How Vinahouse Fosters Sonic Belonging in Modern Saigon's Queer Collectives
If you spend a night wandering along Bùi Viện Walking Street and its dense concentration of bars and clubs, you will almost certainly hear the same sound spilling from multiple directions: fast, pounding basslines layered with Vietnamese pop melodies, punctuated by dramatic buildups and explosive drops. If you fall into the right algorithm on TikTok, you might encounter these same sounds circulating as background audio. This music is Vinahouse. Its ever-presence in both physical and digital spaces makes it one of the most recognizable yet least critically examined musical forms in contemporary Vietnam.
Xuân Phương in Culture
Inside Tế Tiêu, Home to Vietnam's Rare 'Land Puppet' Performances
Bidding goodbye to central Hanoi, I took the National Road 21B to reach Tế Tiêu Neighborhood, a small community in Đại Nghĩa Township of Hanoi’s Mỹ Đức District. This fertile patch of land by the Đáy River is the cradle of a unique form of traditional folk art: Tế Tiêu puppetry.
How Quy Nhơn's Old Cemetery Slowly Expands up Vũng Chua Mountain
You might miss it if you were driving past, but once you walk down a small hẻm off Quy Nhơn’s main Tây Sơn Street, the massive cemetery sprawls in all directions.
All Aboard the Languorous 35-Hour Train From Hanoi to Saigon
The train connecting Vietnam’s largest cities takes 35 hours. Yet even after the first time I finished the trip, I was already coming up with excuses for why I needed to do it again. For me, the journey is much more than a chance for great views and time to reflect. It’s an exploration of life itself.
Short Film 'Mud Below, Sun Above' Reveals Daily Trials of Hanoi's Scrap Collectors
Đồng nát translates to “junk; broken materials,” but it is also a term used in northern Vietnam to describe the recycling workforce, 90% of whom are elderly women, that operate in a nation that produces 68,000 tons of solid waste every day.
Inside the Vivid, Soothing Art Realm of Vietnamese Illustration Artist Phuongsongdep
Using her keen observation and sensitive art intuition, Minh Phương creates a colorful realm through her brushstrokes, w...
Paul Christiansen in Culture
Learning to Ngồi Chồm Hổm Is a Simple Way for Anybody to Feel More Vietnamese
What is culture? For someone who writes for an arts and culture publication, you’d think I’d have a quick and clean answer, but the more I ruminate, the more I realize it comes down to a sloppy assemblage of habits, ephemera, and minutiae: eating preferences, holiday attire, styles of sneezes, methods for counting on one’s fingers, variety of fruits to gift and an endless string of social norms. Pile enough of these choices together, and you end up with a distinct culture.
Great Vietnam Resurrects Nguyễn-Era Fashion, One Traditional Costume at a Time
In the last four to five years, ancient Vietnamese costumes have gained more visibility, becoming a welcome sight among young locals thanks to the efforts to reproduce and promote historic fashion from a number of designers, brands, and interest groups that appreciate the country’s history and traditions.
[Photos] The Origins Of Caodaism, Vietnam’s Hybrid Religion
Here’s a look at the early days of Caodaism, based on the writings of a French educated Vietnamese during the colonial period. This is all that is known about the author who was deported from Indochin...
[Photos] Behold: The Vietnamese Avengers
25-year-old artist, Nguyen Quang Huy, has put a Vietnamese twist on some of Marvel’s most popular characters.
Behind The Cover: Saigon Artbook Edition 5
The next edition of Saigon Artbook is hot off the press and ready for the art-hungry masses. The book will be officially launched this Thursday evening at the 3A Alternative Art Area, but before you a...
[Map] Vietnamese Is One of the World’s Most Spoken Languages
While there are about 7,000 languages spoken on Earth, more than half of the world’s population speaks one of 23 languages. Where does Vietnamese rank amongst the world’s most spoken languages? Pretty...
Designer Spotlight: Linda Mai Phung
The last couple of months have been exciting for Saigon-based fashion designer, Linda Mai Phung. The young French-Vietnamese designer recently celebrated the 5th anniversary of her eponymous bran...
[Video] Hanoi Road Rage Leads To Epic Jump Kick
Driving can test the patience of even the most cool and collected individuals. For one Hanoi driver, the poor directional choices of a motorbiker led to an epic jump kick to the chest.
[Video] Sài Gòn...Sài Gòn...!
In a departure from Vietnam road trips and timelapse videos, Sài Gòn...Sài Gòn...! shows the city from the perspective of a group of young locals.
5 Totally Reasonable Explanations For The Broken AAG Cable
While officials have blamed everything from sabotage to poor quality materials for its inconsistency, we’ve come up with five completely reasonable, alternative explanations for why the Asia-America G...
[Video] Heartbreaking Film Shows The Hopes And Dreams Of The Mekong’s Boat Children
Last week, Mai Huyen Chi released “Down the Stream,” a short film that explores the lives of boat children in the Mekong Delta.
84% Of Vietnamese Students Admit To Plagiarism
At a conference on academic integrity in Vietnam held on May 29, a university official announced the results of a survey that found 84% of students have plagiarized significant portions of their writi...
Vietnam’s Cities Are Losing A Lot More Than Their Old Buildings: Experts
“A city is enriched by accumulation over generations. Accumulation incorporates destruction but keeps enough fabric to retain cultural identity, while obliteration erases everything includin...
June Movies at Saigon’s Alternative Film Venues
This month’s films show us that it’s possible to make a great sequel from an 80s classic, that Twilight has accidentally done something good for cinema and that Hollywood producers can’t always constr...
Check Out This Hardcore American War-Era Board Game
As the US scaled up their military presence in Vietnam during the mid-1960s, anti-American propaganda followed suit throughout communist nations in Asia. While much of this was manifested in well-know...
[Video] Russian Daredevils (Illegally) Climb China’s Tallest Building
If you’re unfamiliar with On the Roofs (OTR), a group of Russian photographers who double as adrenaline junkies, you need only know one thing – they’re not afraid of heights.
Dragonfly: Setting the Standard for Theater in Saigon
Oscar Wilde, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Samuel Beckett, Rajiv Joseph and now Tennessee Williams - those are some of the figures whose literary works have been brought to Saigon by the only professional...
9 Photos That Perfectly Capture Vietnamese Smartphone Addiction
While smart addiction has become rampant across the globe, the scourge seems to be particularly acute in Vietnam.
[Photos] Dong Nai Farmer Breeds Mussels That Produce Buddha And Jesus-Shaped Pearls
When we talk about humans harnessing nature, it is often on a macro scale, such as dams, solar arrays and reservoirs. One Vietnamese farmer has found a more subtle, but nonetheless impressive way of b...
London’s Little Barrie Returns to Saigon
Rock and R&B band, Little Barrie, will return for the second time in as many years this Wednesday at Cargo Bar. The three-piece band - Barrie Cadogan (Primal Scream), Vigil Howe and Lewis Wharton...
Saigoneer Sunday Rewind
Saigoneer's staff highlights their favorite articles from the past week.
Can You Solve This Math Puzzle For Vietnamese 8-Year-Olds?
While Vietnamese students performed very well when it came to math and science in the recent OECD education rankings, some of the local curriculum is next-level difficult, stumping even those with PHD...
