
On a Walking Tour, Mulling Over the Glorious Past and Odious Present of Tô Lịch River
We began our journey in front of a bank where the street Trần Nhật Duật turned into Chợ Gạo.

From Architecture to Folklore: 5 Indie Book Projects for Vietnamese Culture Buffs
In our years of writing about Vietnam, Saigoneer has had the pleasure to meet many passionate, inquisitive individuals whose creative and academic projects inspired us to appreciate the many facets of Vietnamese culture. Sometimes, we are lucky enough to see this labor of love being turned into physical books for us to cradle in our hands, delicately turn the pages, and heave in that heady aroma of freshly minted tomes.

How a Film Turned a Historic H'Mông Homestead in Hà Giang Into a Tourist Attraction
The photos don’t do it justice. That’s what you’ll often hear from people who visit Hà Giang to cruise its famed highway loop.

On Its 12th Birthday, a Brief History of Hanoi Rock City, a Bastion of the Indie Spirit
Hanoi Rock City (HRC) is even more than a household name for the youth of Hanoi, especially anyone who’s fond of the “Rock n Roll” culture. Twelve years after its founding, HRC has become a special cultural realm, one that brings musicians and fans closer to one another on its storied stage.

New Board Game Set Puts an Aesthetic Feline Touch on Bầu Cua Tôm Cá
In two weeks’ time, we can temporarily put down our laptops, shut away documents, and set up holiday auto-replies to slip into a bánh chưng-induced coma for a week.

Vietnamese Historical Gay Romance Wins Bronze at Japan International Manga Award
A gay-themed comic from Vietnam recently won a bronze award at the Japan International Manga Award.

Saigoneer's Favorite Original Photography of 2022
If our Saigoneer moments in 2021 were marred by catastrophes and heart-breaking departures, 2022 has been a year of rediscov...

Khô Mực Studio Releases Surreal Calendar Featuring Art From 12 Local Artists
For the 2023 calendar, 'Robots vs. Flowers,' twelve young Vietnamese artists were each given a month and tasked with creating an image responding to the question: "Can technology and nature survive together?"

Interview With the Organizers of the 'Neighbors' Gay Party
Neighbors is a monthly event, a Facebook community, and a group of volunteers. It is where Saigon’s gay community gathers to connect and expand business networks, furthers careers, and stay current wi...

Neighbors Gay Networking Party @ OMG!
From the organizer: Neighbors is a monthly gay event, Facebook community, and group of volunteers. It is where Saigon’s gay community gathers to connect and expand business networks, furthers caree...

Saigon Artist Spotlight: Jack Clayton
Jack Clayton is an artist from East London who has spent the last four years travelling. His inspiration for his art work is drawn from his experiences around the world and a representation of his env...

Saigon Sound: Daedelus
We caught up with Daedelus after he played to an enthusiastic crowd in Saigon in January. Surprisingly, there was a stark difference between his studio work, as stated earlier in his interview wi...

[Video] Mesmerizing Saigon Tilt Shift Time Lapse
We sure love our Saigon time lapse videos. For a frenetic city like ours, these cinematic pieces are able capture its energy, perhaps more than any other medium. We recently stumbled upon this video, ...

The Story Behind the Melting Pot Festival
Last weekend, the Melting Pot successfully celebrated its 4th event as well as its 1st anniversary with art exhibitions and a line-up of musicians and DJs, proving that there is a Saigonese’s experime...

Slideshow: 11 of the First Color Pictures Ever Taken in Vietnam
From 1914 - 1917 Leon Busy (1874-1950), a French officer serving in Indochina, was assigned by the Albert Kahn Museum in France to capture the lives of the people in northern Vietnam.

Vietnam’s Big Casino Plans Hinge on Locals Being Allowed to Gamble
While Saigon and Hanoi are home to a number of casinos, it is illegal for Vietnamese to roll the dice in their country. Plans for large-scale casinos have been in the works for years but until locals ...

Culture on 3 Wheels: Artsy 7-Story Tricycle Making its Way Around Hanoi
There are few things that surprise us in Vietnam these days – a gaggle of geese draped from a motorbike, electricity workers on precarious ladders, hell, even a volcanoes sprouting from the streets. B...

Video: Watch Prince William ‘Speak’ Vietnamese
Last week, Prince Charles and Prince William recorded a video with the BBC to encourage an end to the illegal wildlife trade. In an effort to spread the message to the world, the pair translated the s...

Saigon Soul - Pool Parties
Looking to cool off from the Saigon heat while relaxing and listening to some chill tunes? Then check out the weekly Saigon Soul pool party held at the rooftop pool of the New World Hotel, every satur...

Press Roundup: McDonald's Opens in Saigon
Since just about every major news agency has covered last Saturday’s McDonalds Saigon launch, we thought that, rather than rehashing the same story, we’d make a roundup of articles from the forei...

Artist Spotlight: Kristopher Kotcher
A child's imagination is pure, unpretentious, unique and unconcerned with other people's judgements or views. As we get older most of us tend to loose these qualities, often because there is an untold...

Infographic: The Most Popular Vietnamese Surnames
As Australia knows firsthand, the Nguyen surname is the most common among Vietnamese. But how does it stack up against others like Trấn, Lê and Phạm? One Vietnam put together a nifty infographic ...

Artist Spotlight: Yanneth Albornoz
There are very few people that you encounter accidentally in your lifetime with whom you can strike a spontaneous four hour conversation as if you have known each other for a very long time. Usually w...

Artist Spotlight: Landon Nguyen
18-year-old Saigon native, Landon Nguyen is an aspiring artist living in California. Though he has been a creative-type all his life, it wasn’t till he moved to the US that he realized his artistic po...

Tết Tây
Western New Year passed us by, towing an old sensation in its wake. It was a strange celebration, or if not completely strange then slightly out of joint. The Ball was stationary, and around its would...

Audio: Vietnam's Reggae Revelation
It may be played on repeat in tourist bars across Vietnam (and much of SE Asia) but reggae music has yet get traction in the local market. Hanoi-based journalist, Marianne Brown recently tal...

Event Rewind: Saigon Artbook Party 2
Saigon Artbook released their second edition on January 16th at Zest Café where the books’ artists and locals came out to support Saigon’s growing art scene. Zest proved to be an incredible space for...

Apocalaughs Now @ Cargo
From the organizer: Professional alternative stand-up comedy returns to Saigon on Tuesday Jan. 21 at Cargo Bar.