Local Website Saigoneer Puts Calendar on Sale in Mid-March, Confuses Readers
In Saigon, the sweltering heat of March and April usually drives city-dwellers to take refuge in air-conditioned coffee shops and seek out refreshing thirst-quenchers like đá me and sugarcane juice — ...
Phởq Sessions Reinvents a DJ’s Habitat in a Mystical Mai Chau Cave
Flexing the creative mind amid idle times.
Khoi Pham in Music & Arts
A Designer From Da Lat Brings His Hometown's Beauty to a Calendar Project
Da Lat is not merely a place, it’s a state of mind.
The Wildlife Artist Who Paints the Beauty of Vietnam’s Endangered Nature
Dao Van Hoang, a self-taught painter, welcomed us into his studio at Le Petit Musée in Thao Dien. Surrounded by watercolors of exotic plants and paintings of wild animals, he shared with us his life s...
Meet Cam, the Idiosyncratic Rapper Telling Stories Through Music
Born from the streets, rap/hip-hop often features confrontational lyrics and intense performances. But to Lê Văn Toàn, who goes by the stage name Cam, rap is like a canvas to bare his heart; chronicle...
In Debut Album 'Gió Thổi Mạnh,' Bluemato Yanks Us Along Their Escapist Journey
With youthful ennui turned energetic wanderlust, Bluemato’s "Gió Thổi Mạnh" album is a much-needed breeze for the underground indie scene of a suffocating Hanoi.
Noise as Material: Hanoi's Soundscapes Revisited
In a study conducted in Hanoi in 2018 by the Institute of Occupational Health and Environment, the average noise on 12 main roads and junctions ranged from a deafening 77.8–78.1 decibels (dBA) in the ...
[Illustrations] Tet's Timeless Dishes Turned into a Colorful Cookbook
Tteokbokki, sushi, dim sum, pizza, croissants, burritos: during an average year, many people in Saigon eat dishes from a great variety of global cuisines.
Adorable Stop-Motion Video Shows How to Prepare for Tết With Art and Craft
Rarely does preparing a traditional Tết meal put you at risk of papercuts.
Q&A: Gallery Director Suzanne Lecht on the 'Gang of Five' and Building a House of Arts
Tucked in an alley south of Hai Ba Trung stands Suzanne Lecht’s glorious home, a magical abode crowned with an ancient nhà sàn from Mai Chau. After having lived there for more than 25 years,...
Lệ Thu, the 'Golden Voice' of Nhạc Vàng, Passes Away Due to Covid-19
Yet another icon of nhạc vàng has left us.
[Photos] A Royal Tea Set, as Envisioned by a Vietnamese Graphic Designer
Poets ponder flowers, aristocrats paint ceremonial masks, and courtesans gather lotus flowers in wooden boats, all while fragile threads of steam uncoil from ceramic pots of tea.
Khôi Phạm in Music & Arts
Year in Review: Saigoneer's 20 Picks for Best Vietnamese Music of 2020
Despite the uncertainties and upheavals of 2020, Vietnamese artists have continued to produce excellent music that defies genres, merges past influences, and exceeds expectations.
Government Lifts Ban on Lip-Syncing in Live Music Performances
A new decree removes the ban on singers using pre-recorded audio tracks during live performances.
Crate-Digging for Audio Gold at the Second Hanoi Records Day
In September of this year, Quan Cam played host to VOC Record’s second Hanoi Records Day. Saigoneer met with the organizers and collectors to learn more about Vietnam’s growing culture of crate digger...
[Photos] Saigoneer's Best Original Photography of 2020
Is it possible to ruminate on the past 12 months without agonizing over the looming threat of COVID-19 and the grief it has inflicted on global communities? Perhaps not, but if there’s any place in th...
Wiz Khalifa Drops Visuals for New Song Featuring Vietnamese Farmer Sô Y Tiết
"Usually I make a w**d song. So here goes a w**d song."
Chí Tài, Beloved Comedian and Talented Musician, Passes Away at 62
One half of the iconic comic duo Chí Tài-Hoài Linh has left us today.
Vlogger Brittanya Karma Passes Away at 29 Due to Covid-19
Vietnam’s vlogosphere has lost a tireless beacon of positivity this year.
Vietnam's Art Fondling Epidemic and the Online Vigilante Policing It
There are many clumsy shoe prints beyond the foot-high metal boundary, next to a small sign that screams out in all caps: "PLEASE, DON’T TOUCH THE ARTWORK."
