Hẻm Gems: At Mão A Chai, Masala Chai and Thái Nguyên Tea for the Soul
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- Published on 22 April 2025
- Written by Ý Mai. Photos by Ben Nguyễn.
I used to be an international student living in Minnesota, where winter comes early and overstays its welcome. In those long months of snow and silence, I relied heavily on coffee, my go-to companion during late-night study sessions and early morning lectures. This changed one day when my host mom introduced me to something unexpected: Indian chai.
On Phú Quý Island, a Curious Collection of Modernist Houses From Central Vietnam
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- Published on 21 April 2025
- Written by Khôi Phạm. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
From the 1960s towards the end of the 1970s, urban centers in southern Vietnam saw robust and widespread growth of modernist influences in architecture. Still, outside the usual foci of the movement like Saigon, Cần Thơ or Mỹ Tho, how has this unique form of vernacular architectural expression been transformed?
Hẻm Gems: A Humble Bún Riêu That Reminds a Child of the Mekong of Home
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- Published on 20 April 2025
- Written by Minh Phát. Photos by Jimmy Art Devier.
As a little boy, there were nights when I would burst into tears upon waking up suddenly and not seeing mom around, because I missed her and needed her. One night, I even crawled under the bed and threw a tantrum, demanding her to be by my side immediately. My dad and brother told me that she was off selling bún riêu and would be back later. In the mind of a four-year-old, it didn’t matter what kind of noodles and where she was selling them, he only cared about when she would return. At the time, I don’t recall ever trying her bún riêu.
Reframing War Memories via the Western-Vietnamese Photographic Perspectives
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- Published on 18 April 2025
- Written by An Trần.
War photographs, often viewed as windows into the past tragedies, are believed to offer an immediate representation of reality. But what lies beyond the frame? What purpose did these images serve, and who were they meant for?
For the Love of Boney M: How a West German Disco Quartet Charmed Vietnam
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- Published on 17 April 2025
- Written by Khôi Phạm.
“You’re gonna make me cry. That’s awesome,” Liz Mitchell exclaimed. Overwhelmed with disbelief, she covered her face and then clutched her black satin dress tightly. It was a rare moment of uplifting musical goodness when the past and the present of Vietnam’s music scene collided.
An Homage to Courtyards, the Heart of Traditional Vietnamese Homes
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- Published on 16 April 2025
- Written by Văn Tân. Illustration by Mai Khanh.
This time of the year, the giáng hương tree in my grandma’s courtyard is probably blooming with clusters of golden blossoms, enticing the kids in the neighborhood to gather around it and carefully pick off the prettiest petals to create makeshift jewelry.
The Story of Quách Đàm, the Man Who Shaped Modern Chợ Lớn — Part 1
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- Published on 15 April 2025
- Written by Tim Doling. Top image by Mai Khanh.
Hải Thượng Lãn Ông Boulevard (the former quai Gaudot) in central Chợ Lớn preserves several elegant old colonial shophouse buildings, but perhaps the most interesting of all is the one at No. 45, once the modest headquarters of Cantonese millionaire and philanthropist Quách Đàm.
This is Part 1 of our miniseries on the origin story behind Chợ Lớn. Read Part 2 here.
Final Merging Plan Brings Vietnam's Locality Number From 63 to 34
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- Published on 14 April 2025
- Written by Saigoneer.
After extended working sessions to gather insights from experts and locals, Vietnam’s state government has announced the final version of the country’s administrative map.
Hẻm Gems: From Music to Mise en Place, A Thăng Is an Eatery That Friendship Built
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- Published on 13 April 2025
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
“We want to be artists; we want to be free. Now we are free,” says Nguyễn Hoàng Anh, co-founder of A Thăng Eatery.
No Family Trip Is Complete Without Banter, Bolero and Bánh Mì Chả Lụa
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- Published on 12 April 2025
- Written by Uyên Đỗ. Graphic by Dương Trương.
Every time my extended family took a trip, it looked more like a mass exodus than a holiday — bags teetering, arms overstuffed, and enough supplies to survive a small apocalypse.
In the Latest Issue of 'No One Magazine,' 15 Stories From Vietnam's Queer Communities
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- Published on 11 April 2025
- Written by Saigoneer. Photos courtesy of No One Magazine.
No One Magazine, a print publication about underground queer nightlife around the world, is focusing on Vietnam for its second issue with corresponding launch events in Hanoi and Saigon.
Tranh Kiếng, Southern Vietnam's Glass Painting, Is at Risk of Disappearing
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- Published on 10 April 2025
- Written by Thu Hà. Top graphic by Dương Trương.
I’ve always loved marveling at the colorful tranh kiếng hung in our altar room whenever I get a chance to visit my mother’s hometown. Since I was little, the paintings have been an indispensable part of my grandparents’ homestead. Tranh kiếng is present everywhere in people’s houses in the town, but I’ve never thought to ask who created unique art pieces that perfectly encapsulate the soul of the southern community.
The Young Vietnamese Artisans Breathing New Life Into Animals Carcasses
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- Published on 09 April 2025
- Written by Mầm. Graphic by Jessie Trần.
Skeletons and carcasses are often reminiscent of eerie, spine-chilling scenes in horror movies. But in the taxidermy community, animal corpses are of great value for artisans to create unique works that blur the line between life and death.
Sao La, Self, Hmong Identity: The Many Layers of Poetry Collection 'Primordial'
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- Published on 08 April 2025
- Written by Paul Christiansen.
A book of poetry all about sao la?
Ride-Hailing Changed How We Commute. Can Ve Chai-Hailing Change How We Recycle?
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- Published on 03 April 2025
- Written by Diệu Anh. Photos by Lê Thái Hoàng Nguyên.
Mentions of ve chai might evoke images of uncles and aunties pushing around their cart or perched on bicycles, ferrying a host of plastic bags and scrap metal, and occasionally calling out: “Đồng nát sắt vụn bán nào…” This familiar scene, no matter how nostalgic, might change soon.
In Huế, ‘Allusive Panorama’ Exhibition Reveals a Tender Side of Hàm Nghi Through His Art
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- Published on 02 April 2025
- Written by An Trần. Images courtesy of Art Republik Vietnam.
An exhibition offering a rare glimpse into the artistic life of Hàm Nghi, Vietnam's exiled emperor who dedicated his life to art, with brushstrokes and landscapes reflecting his deep longing towards a distant homeland that he could never return to.
Bored of Mundance Date Spots? Try Tân Sơn Nhất's Romantic Star Cafe.
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- Published on 01 April 2025
- Written by Paul Christiansen. Photos by Alberto Prieto.
I know a little place.
Múa Lân Is Officially Recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage
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- Published on 31 March 2025
- Written by Saigoneer. Photo by Uyên Đỗ.
In Chợ Lớn, every Tết, amid the aroma of burning joss sticks and an onslaught of red-color decorations is the echoing beats of lion dance instruments. For generations of Saigoneer, the presence of múa lân, or lion dance, is a sign of festivity and celebration.
Visit a Serene Đà Nẵng in 1991 During a Time Before the Tourism Boom
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- Published on 30 March 2025
- Written by Saigoneer.
As a special municipality of Vietnam, Đà Nẵng is considered by many as one of the most livable cities in the country, with lower costs, delicious local cuisine, and a languid, wholesome pace of life. This, in conjunction with readily available modern services, has turned the coastal metropolis into a magnet luring young professionals away from the chaos of Saigon and Hanoi, and attracting snowbird tourists from Russia, China and South Korea seeking tropical warmth.
Lý Trực Sơn Exhibition Invites Us to Marvel at Lacquer, Dó Paper, Earth's Material Beauty
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- Published on 26 March 2025
- Written by An Trần.
Despite being three distinct elements with their own texture, depth, and presence, lacquer, paper, and earth are all rooted in nature. Rather than searching for hidden meanings, Lý Trực Sơn’s solo exhibition at Vin Gallery invites us to engage with the works instinctively and experience the interplay of pigments, natural elements, and form, shaped by the artist’s innovative process and the passage of time.
