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.
Khôi Phạm in Literature
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.
Paul Christiansen in Travel
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?"
Opening Exhibition - "Red Thread" by Bui Tien Tuan @ Craig Thomas Gallery
Women in Vietnam are often depicted in art wearing the traditional Ao Dai and conical hats, or at least this is what misleading collective imagination and popular culture want us to believe. This ste...
Brian Letwin in Culture
Profits and Contradictions: Inside SE Asia’s Dog Meat Trade
Though eating dog has long been part of Vietnamese culture, the illicit dog meat trade in SE Asia has been growing rapidly over the past few years. Recently, cross-border smuggling of the animals has ...
Brian Letwin in Music & Arts
Video: Perhaps the Best Saigon Time Lapse Yet
We've seen a number of great Saigon time lapse videos recently. With the city's streams of constant movement, it's a natural location for this cinematic technique. A new time lapse by Pierre Ogeron g...
Brian Letwin in Culture
Video: The Differences Between Saigon and Hanoi
Earlier this year, Graphic designer, Nhat Le created a book depicting the many cultural differences between Hanoi and Saigon. Now, the Pho Team has taken the regional battle a step further with the h...
Brian Letwin in Music & Arts
Can Vinyl Make a Comeback in Vietnam?
According to online retailer, Amazon.com, vinyl is its “fastest growing music medium.” With a 745% increase in sales since 2008, many are proclaiming the comeback of our favorite analog audio (sorry 8...
Brian Letwin in Film & TV
Short Film: My Journey to Work
As many of us struggle with motivation on Mondays (or any weekday for that matter), it’s not always easy to get yourself going. Sometimes, it takes a dose of external inspiration, like the video below...
Brian Letwin in Culture
Vietnamese Airlines Struggle with Cigarette Smoking, Mobile Phone Using Passengers
So, apparently smoking on flights is a thing in Vietnam. Vietnamese airlines are struggling with flagrant abuses of standard, in-flight safety regulations as customers have been found smoking in bath...
Brian Letwin in Culture
Video: A Taste of Vietnam
Daniel Klein and Mirra Fine took a trip to Vietnam last year and brought along with some pretty sweet filming equipment. After editing what was presumably hours of footage, the duo condensed their 2 ...
Short Film Screening - Vietnamese Family Life
From the organisers: Mê phim - passionate about films and Sàn Art Laboratory are pleased to present a film event this time at Déjà Vu Cafe Two short films by two film makers one in Vietnam, one from ...
Brian Letwin in Music & Arts
Heart Beat Saigon Presents "Breaking Blanchy’s"
Heart Beat Saigon is taking over all three floors of Blanchy's Tash on Monday, October 14. From the organizer: "Breaking Blanchy’s" This time presenting UK Techno legend Oliver Ho aka Raudive. ...
Brian Letwin in Music & Arts
Saigoneer @ Saigon Flea Market
Hey Saigoneers! Just a head’s up that we’ll be at the Saigon Flea Market this Sunday at the Crescent in Phu My Hung. If you’d like to pick up one of our super cool t-shirts, you can find us outside, ...
Brian Letwin in Culture
Awesome 24 Hour Time Lapse of Saigon
We've seen some cool time lapse videos of Saigon in the past, many of which focus on the city's chaotic traffic. This video, produced by Jan Niederhumer, takes the high road, setting up his camera to...
Beware of the Dog...Napper
Hien Pham, a 29 year-old Vietnamese woman still wants to cry whenever she remembers Gina, a pomerian dog kidnapped one year ago.
Brian Letwin in Culture
Nhabeo House: Bringing Green to the Concrete Jungle
The Nhabeo House, located in Saigon was designed by Trinhvieta Architects with interior design by Quach The Vinh. The house was designed to connect with the outside environment and utilizing the space...
Brian Letwin in Culture
Pecha Kucha Global Night @ Saigon Hub
From the organizer: Join Pecha Kucha Nights HCMC for Vol. 5 and also Pecha Kucha Global Night! Not only will you hear awesome presentations as usual, but we will also be joining a GoogleHangout roo...
San Art Laboratory - Open Studio2 Session 3
On September 21, artists Nguyen Hong Ngoc (Hanoi) and Phan Thao Nguyen (Saigon) will open their studio to the public one more time before their final exhibition in November. Thao and Ngoc are two youn...
Brian Letwin in Culture
Images of Destruction and Restoration: Hue Citadel
The Hue Monument Conservation Centre has just launched a poster exhibition that captures the long history of the imperial citadel at Hue. Due to its importance, the monument has been witness to many o...
German Film Festival Coming to Saigon
This year the Goethe Institut brings some of the most interesting German films of the year to silver screen enthusiasts in Vietnam; both by famous directors and young, new filmmakers. And it's free!
Brian Letwin in Music & Arts
Slideshow: Henry Saiz, Live From Saigon
Henry Saiz brought his rolling drums and electronic soundscapes to Cargo Bar last night and did not disappoint. Here are some of our favorite shots from the night:
Brian Letwin in Culture
H&P Concept, ‘Pavilion of Dream Terraces’ for Milan Expo 2015
H&P Architects is proving to be one of Vietnam’s leading sustainable architecture firms. From airy, bamboo huts in the country’s rural heartland, to the recently completed, Bamboo–Earth–Stone Pavi...
