I Grew up With Print Newspapers and Magazines. Now, They're Disappearing.
Print media was a crucial part of my childhood and a friend that opened a window into a vivid world of knowledge that was fascinatingly strange in the eyes of young me. But right at this moment when I hit the streets as an adult, the newspaper vendors of those days seem to have vanished, their colorful spread of magazines gone amid the busyness of today. A quiet transformation and farewell has begun.
Xuân Phương in Culture
In Tây Hồ, an Artisan Community Holds Fast to Their Lotus Tea Traditions
Every sip of lotus tea encapsulates all the essences of the natural landscapes of Tây Hồ.
New Tarot Deck Uses Traditional Motifs, Legends and Folk Wisdom to 'Speak Vietnamese'
Tarot decks can feel written in a foreign language.
The ISHCMC Advantage: Going Beyond Grades to Prepare Future-Ready Graduates
Leadership isn’t just taught, it’s lived at International School Ho Chi Minh City (ISHCMC). With a legacy spanning more than 30 years, ISHCMC has helped generations of students gain entry into top global universities and thrive as leaders in their fields while contributing to their communities. As it continues to elevate its academic vision, new Head of School, Marco Longmore, is providing the ISHCMC community with fresh guidance.
Paul Christiansen in In Plain Sight
Pages of Passion: Saigon's New Bookstore Epitomizes What It Means to Run a Passion Project
Saigon finally has a fantastic English-language bookstore!
Khôi Phạm in Music & Arts
'Đây Ngồi Ráp Việt' Pixel Art Project Turns Vietnam's 63 Provinces, Cities Into Model Kits
How many of us can identify all 63 localities in the current administrative map of Vietnam? Who has been to all of them? Who can name all the 54 ethnicities of Vietnamese across the country? These are all surprisingly hard things to do considering the average citizen doesn’t travel to other provinces often, and if they do, few actually stray from popular tourist destinations.
Between Motion and Stillness, Huỳnh Công Nhớ Explores Memory and Belief in ‘Mắt Nhớ'
Drawing on themes of childhood memories, human beliefs and spirituality, filmmaker and painter Huỳnh Công Nhớ moves between the worlds of cinema and painting, inviting viewers on a journey in search for the quiet beauty in life’s simplest moments.
An Ode to Our Childhood Games and the Days of Being Wild
This season, chò seeds drift through the air, their tiny wings twirling in the wind before settling softly onto...
[Video] Spectacular Drone Video of Saigon
Camera-mounted drones are kinda our favorite things in the world right now. Earlier this week, we posted a video of Hanoi captured from one of these flying wonders. In response, one of our readers tip...
[NSFW] Mai Khoi’s New Music Video Will Have You Saying “What the Phở?”
We’re all for a departure from Vietnam’s redundant pop music but this new video from Mai Khoi might have gone a bit too far outside the box.
Behind the Curtain: My Village
Aerialists flying through jungles of bamboo sticks, jugglers and acrobats delicately walking on movable bridges; twenty artists and musicians came together to reinterpret the daily life of Northern Vi...
Facebook Causes More Problems in Vietnamese Schools
Yet again the use of social technologies in schools is making headlines in Vietnam as concerns grow about the number of students using Facebook to express dissatisfaction about their schools and teach...
New Zine in Saigon is Seeking Writers and Artists
A welcome addition to the Saigon arts and culture scene, a new zine, Hem HCMC, is set to launch in May and is currently seeking contributing artists and writers.
Saigoneer Exclusive: Interview with the Director of 'Saigon is Happy'
Saigon is Happy became an instant viral hit when it was posted on YouTube last month, racking up over 100,000 views. We sat down with director, Thành Đạt Phan, to see what inspired the video, how he r...
Lee Starnes in Culture
Saigoneer Dispatches: How a Phnom Penh Youth Center is Using Hip Hop to Empower Street Kids
Through an unassuming alley in a slum of Phnom Penh, the deep beat of a bass line rings. One and two and three and four echoes off its dusty walls. Kids are dancing. Breakdancing.
Hoang Oanh: Vietnam’s Original Pop Star
The crate diggers over at music blog, Bodega pop have put together a collection of songs from Hoang Oanh, the “Saigon Siren,” produced between 1960 and 1975, the Golden Era of Vietnamese pop.
How to Draw Buddha, the Right Way
During the Golden Age of Tibetan Gupta rule, strict guidelines were created for how one should draw Buddha. And they’re insanely specific.
[Video] Hilariously Awesome Vietnamese Remix of The Avengers/Unstoppable
In Vietnam, where the concept of ‘copyright’ is as foreign as queuing in line, we’re bombarded by faux Western products on a daily basis. While these knock-offs generally carry a reputation for cheap ...
[Video] American Shows off Impressive Vietnamese Skills in Trinh Cong Son Tribute
While most foreigners in Vietnam seem to be intimidated by the tonal nuances of Vietnamese, Kyo York, an American expat living in Vietnam for over 4 years, seems to have the language down pat.
[Slideshow] Motorbikes Can Carry Anything and Everything
In many developing countries, motorbikes are the main method of transportation for not only people but also, well, everything else. To illustrate this, the Global Post recently published an article, “...
Beautiful Origami Street Art in Hue
French street artist, Mademoiselle Maurice, learned the art of origami when living in Japan in 2011. After mastering the craft, she began a quest to stimulate positive emotions by adding some color to...
International Pillow Fight Day @ 23/9 Park
From the organizer: Wake Up Saigon brings you our city's participation in this international day of fun for the 3rd straight year! Join us as we pummel each other with pillows joining over 120 cities...
Expats and #SAIGONISHAPPY
Everyone should, at least once, climb to a high rooftop in Saigon. On most days, the subtle fog on the horizon recedes just far enough to let you glimpse a motley patchwork of aquamarines, drab and pa...
[Video] Presenting: Grand Theft Auto Saigon
As if driving in Saigon weren’t close enough to a videogame, a group of enterprising gaming enthusiasts have created a seemingly Vietnamese mod of the popular title, Grand Theft Auto 3.
[Video] In the Ruins of a Hue Temple
From 1802 – 1945, Hue was the imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty. Buildings from this period have become popular tourist attractions and many, such as the city’s famous citadel, have been painstak...
[Video] Saigon Is Happy
You've probably seen the video for the hit song Anh Không Đòi Quà where a women is stripped (literally) of the gifts given to her by her ex-boyfriend. While there have been dozens of remakes of this v...
The Brains Behind Vietnam’s Meme Explosion
Vietnamese netizens have embraced internet memes which employ a mix of humour and satire to create a new lens with which to view everything from daily life to pop culture. In a recent interview, Vietm...
Apocalaughs Now @ Cargo
From the organizer: You've seen the amateurs, now it's time to see the pros.
