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 Loạt Soạt

Saigoneer Bookshelf: Finding Hong in Gangster Noir Thriller ‘Dragonfish’

For those of us who have read countless books by Vietnamese authors and members of the diaspora, the novel Dragonfish is not just one more installment of ethnic literature or postwar fiction.

in Music & Arts

Thai Thanh, One of Vietnam’s Most Iconic Songstresses, Passes Away at 86

Considered “the voice that echoes through time,” Thai Thanh is an unforgettable legend in Vietnam’s music history.

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: Covid-19 Updates, Quarantine What-Ifs and Wildlife Conservationist Trang Nguyen

Episode 80 is available now!

in Culture

Contemporary Design Finds a Home in Saigon

Contemporary design is a bit of an “I know it when I see it” style.

in Music & Arts

An Artist’s Role in Debate at Vo Tran Chau’s Solo Exhibition on Heritage

Located at The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre in District 2, “Leaf Picking in the Ancient Forest” is artist Vo Tran Chau’s largest solo exhibition to date, and is currently on view from February 14 ...

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: Vietnam's Unheralded Women & the Creators of Melon Bê Đê

Our latest episode is out now!

in Music & Arts

Full Catalogue of Studio Ghibli Soundtracks Finally Available to Stream in Vietnam

Are you ready to have the Totoro theme song stuck in your head for days on end?

in Music & Arts

29 Letters. 29 Artists. A Cultural Journey Across Vietnam's History and Geography.

“Quoc Tu” features a plethora of images familiar to Vietnamese, from folk games and legends to more recent cultural artifacts such as the Flappy Bird game or Da Nang’s famous golden bridge.

in Music & Arts

A Vietnamese Curator Is the Latest Victim of Discrimination Due to Coronavirus

Discrimination against people of Asian descent has increased with the spread of the coronavirus.

in Music & Arts

[Video] Tanita Tikaram's Music Video Offers a Peek Into Vietnam in 1995

Tanita Tikaram is a British singer-songwriter who had commercial success in Europe with her debut album Ancient Heart and singles such as 'Twist in My Sobriety' and Good Tradition' in 1988.

Paul Christiansen

in Postcards

Saigon Postcard No. 22: Feline Obstruction

If one needs further proof of cats' superiority to humans, one simply needs to consider their response to Saigon's perpetually stalled public transportation plans.

in Music & Arts

[Video] This V-Pop Song About Coronavirus Is Going Viral

Besides school closures and dragon fruit bánh mì, the Covid-19 epidemic has also inspired a plethora of whimsical coronavirus-themed songs, videos and parodies.

Khoi Pham

in Music & Arts

In 'Tình Tính Tang,' a Progressive Metal Take on Vietnam's Folk Melodies

‘Trong Com’ is unassuming; ‘Trong Com’ is simple and easy to memorize; much like its namesake — a small drum played during traditional ceremonies, the song evokes an idealized image of Vietnam, one th...

Adrien Jean

in Culture

[Photos] Life in the Time of the Masks and Coronavirus

These are strange times we're all living in.

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: Nhậu's Social Norms and the Impact of Ongoing School Closures

Our latest episode is out now!

in Music & Arts

Vietnam's Buddhist Temples, Now in Typographical Form

Rendered under the elaborate, rotund graphemes of Den typeface, every sentence becomes a slice of street scenery.

in Film & TV

Parasite's Historic Oscars Win and What It Means for Asian Cinema

With a beguiling mix of style and substance, South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s class thriller Parasite cuts through societal divides and sends a vital message to “world cinema.”

in Film & TV

Trinh Cong Son Biopic 'Em Va Trinh' to Start Filming in 2020

The biopic will be produced by the same producer as Mat Biec, the movie adaptation of the Nguyen Nhat Anh novel of the same name.

in Music & Arts

In Tình Đầu Exhibition Space, a Home for Hanoi's Bohemian Young Artists

Nestled deep within labyrinthine alleyways in Hanoi’s Ba Đình District, Tình Đầu (first love), a studio-gallery run by a collective of Vietnamese artists, is growing a reputation as a home for the cap...

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: After the Success of 'Parasite,' a Look at Asian, Vietnamese Cinema

Our latest episode is available now!