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.
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.
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 ...
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.
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...
What Will Become of Chợ Quê in the Era of Widespread Online Shopping?
Firmly taking root in everyday life, our hometown markets — chợ quê — are not simply a place to trade, but also puzzle pieces that make up childhood memories, holiday excitement, and even tales of hardships and life milestones of countless people.
[Photos] Exploring Saigon’s Sun-Deprived Hẻms
Saigon is full of interesting, undiscovered places. While many people have explored the alleys in their own neighborhoods, few are willing to brave the narrow, crumbling side roads that look a little ...
Q&A: Thai Artist Bends Reality With Kaleidoscopic Saigon Photo Collage
Saigon is the latest city to join the urban landscape photo collage series by Thai artist and graphic designer Pariwat A-nantachina, also known as Big. With drastic perspective compositions, rich deta...
A Tribe of Survivors: The Ethereal Jewelry of La Fiancée du Facteur
The new collection by Saigon-based jewelry designer La Fiancée du Facteur is an ode to human strength where the mystical and the mythological merge in wearable original art pieces.
Drawing Saigon: How One Artist Is Preserving the Downtown Skyline
Tawny brown, a few inches thick and secured with a cord, the leather binder lands on the bar with a thud. Midday sun beams into the pop-up whisky library atop Centec Tower, a room that could pass for ...
Local Designer Preserves Retro Saigon Font
Pass by any old building in the city and you're bound to stumble upon at least a few vintage typefaces from decades past. Saigon's old-school signage is a work of art in its own right, with everything...
Vietnamese Festival Criticized for Penis Plagiarism
This year, residents of Lang Son province celebrated their annual Na Nhem Festival with all the standard accoutrements of a countryside celebration: musical activities, games and a giant pink penis ma...
[Video] 100 Years of Vietnamese Fashion in 1 Minute
If you've ever spent any time wasting your life away on YouTube, you may have come across the “100 Years of Beauty” series, which documents the fashion and beauty trends of a particular culture t...
March Movies at Saigon’s Alternative Film Venues
Transporting a novel or news story from the page to the big screen does not always have to be disastrous, as Carol,Room, High Fidelity andSpotlighthave demonstrated. Saigon's March film program shows ...
[Photos] Vietnamese Students Edit Their Textbooks With Hilarious Results
Normally reserved for the creative and perpetually bored, the art of doodling in textbooks has been around for as long as students have been forced to read dry, painfully dull tomes on their least fav...
Wowy Goes LIVE!: Saigon Rapper Aims to Raise 50k for New Show
There are a few things you should know about Wowy.
6 Vietnamese Films to Play at Osaka Asian Film Festival
A total of six Vietnamese feature films will play at Osaka's Asian Film Festival, held from March 4-13.
[Photos] Inside Hue’s 'City of Ghosts'
During Hue's imperial days, emperors of the Nguyen dynasty spent an inordinate amount of time and energy building their tombs. Emperor Khai Dinh, for instance, led Vietnam for only nine years, but his...
[Photos] Competition for Lucky Balls in Phu Tho Turns Into Mayhem
Every spring in northern Phu Tho Province, locals celebrate Phet Hien Quan, a unique traditional festival that is held on the 13th day of the Lunar New Year.
Inside THE BOAT: Phnom Penh’s Floating Art Space
Last October, Phnom Penh's ambitious floating art center, THE BOAT, announced its plan to renovate a majestic but disused vessel docked where the Tonle Sap River meets the Mekong. Earlier this mo...
Readers' Picks: 20 Best Films From the Year of the Goat
We asked both our readers and regular moviegoers at local alternative film venues like DeciBel and Saigon Outcast to weigh in on the top three films from the Year of the Goat. The results are in and A...
Nuoc 2030: Inside Vietnam's Visually Stunning, Character-Driven Sci-Fi Flick
A wonderfully shot love story set in a water-logged dystopian world, Nuoc 2030 is the first Vietnamese sci-fi film produced to international standards. Filmmaker Nguyen Vo Nghiem Minh discusses t...
[Photos] Photographer Captures the Last of Mongolia's Eagle Hunters
Ever since he saw a photo of Mongolian eagle hunters at 17, Palani Mohan had dreamed of documenting their story.
Vietnamese Comic Book Takes Prize at International MANGA Awards
Vietnamese comic book duo Phong Duong will take home a Silver Award at Japan's International MANGA Awards for the first volume of their series Long Than Tuong.
'Skull Island' Begins Filming in Ninh Binh, 'Fast & Furious 8' May Be Next
If you're a Hollywood filmmaker, it appears Ninh Binh is the place to be these days.
How Game Theory Explains Vietnam's Lack of Queues
You'll be hard-pressed to find a straight, orderly line in Vietnam. Sure, there are some rare places – the bank or perhaps the immigration counter at the airport – where you might find people queuing ...
