Saigon's VOH Radio Building, a Marvel of Architect Lê Văn Lắm's Modernist Intuition
In the middle of the 20th century, Vietnam grew to become one of the world’s prominent centers of modernist architecture. Saigon at the time was an economic and cultural heart of the region, with many...
5 Iconic Buildings in Saigon That Showcase Vietnamese Modernist Architecture
Take a stroll along any random street in downtown Saigon, one is bound to bump into a hodgepodge of architectural styles. Sleek but boring international-style skyscrapers, tranquil Buddhist pagodas, a...
From Vauban Citadel to Modernist Icon: The History of Turtle Lake
The area of Công Trường Quốc Tế and Turtle Lake (Hồ Con Rùa) has been through many changes both in design and function throughout the history of Saigon. First, it housed a gate for a Nguyễn-dynasty ci...
Khôi Phạm in Literature
From Architecture to Folklore: 5 Indie Book Projects for Vietnamese Culture Buffs
In our years of writing about Vietnam, Saigoneer has had the pleasure to meet many passionate, inquisitive individuals whose creative and academic projects inspired us to appreciate the many facets of...
Brise-Soleil, Đá Rửa, and Other Modernist Curios to Befriend on a Walk Across Saigon
My non-existent architectural background leaves me unable to do anything beyond expressing a distaste for tacky constructions and a vague idea of what constitutes a well-designed building. I can speak...
[Photos] T3 Architects Turned a Modernist Villa Into a Celebration of Chocolate
Looks like we'll be working remote today.
Construction Department Requests $2.2m to Repair, Renovate Hồ Con Rùa
The plan calls for water-proofing the lake, fixing cracked walkways and adding a sprinkler system, as well as ornamental flowers and artistic lighting.
Vietnamese Architects Are Leaders in the Architecture of the Information Age
Over the past few years, Vietnamese architects have been developing a new architecture beyond modernism for small projects such as houses and schools. Architects around the world are taking notice and...
Khoi Pham in Architecture
On Phu Quy Island, a Curious Collection of Modernist Houses From Central Vietnam
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 l...
The Aesthetic Yet Functional Role of Shade in the Genome of Vietnam's Modernist Architecture
Since the mid-twentieth century, Vietnamese architecture has started to be made from industrial materials such as concrete, steel, glass, et.. This resulted in Vietnamese modernism, a branch of global...
How Saigon's V.A.R Building Epitomizes Vietnam's Architectural Autonomy
Completed in 1973, the V.A.R building at 9 Ho Tung Mau Street in Nguyen Thai Binh Ward, District 1, is a prominent example of Vietnamese mid-20th-century modernist architecture designed by architect L...
Architect Association Urges Hanoi to Preserve Decades-Old Cung Thiếu Nhi
With the commencement of a new youth center in outer Hanoi, many can’t help but wonder about the fate of the existing structure on Ly Thai To Street.
The Story of Vietnam's Urban Energy and Aspirations Told via Southern Modernist Architecture
The following article is an edited excerpt from the recently published book Southern Vietnamese Modernist Architecture, presenting the history of the style, and how it contrasts with modernism in nort...
Saigoneer Podcast: Hanoi During, After the Pandemic; Modernist Architecture With Mel Schenck Returns
The latest Saigoneer Podcast episode is now available!
Paul Christiansen in In Plain Sight
In Defense of Bảo Tàng Địa Chất, Saigon's Most Underappreciated Museum
By (un)conventional standards, Saigon’s Geological Museum may warrant a score of 1.3/9, but if one considers it as a source of whimsy, it’s a solid 8.2/9.
Saigon's Built Heritage Is Under Threat. How Do We Protect What's Left?
In an exclusive excerpt from his latest book, Exploring Saigon-Chợ Lớn: Vanishing Heritage of Hồ Chí Minh City, historian Tim Doling discusses the city's threatened heritage architecture and what the ...
More Than Just an Identity, Saigon's Modernist Architecture Reflects Past Optimism for a New Era
The last 30 years have seen unprecedented economic development in Ho Chi Minh City. Since Doi Moi relaxed foreign investment laws back in 1986, the city has welcomed change with open arms and increasi...
Opinion: Saigon’s Architecture Should Express Our Times Today, Not the Past
Based upon its fascinating history, modern-day Saigon displays a rich character all its own, with buildings across the city representing each era of its storied past. However, several faux colonial bu...
How Vietnam Created Its Own Brand of Modernist Architecture
Throughout the 20th century, as Vietnam underwent dramatic historical and political changes, a unique brand of modernist architecture developed in the country, transforming its present-da...
