in Travel

Vietnam Welcomes 21m Tourists in 2025, Highest-Ever Figure in History

Last year marked an impressive year for tourism in Vietnam. A record number of 21.17 million international tourists visite...

in Loạt Soạt

Viet Thanh Nguyen's New Essay Collection Is Both Theoretically Sharp and Intimately Tender

Last year, acclaimed Vietnamese American writer Viet Thanh Nguyen published To Save and to Destroy: Writing as an Other, a collection of six essays adapted from the prestigious Norton Lectures that he delivered at Harvard in 2023–2024.

in Travel

Hanoi's Proposal to Stop Train Service Might Spell the End of 'Train Street'

Hanoi’s infamous train street might be going away if a new municipal plan becomes a reality.

in Fashion

In Sa Pa, Learning How to Indigo Dye, One Plant, Vat, and Beeswax Pen at a Time

My first meal in Sa Pa was accidentally earned. After a few hours of uneven rest in a sleeper bus and a short ride from Sa Pa city center to the village, I finally arrived, along with two other indigo enthusiasts, at a small hill in bản Cát Cát. A few modest houses framed a quiet courtyard where indigo vats rested, and long strips of dyed fabric hung on bamboo poles, drying in the morning air.

Khôi Phạm

in Quãng 8

Hanoi Indie Duo Limebócx Brings Tried-and-Trù Traditions to Young Ears

A grazing buffalo, frolicking water puppets, mystifying tam cúc cards, an insolent maiden in áo tứ thân, a rustic meal around cái mâm. These are just a few standout visuals that will haunt your brain upon feasting your eyes on Limebócx’ debut music video ‘Yêu Nhau (Qua Cầu Gió Bay).’

in Music & Arts

In His Research-Driven Artistic Practice, Quang deLam Maps History, Knowledge Together

What if art functions as a visual form for transmitting knowledge and entangled histories, and the artist is a messenger between them and the audience?

Khôi Phạm

in Culture

In the Era of AI Slop, I've Learned to Embrace Saigon's Ugly Urban Clutters

To live in Saigon is to coexist with clutter. Chaos is perhaps to be expected, when one’s habitat is a gargantuan crowded compressed narrow concretized megalopolis of over 10 million people, but few cities I’ve been to are as cluttered as Saigon.

Pete Walls

in Travel

At Kon Tum's Đăk Đrinh Lake, Life Slows to a Therapeutic Pace

Đăk Đrinh Lake lies in the northern reaches of Kon Tum, where the hills rise in slow, deliberate waves and the pace of life is set by the land. The Ca Dong ethnic communities remain here, maintaining their language, stilt houses, and routines that have shaped this corner of the highlands for generations.

Back Arts & Culture

in Arts & Culture

Vietnamese Designer Fuses Ancient Dyeing Techniques With Modern Fashion

A Vietnamese fashion designer has partnered with a group of women in rural northern Vietnam to use traditional methods to grow and produce natural dyes and fabrics for her clothing line.

Khoi Pham

in Music & Arts

Nhạc Vàng: Bridging the Generational Gap With Retro Saigon Tunes

As the chatter starts to die down and the soft disco lights turn on, peppering the room with a myriad of colors, it seems as if the entire interior of Nguoi Sai Gon cafe has travelled back in time to ...

in Arts & Culture

#WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week

From a picturesque lagoon to the gritty textures of District 5's Chinatown, this is what we saw through our lens this week.

in Culture

[Photos] Vacuum-Packed Japanese Wedding Photos Will Take Your Breath Away

Japan continues to provide plenty of material when it comes to bizarre trends. The latest? Vacuum-packed wedding photos.

in Culture

Inside Quang Nam's Bizarre Cow Beauty Pageant

Last week, a town in Quang Nam Province played host to an unusual spectacle: a cow beauty pageant.

in Music & Arts

[Video] Local Teacher Sings, Dances Awkwardly in English Idiom Music Video

Learning English idioms is not an easy feat. This is especially true for Vietnamese students trying to acquire English as a second language. Fortunately, in this age of YouTube and Snapchat, one can m...

in Culture

[Illustrations] Local Artists Bring Vietnam's Eclectic Shopfronts to Life

A group of Vietnamese illustrators has created a collection of colorful artwork inspired by the architecture of modern Vietnamese cities.

in Arts & Culture

#WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week

From vendors selling vegetables to hemside barbershops, this is what we saw through our lens this week.

in Music & Arts

Saigon Skill and the Rise of Alternative Art Projects

Saigon Skill’s first art group show was a vibrant and uplifting display of Saigon’s unheralded talents. Hopes are high that this new project will expose the untapped creatives in the city.

in Music & Arts

Hanoi Wunderkind Wins Major International Writing Contest

In case you need more convincing that Vietnamese students are among the highest-achieving in the world, here’s further proof: an 18-year-old Hanoi student recently won the coveted top prize of an...

in Arts & Culture

[Podcast] Renovation Generation: Hanoi's Viral Cartoonist Xuan Lan

In the thirteenth installment of Hanoi-based English-language podcast Renovation Generation, narrator Maia Do sat down with one of Hanoi's most popular illustrators, Xuan Lan to discuss drawing cartoo...

in Arts & Culture

#WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week

From Hanoi to Lang Co to Ho Chi Minh City, this is what we saw through our lens this week.

in Arts & Culture

BHD vs CGV: The Drama Behind Vietnam’s Latest Blockbuster

Before the movie even hits theaters nationwide, Tam Cam: The Untold and its production team already find themselves at the center of a major controversy.

in Arts & Culture

[Video] Japan Celebrates Summer Olympics With Badass Theme Song

When the Rio Olympics rolled around, Vietnam was slow to get into spirit of the games. Truth be told, the country didn’t really hop on board with the magic of this summer's international competition u...

in Arts & Culture

[Photos] #WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week

From the effects of rainy season to renowned Cham poet Inrasara, this is what we saw through our lens this week.

in Music & Arts

[Photos] Vietnam’s Largest Wax Museum Opens in Ha Long

If you have a free afternoon next time you’re waiting to board a Ha Long Bay cruise, look no further than Vietnam’s largest wax museum for your entertainment.

in Literature

Meet Inrasara, the Poet Keeping Cham Culture Alive

Born in the oldest Cham village in Vietnam, poet and literary critic Inrasara has been keeping Cham literature alive for over 30 years. From textbooks to poetry, literary criticism to publishing, the ...

in Arts & Culture

[Photos] #WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week

From national monuments to one of Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lagoons, this is what we saw through our lens this week.

in Arts & Culture

[Video] Local Orchestra Performs World’s Most Organized Flashmob in Hanoi

In a country where most parts of your day can feel like a flashmob, sometimes an organized performance is even more surprising.

in Arts & Culture

[Video] Chilling South Korean Zombie Flick Hits Vietnamese Screens Next Week

While Vietnamese cinema is just starting to ramp up its production of horror flicks, South Korean filmmakers have long been fans of the genre, creating some truly spine-tingling movies.