Neighborhood Vibes and Modern Comforts Combine at Hotel Indigo Saigon The City
Staying in a local neighborhood means surrounding yourself with the sights, styles, routines, traditions, and history of a locale. Hotel Indigo Saigon The City, a new boutique lifestyle hotel, tells the stories of the iconic Ba Son area via its details, decor, atmosphere, and experiences, so checking in feels like taking part in a celebration of the city.
Uyên Đỗ in Arts & Culture
Strangevisuals Is an Archive of Daily Life on Postcards of Rice and Dó Papers
What are our memories made of?
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
Within the Shocking Brutality of Queer Novel 'Parallels' Rests Poignant Poetry
Parallels by Vũ Đình Giang shocked me. While I refrain from spoiling its plot, allow me to share my experience when reading this novel, as translated by Khải Q. Nguyễn, to better explain how the book jolted me from expectations and why the experience provides a unique and valuable addition to the array of Vietnamese novels translated into English.
‘129BPM’ Carries the Contemporary Hip-Hop Heartbeat From Vietnam to Malaysia
Under the shared heartbeat of “129BPM,” the dancers channeled their emotions through movement, navigating between individuality and collectivity both on and off stage. Extending beyond Vietnamese audiences, the piece has now been presented on an international platform at George Town Festival 2025 in Penang, Malaysia, marking a significant milestone for Vietnamese contemporary hip-hop performance on the international stage.
Trần Dần, the Literary Maverick Teaching Us How We Should and Can Be an Artist
In the mind of many Vietnamese readers, the name of writer Trần Dần has been inextricably linked with artistic experimentation and innovation. His poetic voice feels nothing like those of writers I learnt back in high school: there is something so different, refreshing and oddly contemporary about it. As I consider every page of his bulky posthumously published anthology Thơ (Poetry), I find his legacy remains inspirational even for contemporary readers — especially other young Vietnamese — on what it means to “be an artist.” This does not only entail one’s appreciation and production of Vietnamese art, but also their adoption of an artist’s mindset into daily life.
A Tribute to the Incredibly Eye-Catching, Organic Signage of Sa Đéc
Signs are like voices.
Linh Phạm in Travel
On a Walking Tour, Mulling Over the Glorious Past and Odious Present of Tô Lịch River
We began our journey in front of a bank where the street Trần Nhật Duật turned into Chợ Gạo.
In 1920s–1940s Paris, Vietnamese Artists Painted Through the Interwar Period as the 'Others'
How did Vietnamese artists navigate the complex tides of social and political changes, and mark their own position in the art world as the “Others” during interwar Paris — which was celebrated as the “City of Lights,” yet also a stage for both colonial propaganda and a ground for anti-colonial resistance?
Quach Phong’s Monumental Take on Vietnamese History
An ambitious and essential art project, Sketching Vietnamese History – the first major solo exhibition by established artist Quach Phong – is a tribute to Vietnam’s history and its people. It is a wor...
[Photos] #WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week
From street vendors to old-school shipyards, this is what we saw through our lens this week.
[Video] Inside Saigon's Chicano-Style Barbershop, Part 2
Last month, we introduced Saigoneers to Liem, the man behind Saigon’s only Chicano-inspired barbershop.
Dana Filek-Gibson in Arts & Culture
When WRONG Is Right: Vietnamese Tradition Meets Contemporary Fashion
There’s an hour to go before Fashion4Freedom unveils its latest collection and LanVy Nguyen is buzzing about, all smiles, in sneakers and a black-and-white embroidered áo dài.
[Photos] #WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week
From city skylines to beachside prayers, this is what we saw through our lens this week.
Gender Behavior: An Artistic and Interactive Social Experiment
Gender Behavior brings to Saigon’s The Factory a research-based photography, dance, film and performance show which discusses the notion of gender in Vietnamese society.
Sophie Hughes: Drawing Links Between Vietnamese History and Contemporary Art
Art is not the first thing on people’s minds when they come to Saigon, and yet the independently organized Sophie’s Art Tour has managed to become one of the southern hub's top attractions.
[Photos] #WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week
From decaying ships to street life in the Delta, this is what we saw through our lens this week.
[Photos] Central Vietnam Fishing Village Gets Artistic Upgrade
One fishing village in central Vietnam received a colorful makeover thanks to a team of South Korean artists.
[Photos] A Day in the Life of Hanoi's Last Blacksmith
As Hanoi gears up for modern mega-projects like a US$1 billion metro line and the world’s tallest broadcasting tower, one third-generation artisan holds fast to his family’s traditional craft.
Dana Filek-Gibson in Film & TV
[Video] Filmmaker Explores the Fading Tradition of Vietnamese Funeral Singers
Trapped among Vietnam's fast-fading cultural markers is its funereal music. Passed down for generations, these slow, melancholy songs are a mainstay at Vietnamese funerals, ushering the dead comfortab...
VICE to Launch Southeast Asia TV Service, Set up Indian Hub
VICE, the snarky, millenial-focused media outlet, is going global.
[Photos] #WeAreSaigoneer: Instagram Shots of the Week
From Saigon market vendors to sunsets on the shores of Con Dao, this is what we saw through our lens this week.
[Photos] Saigon's Convenience Craze: How Corporate Chains Are Creating New Space for Civic Life
In little more than a few years, convenience store chains have taken the city by storm. You can now find a Circle K, Vin Mart, Family Mart, B’s Mart or Mini-Stop on almost every street in the city pac...
Doing Nothing Is Now a Sport in South Korea
Are you an expert at doing nothing? If so, time to make a beeline straight to South Korea,where looking off into space has become a sport.
[Video] Inside Saigon's Chicano-Style Barbershop
Liem, a young Saigon resident, runs a barbershop in District 3 along with his cohort of tattoo-clad employees. Decked out in Chicano-inspired decor, both the shop and its workers pay ho...
Sichuan Cuisine Facing an Identity Crisis
Culinary innovation can take many shapes and forms. But sometimes, this tinkering can have the unintended consequence of straying too far from the original. Such is the dilemma that faces China’s Sich...
OXYMORON: An Exploration of Sound, Dance and Light
If it were possible to condense the creative output of Saigon’s urban dance and music scene into one show, OXYMORONmight be it. Creative directors Lai Tran and Chieu Tori – a DJ duo also known as Chee...
[Video] Incredible Singapore Timelapse Took 3 Years, 10 Terabytes to Make
In just four and a half minutes, Melbourne-born artist Keith Loutit captures three years of change to the Singaporean skyline by way of a stunning timelapse video.
[Podcast] Renovation Generation: The Life of a Nonsensical Poet
The sonic portraits of Hanoi's Renovation Generation continue this week with the podcast's tenth episode, featuring cafe owner and poet Nam Lu.
