Khôi Phạm

in Music & Arts

5 Classic Christmas Songs in Vietnamese for Those Craving Nô-en Wistfulness

Christmas celebration in Vietnam is something else altogether.

in Trích or Triết

Composer Hoàng Việt and a Radical Romance Across the North-South Border

In a country fractured by ideology, Hoàng Việt's love for his wife Ngọc Hạnh persisted like a secret melody carried across closed borders by weak radio signals, and letters that had to circle the globe before finding their way home.

in Music & Arts

The Cultural Depths in Contemporary Hip-Hop Dance ‘129BPM: Động Phách Tách Kén’

Have you ever witnessed a live performance so powerful that it still lives in your mind weeks later? “129BPM: Động Phách Tách Kén” is not your usual hip-hop breakdance battle, but a contemporary dance performance combining live music with Vietnamese folk elements. It is a journey that requires your full presence and attention to appreciate its fleeting and transformative moments.

in Film & TV

New 'Số Đỏ' Movie Announced, Directed by Phan Gia Nhật Linh, Starring MONO

Another classic of Vietnamese literature is heading to the big screen in the near future.

Thi Nguyễn

in Loạt Soạt

Revisiting the Delicious Satirical Society of 'Số Đỏ' by Vũ Trọng Phụng

Published in 1938, Dumb Luck , or Số Đỏ , remains one of Vietnam's most popular and controversial novels. Vũ Trọng Phụng was ...

in Music & Arts

Severine Phương Trần's Debut Exhibition in Saigon Celebrates a World of Colors

Step into Severine Phương Trần’s first-ever exhibition in Saigon, where you can explore the artist’s inner world of vibrant colors and different emotions. To fully enjoy this exhibition, it is best to let your inner child and imagination roam free and allow the flow of colors and different sceneries to guide you through a journey of creativity, self-discovery, and personal artistic transformation.

in Quãng 8

From Germany to 'King of Rap' Runner-up: How Tuimi Becomes a Hip-Hop Breakout Star

Tuimi, a Vietnamese German singer and rapper, has become one of the most notable female voices in the local hip-hop scene and been making big waves since her return in 2019.

Paul Christiansen

in Travel

Ruminate on Our Natural Legacies While Surrounded by Cây Sao at Ao Bà Om

I never pass up an opportunity to reflect on chò nâu and its dipterocarp relative, cây sao. The massive trees that gracefu...

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Paul Christiansen

in Arts & Culture

Local Illustrator Breathes New Life Into Vietnam's Classic Folk Paintings

Illustrator Nguyen Xuan Lam’s project revamps 20 Vietnamese folk paintings through modern graphic design techniques.

Thi Nguyen

in Culture

In Vietnam, Joss Papers Link Life and Death, Modernity and Tradition

Joss papers and effigies consumed my experiences before I began to even question their meaning. On the anniversary of my grandfather’s death (giỗ), my grandmother routinely set up a large pot in ...

Paul Christiansen

in Film & TV

Oscar-Winning Screenwriter to Adapt Horror Flick 'Co Hau Gai' for Hollywood

Geoffrey Fletcher, whose screenplay for the Lee Daniels-directed movie Precious won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2010, will adopt Vietnam's 2016 horror flick Co Hau Gai (The Hous...

in Arts & Culture

Other Intimacies: Photography Display Highlights Reflections on Living With Autism

For one week in late January, the group exhibition “Encounters: Reflections into the spaces surrounding families living with autism" transformed the top floor of the Vietnamese Women's Museum in Hanoi...

in Culture

[Video] Crafting Altar Brassware in Saigon's Storied Lư Đồng Village

As Tet nears, families all over Vietnam are rushing to decorate their homes and check-off the last few items on their spring cleaning list, such as curtains, glassware, and most importantly, brass hom...

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: U-23 Pride, Bubble Tea Madness, and the Saigon Heat

The Saigoneer Podcast is officially one month old!

Khoi Pham

in Arts & Culture

Ve Ve Hat Boi: Saving Vietnam’s Age-Old Art With Youthful Passion

Obsolescence is not a problem unique to Vietnam’s traditional art forms. All over the world – in Cambodia, Bangladesh, and India, for example – ancient crafts are going out of fashion faster than they...

in Culture

Introducing Nổi, a Live Music Project by Saigoneer and Digipost

There’s little doubt that here at Saigoneer, we’re big fans of Vietnam’s indie acts; just see how we geeked out over Ca Hoi Hoang almost a year ago.

in Literature

Almost Noble: A Review of 'Punji Trap'

The Sympathizer, Viet Thanh Nguyen’s breakthrough 2015 novel, is a fictional tale of a North Vietnamese spy working inside the South Vietnamese army during the last legs of the American War. Duality a...

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: Grab & Uber, Indie Music and Modernist Architecture

The third episode of the Saigoneer Podcast is available now!

Khoi Pham

in Arts & Culture

Kato Sakae and 34 Years of Translating Vietnamese Literature Into Japanese

There’s little doubt that Vietnam is enchanted by Japanese culture. From sushi restaurants to anime to the works of Japanese novelists like Haruki Murakami and Kenzaburo Oe, cultural imports are welco...

in Culture

This Thai Makeover of the 2018 Honda Super Cub Is the Dream

Honda recently released the newest model of its iconic Super Cub bike.

in Literature

Vietnamese-American Poet Ocean Vuong Wins Prestigious Literary Award

On January 15, it was announced that Vietnamese-American poet and essayist Ocean Vuong’s debut poetry collection Night Sky With Exit Wounds has won the prestigious 2017 T.S. Eliot Prize.

in Music & Arts

After LGBT Content, China Now Bans Tattoos, Hip-Hop From National Media

On January 18th, famous Chinese rapper GAI (real name: 周延 Zhōu Yán) was abruptly removed from the reality TV show 歌手 (The Singer).

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: 2017 Recap, Record Tourism Year and Coffee

The Saigoneer Podcast's second episode is online now!

in Music & Arts

Vietnam's 'Queen of Pop' My Tam Ranks 10th on Billboard Top World Albums List

Fans of My Tam, rejoice!

Paul Christiansen

in Culture

SPRMRKT Singapore: Where the Crème de la Crème of Vietnamese Culture Shines

SPRMRKT, an upscale Singaporean shopping market and restaurant, is spending more than two months showcasing Vietnamese culture through food, art and design.

in Arts & Culture

Empty Forest: Dissecting the Fraught Relationship Between Man and Animal

In April 2010, a ranger in Dong Nai Province’s Cat Tien National Park found a rhino skeleton with its horn chopped off. Illegal poachers had killed the last Javan rhinoceros on mainland Southeast Asia...

Chris Humphrey

in Music & Arts

An Unexpected Makeover of Hanoi's Old Quarter

In the spring of 2017, Scott Matt became a celebrity in Vietnam overnight. Known as ông Tây râu xồm (the Bearded Westerner), he appeared in news outlets and on various TV channels, all because he...

in Podcast

The Debut Saigoneer Podcast Episode Is Available Now!

The debut episode of the Saigoneer Podcast is now online!