie its "life."

in Film & TV

Park Chan-Wook to Direct TV Series Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen's 'The Sympathizer'

Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2015 novel The Sympathizer will be getting a TV adaptation directed by Park Chan-wook, the auteur behind the success of The Handmaiden and Oldboy.

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: Recreation; Sustainable Trends in Hanoi and Saigon

A new Saigoneer Podcast is available now!

in Music & Arts

Inside 'Little Lotus,' the Adorable Japanese Manga Set in Saigon

Images of a Japanese manga with scenes of modern Vietnam have won the hearts of Vietnamese netizens recently.

in Film & TV

Q&A: An Interview With 'Raya and the Last Dragon' Co-Writer Qui Nguyen

When Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon was released in March, it was a cultural milestone for Southeast Asians. Raya is the first Southeast Asian Disney princess in the Walt Disney Company’s...

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: 'Things We Lost to the Water' Author Eric Nguyen

We hope you had a good, safe holiday weekend!

in Music & Arts

Vietnamese Artist Shows Incredible Skills in Hyperrealistic Hảo Hảo Noodles Painting

The much-shared image looks so real that its artist, Lê Đại Phát, was forced to upload a video of him creating it to prove it was in fact a painting.

Mầm

in Quãng 8

The Marriage of Electronic and Folk Instruments in DJ Teddy Chilla's Music

DJ and producer Teddy Chilla is among a few artists in the current music scene who are known to experiment with Vietnamese traditional music in their electronic works.

in Film & TV

[Video] The Absurdist 'Sài Gòn Đẹp Lắm' Music Video That Makes You Question Reality

What in the world is going on here?

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: Vietnam's Contemporary Coffee Culture and a Street Food Update

A new Saigoneer Podcast episode is now available!