Trần Dần, the Literary Maverick Teaching Us How We Should and Can Be an Artist
In the mind of many Vietnamese readers, the name of writer Trần Dần has been inextricably linked with artistic experimentation and innovation. His poetic voice feels nothing like those of writers I learnt back in high school: there is something so different, refreshing and oddly contemporary about it. As I consider every page of his bulky posthumously published anthology Thơ (Poetry), I find his legacy remains inspirational even for contemporary readers — especially other young Vietnamese — on what it means to “be an artist.” This does not only entail one’s appreciation and production of Vietnamese art, but also their adoption of an artist’s mindset into daily life.
A Tribute to the Incredibly Eye-Catching, Organic Signage of Sa Đéc
Signs are like voices.
Residence Eleven: A Cantonese Culinary Journey Above Saigon
Floating high above the city on the 39th floor of Hilton Saigon, Residence Eleven is a narrative in space, taste, and memory. As the first Chinese fine-dining venue in a five-star hotel to offer direct, panoramic views of the Saigon River, it brings a singular perspective, both literally and metaphorically, on Cantonese cuisine in Vietnam.
Linh Phạm in Travel
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.
In 1920s–1940s Paris, Vietnamese Artists Painted Through the Interwar Period as the 'Others'
How did Vietnamese artists navigate the complex tides of social and political changes, and mark their own position in the art world as the “Others” during interwar Paris — which was celebrated as the “City of Lights,” yet also a stage for both colonial propaganda and a ground for anti-colonial resistance?
Vietnam's Colonial Histories Reimagined as Fictional Adventure Tale in ‘The Year Is XXXX’
We often encounter adventure tales in books and through adaptations of films or television. But what if a newly imagined adventure tale can also be written as an exhibition — one that maps strange-yet-familiar landscapes with a colonial history of exploration and exploitation?
Contemporary Hip-Hop Dance '129BPM' to Perform at Art Festival in Malaysia in August
After two successful nights in Saigon last year, a mesmerizing contemporary hip-hop dance performance is bringing its raw energy abroad.
Tuyết Nhi in Travel
Visit a 160-Year-Old Chapel Inside Saigon's Historic St. Joseph's Seminary
Hidden within the compound of the Saigon St. Joseph’s Seminary is a historic chapel that has withstood the test of time.
Khôi Phạm in Music & Arts
Two Decades of Women's Vintage Fashion in Saigon, as Illustrated by a Young Hanoian
In conversations surrounding Vietnam’s fashion history, it’s impossible not to discuss áo dài and its many iterations across the eras as symbols of Vietnamese femininity, but it would be amiss to leav...
Rắn Cạp Đuôi Collective's Only Rule in Music Is Having No Rule
To write any music interview, my formula is quite simple: start with the story of how they got into music, followed by their critical opinions on the field. There will always be a narrative that the m...
Vintage Music Compilation 'Saigon Supersound' Releases 3rd and Final Volume
Since Saigon Supersound presented its first volume back in 2017, the anthology of vintage Vietnamese music has become a household name for fans, both in and out of Vietnam, with a penchant for tunes f...
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
The Fraught Human-Earth Dynamics in 'Revenge of Gaia,' a Collection of Vietnamese Eco-Fiction
Stories focusing on the natural world and humanity’s relationships with the environment existed before the term eco-literature became popular in the west in the 1970s, but since its coinage, writers a...
How Young Artists Are Bringing Mural Arts to Schools in Rural Vietnam
On their fifth journey off the beaten paths, Tô Đậm is heading to the highland of Ma Bó, Lâm Đồng Province for a new season of lessons, stories, and adventures previously unfolded.
HBO Adaptation of 'The Sympathizer' Casts Kiều Chinh, MC Kỳ Duyên, Sandra Oh
Hollywood stars Sandra Oh and Robert Downey Jr. are joined by a number of diasporic Vietnamese actors for the anticipated HBO adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Sy...
Linh Phạm in In Plain Sight
Hanoi's Literature Museum Is Not Neglected, but It's Not Thriving Either
From the side road of Âu Cơ Street, I turned into ngõ 275.
Khôi Phạm in Quãng 8
Hồ Trâm Anh Writes Music for Those Who Walk City Streets Yearning for the Open Sky
When I begin my interview with Hồ Trâm Anh, a light shower starts sprinkling over Saigon’s overcast maudlin sky. I apologize if any errant pitter-patter might distract our call, but Trâm Anh brushes i...
Elise Luong in Music & Arts
Q&A: Nguyễn Quí Đức on Tadioto, Zone 9, and How He Fell for Hanoi's Charms
Countless are the number of hours Hanoi creatives have spent sipping whisky and contemplating the world at the famous drinking hole that is Tadioto.
Adrien Jean in Culture
In Ninh Thuận's Chăm Community, a Joyous Celebration of Katê, the Year's Most Important Festival
The Katê festival is the oldest and most unique festival of the Chăm ethnic minority and has been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage by Vietnam's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tou...
Mầm in Quãng 8
From Rapper to Singer-Songwriter: Minh Đinh and the Trials to Find Himself
Minh Đinh's journey of self-discovery is one that represents the effort of the multi-talented artists in the Vietnamese indie community.
The Hanoian Artisan Carving Intricate Reliefs From Leather to Make Book Covers
The enduring pages in our history deserve book covers that match their significance.
Paul Christiansen in Culture
Need a Sign From the Universe? Lương Hữu Khánh Street Has Every Color, Shape, and Size.
Saigon is filled with addresses you aren’t looking for, announcements not aimed at you and signs for businesses you have no plans to frequent. Sign street demands delving into the oft-ignored.
A Brief History of Paris by Night, the Anchor of Vietnamese Culture Abroad
If home cuisine could satiate exilic tongues that resist strange flavors, art might condole with nostalgic hearts. Paris by Night is one such therapeutic art, or the hallmark of performing arts for Vi...
Paul Christiansen in Culture
In Đà Nẵng, a Vintage Money Aficionado Forgoes Professorship for Life in the Night Market
What gives one’s life meaning? For some, it’s faith, family or art. For Trần Văn Nam, it’s money, but not in the way you probably imagine.
'Đông Nam Bộ' Project Invites 14 Young Artists to Draw the History of Their Hometowns
“Đông Nam Bộ” is a collection of illustrations reflecting the culture, history and local charms of provinces in the Southeast Region of Vietnam. The artworks were all created by artists who live or gr...
Meet Chú Hai Bạc, Saigon's Veteran Vespa and Lambretta 'Doctor'
Even in his 70s, Phan Văn Bạc — better known among friends and fans as chú Hai Bạc — is still getting his hands dirty every day working with engines, screws and bolts to take care of vintage Vespas an...
Vietnam's Cultural Diversity via 3 Versions of Sọ Dừa in Kinh, Chăm, Raglai Folklore
On Sọ Dừa’s birth certificate, how should one fill in the “ethnic group” field?
Vietnamese Masters Contribute to Hôtel des Arts Saigon's 1930s Indochine Aesthetics and Timeless Grace
An antique phone placed in the elegant ground-floor lounge at Hôtel des Arts Saigon, Mgallery invites visitors to Call back in time. Paintings by esteemed Vietnamese artists from bygone decades i...
Linh Phạm in In Plain Sight
How a Plane Carcass Became a Museum and Community Hangout in Hanoi
The massive chunk of metal greeted me as soon as I stepped through the gate.
