This Trung Thu, Learn How to Make Lion Heads From Huế's Lân Artisans
Often seen as the heart of Central Vietnam, Huế is the birthing ground for many traditional crafts. Artisan products from the ancient city often exude its inhabitants' elegance and rustic quality. Among them, the handmade lion’s heads from Huế carry distinctive slivers of beauty within them.
Paul Christiansen in Culture
Are We Living in the Final Days of Cô Mía?
They say a person dies twice: once when their heart stops beating and a second time when people stop mentioning their name. If we alter this phrase a bit to include the last time one’s image is seen, Saigon’s beloved cô Mía may soon be receiving last rites.
Aprxel Builds Her Ethereal R&B Dreamscape With 2000s Nostalgia
“High school was when we all had lots of thoughts and reflections. And I felt like I didn’t fit in with the world around me at that time, so I turned to music as my companion,” Aprxel reflects on the period of time where her connection with music began to solidify, which ultimately set her on the path to become a music artist.
Women in Post-Đổi Mới Vietnamese Cinema: From Archetypal to Multifaceted
In Vietnamese cinema, the female figure has long been employed to deliver macro-level messages rather than just mundane narratives.
Vy Trịnh Takes Us 'On Da Dream' via Her Solo Exhibition at Galerie Quynh
Tough-looking, yet elegant metal ribbons spark, spill, move and occupy all corners of the empty space: up and down, left and right, and in countless directions. Through a new series of sculpture works and a site-responsive sculptural installation, Vy Trịnh blurs the lines between the street scene and the exhibition space.
Paul Christiansen in Culture
Via Webcomics About Sơn Đoòng, Hai Bà Trưng, a Link to Vietnam Across the Ocean
An enormous chim Lạc snatches Mai from her school library in the present day and lifts her high above Sa Pa more than 2,000 years ago.
Michael Tatarski in Loạt Soạt
A Study of the Mekong Through Stories Told on the River
Much like humanity, great systems of the natural world rely on connectivity to thrive.
On Grappling With the Problematic Legacy of 'Miss Saigon' in 2024
Having been abroad for more than a year, I was excited at the mere mention of Vietnam anywhere, so I was even more delighted when I learned of the popular musical Miss Saigon. Posters of it were plastered up in musical-themed bars in Manchester and different theaters across London. The musical is constantly on tour, having recently been staged in Brisbane, Manila, and Singapore. I was curious to see what about the play created such a cultural phenomenon in western theater and pop culture, especially when all people ever seem to know of Vietnam is the war and phở. The play, however, with its questionable history and writing choices, didn’t live up to my expectations.
[Photos] Japan’s Last Samurai
The adoption of the Meiji Restoration in 1868 signaled the beginning of the end for Japan’s samurai’s who enjoyed centuries of prominence in the country's feudal ranks.
Unlocking the Potential of Vietnam's Art Market
As one of Vietnam’s most prolific art organizations reduces its cultural and residency programs, we look at the state of national contemporary art in the global market and its economic impact on Vietn...
[Podcast] Renovation Generation: Hanoi's Coolest Skater
Last month, Saigoneer sat down with Eliza Lomas and Fabiola Buchele, the duo behind Hanoi-based The Renovation Generation. Now on its eighth episode, the English-language podcast focuses on Vietnam's ...
[Photos] Vietnam Steps up Its Meme Game Ahead of Obama Visit
Vietnamese netizens are flexing their meme skills ahead of United States president Barack Obama's visit to the country.
Livinwondr: A People’s Art Project
The first installation of new community project Livinwondrexpresses the stories and creative ideas of the public through transformative media art.
[Illustrations] Local Illustrators Bring Saigon's Street Carts to Life
Saigon's streets are full of mobile vendors, schlepping food carts or huffing it across the road with a bamboo pole over one shoulder. Whether selling hot food or fresh fruit, pet fish or woven basket...
[Video] Tokyo Gone: Escaping the Concrete Jungle on Borrowed Motorcycles
From wheezing, old-school Honda Cubs to fancy vintage Vespas to the brand-new, high-octane two-wheelers that have begun to appear on Saigon's streets, Vietnam is a country of two-wheeled vehicles.
Paying Homage to the Hand-Painted Signs of Cho Lon
French photographer Brice Coutagne settled in Saigon several years ago. With an interest in unusual lettering, the expat found himself mesmerized by the city's hand-painted signs. Camera in hand, Cout...
[Video] Adults Cheer on Kids' Beer-Drinking Contest, Fail at Adulting
As recent evidence suggests, not all adults excel at adulting. In fact, more often than not, we're all making mistakes in one way or another. It's just that we usually try not to involve young, i...
[Video] Making of an Art Exhibition: Suby One's 'Time'
Earlier this month, Vietnamese-French artist Suby One showcased his latest exhibition, Time, at the Museum of Fine Arts. The 10-day display was a combination of abstract art, graffiti and several inst...
[Photos] Stay Cool in Saigon's Ice Palace
It's sweater weather in District 7's Him Lam New Urban Area.
[Photos] Life in a Saigon Cemetery
When her youngest son was six months old, Kieu Thi Anh Lien's husband disappeared. They were never officially married but the couple had lived together for years, until one day the father of Lien's th...
The Renovation Generation: Meet Vietnam's Post-Đổi Mới Movers and Shakers
Thirty years after the inception of Đổi Mới, Vietnam is night and day compared to its former self. Following the tragedy of war, this 1986 economic reform wholly transformed the country into what it i...
[Video] The Story Behind Urban Vietnam's Graffiti Advertisements
Splashed across city walls and on the sides of buildings, urban Vietnam is awash with advertisements for khoan cắt bê tông (KCBT), or demolition services.
In Yangon, Myanmar's Cold War-Era Typewriters Are Still in Use
Southeast Asia is a study in the clash of tradition and innovation. Across the region, increasingly modern societies reconcile their traditional values with contemporary progress, and in some cases th...
'Farmers Got Power': A Satirical Look at Social Upheaval
Satire and humor have long been recurring tropes employed by artists to deal with uncomfortable topics, to challenge people to discover on their own the object and meanings of their satire. Nowhere co...
[Video] Recycle: Saigon's Uber-Cool Tattoo Parlor
Not only in Vietnam but around the world, tattoos are at once both embraced and misunderstood: older generations loathe them, younger generations view them as an important tool of self-expression.
[Video] See If You Can Spot Vietnam in This 'Skull Island' First-Look Featurette
As part of this year's MTV Movie Awards ceremony, which took place last weekend, the people behind Kong: Skull Island put out a nice little featurette teasing the forthcoming movie, which is set to pr...
Technology Has Officially Entered Saigon’s Art Scene
From the invention of farming to the advent of military drones, technology has shaped the economy, politics and culture of every society. It was inevitable that such a vital element of our lives would...
[Video] Travel the Length of Vietnam in One Minute
For those of us who prefer armchair travel, Vimeo user Riccardo Fasoli's stunning minute-long journey through Vietnam is the perfect mini holiday.
