Paul Christiansen in Music & Arts
The Unquenchable Spirit of Artist Lê Triều Điển
“Điển is like a flower; there is no question of growing or not growing.”
Cổ Động's Live Session Series 'Động Tag' Returns for Season 2 With 9 Vietnamese Artists
Động Tag Live Session, Cổ Động’s series of live recordings aiming to highlight Vietnam’s up-and-coming musicians, is returning with a second season.
The Artist Preserving Saigon's Cultural Tapestry Through Hand-Painted Signs
"In the early 2000s, the market experienced an exodus of painters due to the shift to digital; it was difficult to retain customers otherwise. I didn't want my craft to be forgotten, so I started everything all over,” Nguyễn Hoài Bảo told me in Vietnamese when I visited his studio.
Vietnam Welcomes 21m Tourists in 2025, Highest-Ever Figure in History
Last year marked an impressive year for tourism in Vietnam. A record number of 21.17 million international tourists visite...
Viet Thanh Nguyen's New Essay Collection Is Both Theoretically Sharp and Intimately Tender
Last year, acclaimed Vietnamese American writer Viet Thanh Nguyen published To Save and to Destroy: Writing as an Other, a collection of six essays adapted from the prestigious Norton Lectures that he delivered at Harvard in 2023–2024.
Hanoi's Proposal to Stop Train Service Might Spell the End of 'Train Street'
Hanoi’s infamous train street might be going away if a new municipal plan becomes a reality.
In Sa Pa, Learning How to Indigo Dye, One Plant, Vat, and Beeswax Pen at a Time
My first meal in Sa Pa was accidentally earned. After a few hours of uneven rest in a sleeper bus and a short ride from Sa Pa city center to the village, I finally arrived, along with two other indigo enthusiasts, at a small hill in bản Cát Cát. A few modest houses framed a quiet courtyard where indigo vats rested, and long strips of dyed fabric hung on bamboo poles, drying in the morning air.
Khôi Phạm in Quãng 8
Hanoi Indie Duo Limebócx Brings Tried-and-Trù Traditions to Young Ears
A grazing buffalo, frolicking water puppets, mystifying tam cúc cards, an insolent maiden in áo tứ thân, a rustic meal around cái mâm. These are just a few standout visuals that will haunt your brain upon feasting your eyes on Limebócx’ debut music video ‘Yêu Nhau (Qua Cầu Gió Bay).’
Saigoneer Podcast: Vietnamese in Reality TV Shows and Domestic Tourism Boom
We're back with a brand-new show!
Paul Christiansen in Postcards
Saigon Postcard No. 14: The City's Original Insurgents
Before bombs and boobie traps, guerilla offenses and ambushes, Vietnam had another means of driving invaders out.
Abstract Art Exhibition Examines Rural-Urban Divide From Two Perspectives
On February 20, VICAS Art Studio opened its latest exhibition, the endearingly named ‘EM CHÀO CÁC BÁC!’ (‘HI THERE, CITY FOLKS!’) Featuring new paintings from artists Doan Xuan Tung and Nguyen Nghia C...
Michael Tatarski in Film & TV
[Video] Short Film 'Sigh Gone' Depicts Love Lost, With a Twist
Have you ever felt completely at sea, hopelessly lost? A new Saigon-set short video from Vietnamese-American director Jeannie Nguyen depicts a day in the life of a young woman facing this situation.
[Illustrations] A Stamp Design Project Pays Homage to Women Across Vietnam
Tu Bac Dzo Nam is a project by graphic designer Huu Danh, who is known for his works on Sai Gon Sau Vai.
[Video] Streets of Saigon: A Montage of Cho Lon's Food Trail
Street (n.): a sprawl of cement, stone, pavement or dirt splayed across a stretch of earth that has been smoothed, stripped of plants and serves as a communal transport path and thus a stage for the v...
Meet Myra Tran, the Vietnamese Girl Who's Taking 'American Idol' by Storm
You’ve probably heard it by now, but the latest season of American Idol has a Vietnamese contestant, and she’s kicking ass.
Khoi Pham in Culture
A New Typeface That Was Built From Designs on Old Book Covers
Finding new values from old relics is a popular way some young creatives today are keeping old Vietnam aesthetics alive.
Kit Humphrey in Music & Arts
[Video] Paying Tribute to Quán Cầm, 60 Square With Những Đứa Trẻ
Earlier this month, Hanoians were left heartbroken when waving farewell to much-loved art quarter Sixty Square, which closed for good on February 15. We're releasing this music video of ...
Paul Christiansen in Literature
A Radio Program Puts Vietnamese Poetry in the Limelight With Bilingual Readings
"Lanterns Hanging on the Wind" features 18 poems read in Vietnamese and translated into English that span themes, styles, time periods and locations to give listeners a broad introduction to the natio...
Open Call for Hanoi's 'Pure Gold' Upcycling Exhibition Running Until Next Week
Earlier this month, Germany’s IFA (Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations), in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut and Heritage Space, announced an open call for designers, producers, makers, art...
Kit Humphrey in Postcards
Hanoi Postcard No. 7: The 5th Season
Between autumn's cinnamon light and spring’s galvanic skies, a new season gathers. Formed by human hands, it is capricious at best, invasive at worst. It adheres to no calendar, yet lives in all of us...
The New Season of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Features a Vietnamese-American Queen
RuPaul's Drag Race, an American drag queen reality TV show hosted by host RuPaul, recently announced their lineup of drag queens for Season 11.
Kit Humphrey in Culture
Scaling the Dragon: An Urbexer's Guide to Long Bien Bridge
Urban exploration, urbex or UE, is a form of recreational urban trespass. Urbexers find a way into anything from derelict theme parks, sewers and asylums to factories, skyscrapers, missile silos and p...
Saigoneer Podcast: Vietnam's Many Lunar Calendar Festivals; Familial Pressure During Holidays
The latest Saigoneer Podcast episode is available now!
Khoi Pham in Music & Arts
A Playful Project Uses Pigs to Showcase Vietnam Iconography Through History
Year of the pig is a gift that keeps on giving.
Gucci Is Selling a $450 Hat That Looks Just Like Straw Hats Worn by Farmers in Vietnam
The artificial bamboo hats by Gucci closely resemble those traditionally worn by Vietnamese in the rice fields. The only difference is that the Vietnamese version costs only a few thousand dong.
Saigon Music Collective Launches Project to Introduce Classical Music to Youth
"Introduction to Classical Music" is initiated by Saigon Classical, a group of 30 musicians who share a love for classical music.
[Photos] The Costumes of This New Nguyen Dynasty Historical Web Series Will Make You Swoon
The web series is expected to be released in late 2019 on YouTube.
Saigoneer Podcast: Redesigning Saigon's Parks; Recreation in the City
We're back from our Tet break!
