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.

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in Music & Arts

Event Rewind: Saigon Soul Pool Party @ The New World Hotel

As the Saigon rains yield to hot and dry weather, the time is right for the return of the Saigon Soul Pool Party.

Brian Letwin

in Culture

[Photos] The Bike Blanket is Taking Hanoi by Storm

While Vietnamese people are well versed in sun protection gear, a new niche product has become an increasingly common sight on Hanoi’s roads – the bike blanket (think Snuggie for motorbikes).

in Music & Arts

Zelda Goes to the Gallery: In Opposite 2

Ngo Van Sac presents a fragmented and polarized reality in his latest solo exhibition In Opposite 2. Magic and reality, tradition and capitalism, nature and fabrication are the opposing elem...

in Music & Arts

[Video] This Animated MV Made by Local Artists Will Give You All the Feels

Animated with beautiful black and white watercolor illustrations, the music video for 00:00 not only provides a stimulating visual experience, but also shows off the creative skills of a group of youn...

in Film & TV

[Video] Vietnamese Director’s Animated Film Makes Oscar Shortlist

Saigon-born, Paris-based director Nguyen Phuong Mai has struck gold with her professional cinematic debut. Her short film, My Home will compete with nine others for an Oscar nod this year.

in Culture

Da Nang to Host First Southeast Asia Skateboarding Championships

Vietnam seems to play second fiddle to its more developed SE Asian neighbors when it comes to sporting events. In what is hopefully a signal of this trend’s reversal, the World Skateboarding Federatio...

in Music & Arts

Maison Kenji: Emerging Designers Push the Vision of Fashion in Vietnam

As one of the newest players in the town, Maison Kenji brings a Euro-Asian flare to Saigon’s fashion scene. These Japanese-inspired, modern and ethically conscious threads distinguish this new indepen...

in Music & Arts

Local Illustrator Recreates Famous Saigon Street Corners

In From Saigon, a series of colorful drawings, freelance illustrator and graphic designer Lys Bui manages to capture the charm of several well-known Saigon locales, including Tran Hung Dao, Nguyen Hue...

in Music & Arts

Drone Video Shows Off the Ruins, Salt Farms and Pristine Beaches of Central Vietnam

While many of the drone videos we post capture Vietnam’s cityscapes and well-known natural wonders, every now and then we find one focused on less-traveled locations.

in Music & Arts

[Photos] 5 Vietnamese Photographers Win at International Photo Contest

Last month, the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) announced the winners for their annual photo contest and five Vietnamese photographers found themselves in the top 27.

in Music & Arts

[Photos] Réhahn Returns With Another Stunning Photo Book

When we meet at a cafe nestled down the alley of 3A Station, Réhahn brings a copy of his second book with him. Based on its weight alone, you can tell how much work the Hoi An-based French photographe...

in Film & TV

New King Kong Flick to Film in Son Doong Cave

Son Doong will soon be paid a visit by another of the world’s most exotic attractions (albeit a fictional one) – King Kong.

in Culture

[Video] The Game Bored Kids Play in the Mekong Delta

Quick: what do you do with a wooden plank, a bicycle and a lot of free time?

in Culture

[Video] In Case You Were Wondering What Vietnamese Prison Is Like

As a general rule, prison sucks. Anytime you're forced to wake up at a certain hour, go to sleep at a certain hour, eat cafeteria food and wear the same outfit as everyone else, life is not going your...

in Music & Arts

[Photos] $60,000 Áo Dài Sets New Record

Last month, during the second annual Vietnam International Fashion Week, the folks at PNJ Jewelry decided to kick their áo dài game up a notch by debuting the most spangly, shimmering, outrageously ex...

in Culture

A Rich Guy in Thai Nguyen Dropped $135,000 on a Lucky Phone Number

When you're filthy rich, it's hard to keep a firm grasp on reality. This is why Mike Tyson owns a pet tiger and Gwyneth Paltrow is trying to sell everyone gold-plated juicers for Christmas.

in Music & Arts

[Video] Vietnam Airlines Is Bringing Its A-Game With This TV Commercial

Vietnam Airlines is really stepping up its game these days. Between a fleet of sexy new Dreamliner planes and its recent investment in international TV spots, the country's national carrier is we...

in Culture

[Video] This Is How You Nhậu in the Digital Age

If you spend any time on a mobile device, you're probably aware of how technology is destroying humans. There are a whole corners of the internet dedicated to smartphone addiction and someone is ...

in Music & Arts

Zelda Goes to the Gallery: The Power of Semiosis

French-based Japanese artist Yohei Yama lights up Vin Gallery with a feast of colorful Op art canvasses during his debut exhibition, The Power of Semiosis.

in Music & Arts

'Yellow Flowers' Becomes Highest-Grossing Vietnamese Drama Ever

Over a month after its debut, Toi Thay Hoa Vang Tren Co Xanh (Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass) – the stunning, state-commissioned film by Vietnamese-American director Victor Vu – continues to rake i...