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[Illustrations] What If Saigon's Street Vendors Were in an 8-Bit Nintendo Game?

If you enjoyed SNES games back in the day, this set of pixel arts depicting Saigon’s street vendors will definitely tug on your heartstrings.

Before computer games, there were pixel games on Nintendo consoles, which were the “it” form of entertainment for millennials growing up. While advancements in visual technologies have introduced us to vastly more realistic and crisp 3D graphics in modern games, there's a certain charm about 8-bit art that other forms of media can’t replicate.

Vietnamese artists are not immune to nostalgic joys either, as evidenced by these pixel renditions of the country’s most prevalent architecture styles and this adorable collection of 2000s TV series in pixel form. A new Facebook page, 8-bit Sài Gòn, also joined in the fun with their own pixel creations of Saigon street snacks.

Accompanying the illustrations are short musings by the artist explaining how a cotton candy cart or fish ball vendor was part of their childhood memories. The infamous but ever-elusive Cô Mía also makes a cameo, as well as a bean curd seller. Despite its medium of pixel art, the artworks are incredibly detailed and colorful and run the high risk of putting a smile on your face today.

See the pixel creations of 8-bit Sài Gòn below:

Rice paper salads and other snacks.

Peanut candies.

Fried fishballs and beefballs.

Bean curd with ginger syrup.

Electronic scale.

Noodle soups and wontons.

Freshly cut fruits.

Chinese-style hủ tiếu.

Freshly baked baguettes.

Sugarcane juice.

Cotton candy.

[Images via Facebook page 8-bit Sài Gòn]


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[Illustrations] Vietnam's Childhood Toys Through the Harrowing Lens of Adulthood


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