in In Plain Sight

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.

in Music & Arts

New Tarot Deck Uses Traditional Motifs, Legends and Folk Wisdom to 'Speak Vietnamese'

Tarot decks can feel written in a foreign language.

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.

in Music & Arts

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.

in Culture

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...

Back Arts & Culture

in Music & Arts

[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...

in Music & Arts

[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.

in Music & Arts

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...

in Culture

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...

in Music & Arts

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.

in Film & TV

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.

in Music & Arts

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.

in Culture

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.

in Culture

[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 ...

in Music & Arts

[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.

in Culture

[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, “...

in Music & Arts

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...

in Culture

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...

in Culture

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...

in Culture

[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.

in Culture

[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...

in Music & Arts

[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...

in Culture

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...

in Culture

Apocalaughs Now @ Cargo

From the organizer: You've seen the amateurs, now it's time to see the pros.