Thi Nguyễn in Music & Arts
The Facetious Gender Politics of Gỗ Lim, Hanoi's Feminist Post-Punk Quintet
In an example of cruel irony, October 20 is when we celebrate annual Vietnam Women's Day, and also the anniversary of the passing of Mai Nga (commonly known as Nga Nhí), the lead singer of Gỗ Lim — a Hanoi-based female post-punk band that, albeit short-lived, struck a blow for women’s representation in rock and metal music in Vietnam in 2011 and 2012.
Paul Christiansen in Travel
'Chuyện Của Pao' Turned a Historic H'Mông Home in Hà Giang Into a Tourist Attraction
The photos don’t do it justice. That’s what you’ll often hear from people who visit Hà Giang to cruise its famed highway loop.
How Vietnam's Muslims Celebrate Ramadan, Eid Al-Fitr in Mekong Delta's Châu Đốc
Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world, yet Vietnamese Muslims represent as little as 0.1% of the country’s population. Most are ethnic Chăm, while a few are foreigners and a few converts. After traveling to Châu Đốc in An Giang Province, where the majority are located, I was mesmerized by the unique cultural mix this community represents.
Văn Tân in Culture
A Brief History of Ông Đồ, Vietnam’s Scholars Whose Calligraphy Is Highly Sought After
To say that Tết gathers together everything most beautiful in Vietnamese culture would not be an exaggeration. More than a threshold between the old year and the new, it is also a time when people feel they can return to, and relive, the traditional values that define them.
Paul Christiansen in Travel
From Dark to Dawn, an Early Morning at Hội An's Duy Hải Fish Market
At 3am, Hội An’s streets resemble dog-gnawed pork bones, licked clean of all scent and viscera. No light, no noise, no movement. But that’s the time you must venture out to witness the Duy Hải Fish Market in action.
Review: 'New Wave' Documentary Is a Surprisingly Personal Dissection of 1980s Nostalgia
Melodic synth-lines and steady electronic drums. Today, the signature sounds of new wave music feel perhaps a bit old and outdated. During its high point during the 1980s, however, new wave was hailed as music of the future.
On the Cusp of a Modern New Year, Reflections on a Simpler Tết Past
Every year, as the pages from my block calendar peel off, bringing me towards another Vietnamese New Year, my mind once again fills with nostalgia about an old Tết. Tết in my memory begins with my childhood in a small house nestled under a coconut grove on the outskirts of Bạc Liêu in the Mekong Delta. Those were days of hardship, yet my parents worked hard so that Tết could bloom magnificently for all of us.
A Damaged Masterpiece Reveals How Much We Take Our Cultural Heritage for Granted
A once-damaged national treasure remains on view as if nothing had happened, while other works are displayed with little context — what does this tell us about how art museums preserve Vietnam's cultural heritage and shape our art history narratives today?
[Photos] Saigon Artisan Turns Scrap Materials Into Miniature Models
Over the past two decades, Saigon native Tran Giang Nam has created over 300 different miniature models with varying levels of details.
[Video] New York Rapper Pays Tribute to Hanoi, Goes Viral
Hanoi has served as the muse of foreign photographers, writers – and even a few rappers.
Hanoi Gets Inked: Expo Showcases Vietnam’s Tattoo Boom
When Link Do was a child in Hanoi, she learned English from an American woman with a tattoo on her hand. Link, who loved to draw, thought the tattoo was beautiful, and began to imagine a future as an ...
Saigoneer Podcast: Transportation in Saigon, Women in Tech and a Singaporean Foodie
We've hit episode 20!
Outdoor Film Screenings Coming this October as Part of Hanoi International Film Festival
The 5th Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF) will take place from October 27-31 and showcase some of Vietnam’s finest filmmaking talent.
Intellectual Debate Bridges Communities at Hanoi Philosophy Forum
The answers to life’s burning questions are often found in unlikely places. A cozy ‘birds’ nest’ café at the end of a crumbling alley fits that stereotype rather well. At 7.30 every Wednesday night, l...
For Vietnam's Busy Buddhists, Spiritual Teaching Is Just a Click Away With Online Temples
Boon or bane: spiritual service delivered to your nearest digital device.
Vietnamese Artist Phan Thao Nguyen Wins Top Singapore Art Prize
Nguyen is the first female artist to win the art prize since its establishment.
[Photos] Skaters Descend on Ly Thai To Park for Annual ‘Go Skateboarding Day’
Go Skateboarding Day is an official annual holiday for skaters around the globe. The occasion is all about celebrating skateboarding communities and, at Ly Thai To Park last Thursday, more than 100 sk...
[Illustrations] Local Artist Transforms Classic Vietnamese Instruments Into Postage Stamps
A new art project depicts a đàn tỳ bà and a đàn nguyệt — two of Vietnam’s most iconic instruments — on fictional stamps.
[Video] Powerful, Atmospheric Short Film Explores the Lives of Hanoi’s Street Kids
Filmmaker Dan Sadgrove is known for making atmospheric short films about travel, culture and wildlife. In his latest, he explores the lives of street kids in Hanoi, and the support they receive from l...
Saigoneer Podcast: Forgotten Traditions, Making Vietnamese Food Even Healthier and Renaissance Woman Mai Nguyen
Another week, another episode of the Saigoneer Podcast! We're almost to our big 2-0!
[Video] A Look Into the Splendidly Detailed Art of Making Hmong Flax Fabrics
Scrunching, beating, straightening, twisting, spinning, drying, washing, softening, spinning, weaving, waxing and coloring: an incredible amount of work goes into handmaking Hmong flax fabrics.
[Photos] The Meticulous Miniature World of Taiwanese Artist Hank Cheng
The amount of detail in these works is remarkable.
Classic Italian Suits Adapted for Contemporary Businessmen in Vietnam’s Tropical Climate
With each skin Vietnam sheds as it moves towards development and prosperity, it undergoes fundamental shifts, and no more so than in the country’s culture and aesthetics.
Khoi Pham in Music & Arts
These Intimate Rainy Season Moments Are Why We Love Saigon's Summer Rain
Saigon’s pluviophiles, unite!
Saigoneer Podcast: Queer Representation in Vietnamese Pop Culture, Street Food Update and Marou Chocolate
We're back with episode 18 after taking a week off!
Paul Christiansen in Postcards
Saigon Postcard No. 7: The Penguin Puzzle
Where are all the turtles in Saigon's turtle lake, why does Bitexco have a helipad it never uses, how come so many streets misspell their namesakes (looking at you Hàng Sanh) - Saigon is fil...
[Video] In This Saitama Museum, Rocks With Human Faces Are the Star of the Show
The merit of letting nature be its own artist.
Khoi Pham in Culture
The Tale of the Coconut Skull Is a Perfect Balance of Weird, Heart and Family-Friendly Moral Lessons
Vietnamese folklore takes the old adage “beauty is only skin-deep” very seriously.
