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.
In the Mekong Delta, Đồ Bộ Is Everything, Everywhere, All at Once
Despite its humble beginning as something worn just for convenience’s sake, đồ bộ has entered every minute of life in the Mekong Delta as a staple fashion choice that’s both flexible and colorful. Đồ bộ means “set outfit” in Vietnamese, a type of female casualwear made of soft, thin fabrics that often comes in a top and long bottom combo. They’re sometimes referred to as “Vietnamese pajamas,” but these comfortable sets can be worn at any time of the day and even outside, not just reserved for sleep like pajamas.
Nguyễn Đổng Chi's Classic Retelling of Vietnam's Fairy Tales, Now in English
Folklorist and anthropologist Nguyễn Đổng Chi dedicated decades to weaving a significant portion of Vietnam’s folklore tapestry. He collected, researched, and rewrote over 200 Vietnamese folktales from all corners of the country. His work, initially scattered across five volumes published individually and consecutively over 25 years, appeared as a complete anthology in 1982. Guided by a comprehensive treatise of Vietnamese folktale, Chi’s Kho tàng truyện cổ tích Việt Nam (Treasury of Vietnamese Folk Tales) might be daunting for readers drawn to Vietnamese folklore but disenchanted by rigorous academic discourse.
Kit Humphrey in Travel
In Thổ Hà Village, Rice Paper Spills Onto the Streets and Wraps Around Daily Life
A few hours after sunrise in the small village of Thổ Hà, Bắc Giang Province, alleyways morph into picturesque tunnels of drying rice paper, while ladies toast crackers over fire in the streets.
5 Of Saigon’s Oldest Temples
Before the arrival of the French and their colonial architecture, Buddhist temples served as the most ornate structures in Saigon. Here is some background on and the locations of five of the city’s ol...
[Updated] The Prodigy To Play Surprise Performance In Saigon This Friday
[Update] According to the organizers, the show has been canceled due to logistical issues.
Color Me Run Returns To Saigon
After a successful Saigon debut in 2014 with more than 6,800 participants, the next installment of the Color Me Run will take place in the city this April.
Saigoneer Sunday Rewind
Saigoneer's staff highlights their favorite articles from the past week.
An Illustrated Guide To Vietnamese Slang: Part 1
We’re back with another series of illustrated Vietnamese slang.
[Video] Marou Chocolate's Nifty Stop Motion Commercial
Director Tom Jobbins and a team of animators, 3D model designers and colorists worked painstakingly on this playful 30-second spot to show the abridged story of how Vincient Marou and Samuel Maruta be...
March Movies At Saigon’s Alternative Film Venues
This month’s film programme is packed with films that address socio-political issues including gay rights, civil rights and freedom of speech. If that’s not your cup of tea, you have the opportunity t...
The Best Cultural Happenings In The Year Of The Horse
As we say goodbye to the year of the Horse, our editorial team looks back at the increasingly expanding cultural scene in Saigon and beyond. From theatre to art exhibitions, these are, in no particula...
New Video Shows Why "Da Nang Is Awesome"
Da Nang is Vietnam's posterboy for urban development, sporting everything from free public WIFI to a dragon bridge. Surrounded by rolling hills and pristine beaches, the city attracts plenty of local ...
[Photos] Vietnamese Transform Ordinary Cars Into 'Rolls-Royces'
In Vietnam, the land of product copycats, imitation iPhones and Louis Vuitton handbags are par for the course. But now, a new and impressive trend seems to be taking off – modding ordinary cars into "...
Vietnam Photo Tips: Lighting Subjects Wearing Nón Lá
One issue photographers often face in Vietnam is taking pictures of people wearing the traditional nón lá, Vietnam’s signature conical hat. It covers so much of the face that your subject may look und...
Saigoneer’s February Art Picks
Saigoneer's arts & culture guru, Zelda, highlights some of the best art being displayed and exhibited around town this month.
Local Handbag Company Seeks To Empower Minority Women And Preserve Ancient Weaving Techniques
When sustainable fashion designer, Danica Ratte, traveled to the far-flung corners of Vietnam, she was immediately taken with the weaving culture of the country’s ethnic minorities.
Exhibition Spotlight: Leonid Keller
Leonid Keller is the first and only exhibition in Saigon by Berlin-based artists Julia Ossko and Eugen Schulz.
[Photos] The Mekong’s Grandest Flower Village In Full Bloom
Last week, the oldest and largest flower village in the Mekong Delta, Tân Quy Đông, was in full bloom.
Saigoneer Sunday Rewind
Saigoneer's staff highlights their favorite articles from the past week.
[Updated] Release Of “50 Shades Of Grey” Canceled In Vietnam
[Update Below] While CGV will soon introduce IMAX in Vietnam, it won’t be bringing local audiences one of the year’s most anticipated films as 50 Shades Of Grey has been pulled from Vietnamese th...
[Videos] 20 Tết Dos And Don’ts
Unlike the Western New Year, Tet is a particularly superstitious occasion with plenty of dos and don’ts.
Event Rewind: Art Talk And Drawing Workshop With Rodney Dickson
Many local artists in Vietnam share a common ground for artistic inspiration – war – as it characterized a significant part of the country’s 20th century history. The global impacts of these conflicts...
Vietnam Set To Get Its First 2 IMAX Theaters
IMAX and a Korean company have agreed on a deal to open Vietnam’s first two super-sized screens.
