The New Year Brings New Joys at Grand Ho Tram
While traditional, Tết doesn’t need to feel outdated. Combining the timeless charm of the holiday with emerging opportunities for fun allows the season to remain enticing for people of all backgrounds and interests. A selection of entertainment offerings, culinary opportunities, and activities at The Grand Ho Tram’s District Vui balance the best of nostalgic New Years and modern thrills, making it a wonderful choice for foreign and domestic travelers booking their first trip of the year.
Heritage Encounters Contemporary Art in Exhibition ‘Thẩm / Thấu, Thưởng’
Just before the upcoming Lunar New Year, “Thẩm / Thấu, Thưởng” exhibition takes viewers on a journey to explore the beauty of traditional and folk materials re-imagined in contemporary forms. It enhances the essence of contemporary art through a fresh perspective on how heritage can be reinterpreted within modern creative practices.
Vũ Bằng's Nostalgic Longings for Hanoi Teach Us How to Love a Place Deeply
From Thương Nhớ Mười Hai to Miếng Ngon Hà Nội, Vũ Bằng’s way of lacing Hanoian features with melancholic reminiscence always brings me straight back to the embrace of my hometown, even more so after I moved to Saigon at age 19. Since then, my writing and social media posts about Hanoi have often been accompanied by quotes “stolen” from his books: “My spring — the spring of northern Vietnam, Hanoi's spring — is a season of gentle misty rain, cool tender winds, the sound of swallows calling all jade-dark night, distant chèo drum beats from distant hamlets with maidens lovely as poems singing timeless love songs.” This was how Vũ Bằng’s oeuvre made its way to my heart.
The Phenomenal Phonk of Budding Rapper Ci Pi's Fever Dream
Everybody in my university program seems to know Bùi Ngọc Cẩm Phương, though in the music world, she's more popularly known as Ci Pi, a stage name that combines her name’s 2 initials. Be it because of her music or her noticeable Japanese fashion styles, even on campus, Ci Pi’s presence is “vivid” and easy to spot. However, it wasn’t until I knew her personally through a group project that I caught a glimpse of her true self. Despite the edgy appearance with quirky hairstyles and aesthetics, Ci Pi is quiet and calm, and always seems to be immersed in her own world.
Khôi Phạm in Music & Arts
5 Classic Christmas Songs in Vietnamese for Those Craving Nô-en Wistfulness
Christmas celebration in Vietnam is something else altogether.
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.
Brian Letwin in Music & Arts
DJ Ed Davenport On Electronic Music, Life and Saigon
After stops in Singapore and Indonesia, British-born, Berlin-based DJ and producer Ed Davenport is bringing his music to Saigon as part of his Asian tour. He took some time to chat with the organisers...
Epic Drone Video Shows Another Side Of Hong Kong
Add this drone video to the body of impressive video work we’ve seen come out of China in recent months.
San Art Laboratory Launches Kickstarter Campaign
Saigon-based non-profit art organisation San Art has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for their Laboratory.
Central Vietnam Photography Workshop With Saigoneer’s Lee Starnes
This August, Saigoneer photographer Lee Starnes will be leading a central Vietnam photography workshop alongside Pics of Asia founder, Etienne Bossot.
Fashion Is Art At Dzung Yoko’s First Solo Exhibition
While in Paris the Helene Bailly Gallery is hosting an art show by designer Maurizio Galante and Viktor & Rolf are dressing models in canvasses, here in Saigon, we have the city’s very first show that...
[Photos] Artist Creates Mini Country House With Incredible Detail
The art of bonsai is one steeped in tradition and characterized by the miniaturization of trees, some of which fetch prices of up to US$1.2 million.
“One Country” Celebrates 15 Vietnamese Contemporary Artists
Vietnamese fine art is often looked through a geographic lens (South, Central and North) or by groups of artists rather than individual ones.
[Photos] Photographer Miniaturizes Saigon With Tilt-Shift Lens
Last year, amateur photographer, Nguyen The Duong, fitted his camera with a tilt shift lens and perched himself atop various buildings across the city. The effect of the lens in tandem with birds-eye ...
[Photos] The Hidden Gems of Saigon's Notre Dame Cathedral
The Notre Dame Cathedral is among Saigon’s most obvious iconic buildings, but while we may think we know everything about the building, its attic is filled with hidden treasures, from dusty old pipe o...
Saigoneer's June Art Picks
Two video installations from the 6th San Art Laboratory, a sculpture from one of Vietnam’s most prolific artists, photographs depicting life in Vietnam and the works from the latest Saigon Artbook are...
Authorities Considering Glass Cage for Ancient Hoi An Bridge
Hoi An’s beaches aren’t the only tourist attractions threatened by erosion. The town’s famous Chùa Cầu Bridge (aka the Japanese Bridge) is in poor condition, leading authorities to consider a number o...
Vietnamese Performance Artist Featured At The Artists’ Film International in London
Vietnamese pioneer performance artist, Tran Luong, continues to attract huge interest abroad. His video, Lập Lòe/Welts, is currently being shown at White Chapel in London (UK) as part of Artists’ Film...
July Movies At Saigon’s Alternative Film Venues
Dinosaurs, androids, socio-political documentaries and juicy indie films from around the world make up this month’s menu at Saigon’s alternative film venues.
[Video] 94-Year-Old Hanoi Woman Becomes “Internet Master”
94-year-old Hanoi resident, Le Thi, might not be churning out code or learning the finer points of InDesign, but for someone born in 1921, her computer skills are downright impressive.
[Video] Hanoi Police Hunt for Man for Allowing Dog to Drive Motorbike
Hanoi police are on the hunt for a man who let a dog drive his motorbike after a video of the incident surfaced online last week.
Esoteric And Reimagined Religious Rituals Lay The Ground For “Carne Vale” At Galerie Quynh
Greco-Roman ruins and imaginary masked characters set the stage for “Carne Vale,” the new exhibition by Nadege David and Sandrine Llouquet at Galerie Quynh.
[Video] The Sounds Of Saigon
Every city has a soundtrack and Saigon is no exception. There is no composer for this score, but rather a harmonious free-for-all composed of a seemingly infinite number of sounds, from ice melting in...
Saigoneer’s Recent Art Picks
The haunting installation by a Saigon-born writer/artist; a visual diary of Vietnamese portraits; a visual map of Saigon’s urban changes and the opening of the first urban gallery in town are among ou...
8 Places Where You Can Pick Up A Saigon Artbook
Missed out on the Saigon Artbook Party at the 3A Alternative Art Area? Fret not, for they are available at five locations around the city!
[Photos] 12 Rare Images of Saigon From Above
Back in 2009-2010, famous Vietnamese photographer, Gian Thanh Son, boarded a military helicopter and flew over Saigon, capturing some beautiful areal photos of the city.
