in Music & Arts

Explore the Realm of Sơn Mài Paintings via Nguyễn Xuân Việt’s New Solo Exhibition

What does it mean for an artist to preserve and continue the legacy of traditional Vietnamese lacquer across generations? Through this solo exhibition, Nguyễn Xuân Việt showcases his vast expertise and his endless enthusiasm for lacquer painting.

in Culture

Amid Saigon, a Traditional Lantern Craft Village Stands the Test of Time

Cellophane lanterns, the nostalgic anchors of our past full-moon festivals, are still alive thanks to the nimble fingers of craftspeople at the Phú Bình lantern “village” in Saigon.

in Culture

This Trung Thu, Learn How to Make Lion Heads From Huế's Lân Artisans

Often seen as the heart of Central Vietnam, Huế is the birthing ground for many traditional crafts. Artisan products from the ancient city often exude its inhabitants' elegance and rustic quality. Among them, the handmade lion’s heads from Huế carry distinctive slivers of beauty within them.

Paul Christiansen

in Culture

Are We Living in the Final Days of Cô Mía?

They say a person dies twice: once when their heart stops beating and a second time when people stop mentioning their name. If we alter this phrase a bit to include the last time one’s image is seen, Saigon’s beloved cô Mía may soon be receiving last rites.

in Quãng 8

Aprxel Builds Her Ethereal R&B Dreamscape With 2000s Nostalgia

“High school was when we all had lots of thoughts and reflections. And I felt like I didn’t fit in with the world around me at that time, so I turned to music as my companion,” Aprxel reflects on the period of time where her connection with music began to solidify, which ultimately set her on the path to become a music artist.

in Film & TV

Women in Post-Đổi Mới Vietnamese Cinema: From Archetypal to Multifaceted

In Vietnamese cinema, the female figure has long been employed to deliver macro-level messages rather than just mundane narratives.

in Music & Arts

Vy Trịnh Takes Us 'On Da Dream' via Her Solo Exhibition at Galerie Quynh

Tough-looking, yet elegant metal ribbons spark, spill, move and occupy all corners of the empty space: up and down, left and right, and in countless directions. Through a new series of sculpture works and a site-responsive sculptural installation, Vy Trịnh blurs the lines between the street scene and the exhibition space.

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in Music & Arts

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 ...

in Music & Arts

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...

in Culture

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...

in Music & Arts

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...

in Film & TV

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...