Khôi Phạm

in Travel

Bask in the Morning Sun in the Green Heart of Huế Along the Hương River

As tourists, it's in our built-in compass to seek out novelties and excitements, if anything, to remind us that our daily humdrum is not everything, and there exists a world out there with multitudes to explore.

in Culture

More Than Just Prosperity, Ông Địa Is My Personal Patron Saint of Misplaced Things

I was maybe seven when I first clasped my hands and whispered a plea to Ông Địa.

in Film & TV

The Charming 1990s Nostalgia in the Phim Mì Ăn Liền Cinematic Universe

If you lurk around online discussions of Vietnamese cinema, you probably have stumbled upon the term phim mì ăn liền, or “instant noodles films.” This popular Vietnamese expression describes local motion pictures with low-effort production value. But the term is not merely a common moniker. It dates back to the 1990s, when a specific type of commercial flick got audiences flocking to the cinema.

Khôi Phạm

in Culture

An Homage to the Sounds of Saigon Past That Are Going Extinct

After someone or something reaches the end of their days, which aspects of their existence in the minds of those who remain would be the first to succumb to the erosive brush of time? Is it sight, smell, touch, taste, or sound?

in Travel

Chùa Một Cột in Thailand Reminds Me of the Familiar in an Unfamiliar Land

On my last full day in Khon Kaen, Thailand, I was on a mission to catch the sunset, although the cloudy and gloomy sky didn’t give me much hope. Instead, I randomly stumbled upon a gate with signs written in Vietnamese. Out of curiosity, I decided to walk in, and the farther I walked, the more clearly I spotted a familiar image from afar: a one-pillar pagoda standing right on the edge of the reservoir.

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.

Back Arts & Culture

in Culture

Vietnamese Man Creates Working Replica of Batman's Batpod

Meet Vu Tang Lam, an obsessive Batman fan. And what do you get when you mix Batman with Vietnam? A replica of the batpod, of course! Lam spent nearly 2 years creating his version of the famous batpod...

in Music & Arts

Art Video International Film Festival (AVIFF)

From the organiser: Calling all Video artists! AVIFF invites you to a presentation and video show case at Saigon Outcast on Wednesday 6th of November. A fun, easy going, networking event for vi...

in Music & Arts

Interview: A Talk with Conceptual Artist Emilie Moutsis Von

Poe, Hawthorne, Washington Irving and Sartre are among the authors that French conceptual artist Emilie Moutsis Von has been working on, using the process of blacking-out parts of the text and combini...

in Culture

Event Rewind: Zombie Walk Saigon

Last night hordes of zombies descended upon downtown as part of the annual Zombie Walk Saigon. Festivities begin at Red Bar where volunteer makeup artists added plenty of blood, open wounds and lacer...

Brian Letwin

in Culture

Hoi An: From Backwater to Tourist Hot Spot

Popular travel magazine, Condé Nast Traveler, just released their rankings for the most popular cities in Asia based on feedback from their readers. The ancient town on Hoi An came in second, just beh...

in Music & Arts

Ha-Ha Brings Beautiful Graffiti to Saigon

For someone like me that was raised in the land of Banksy – London – in which the east part of the city is nothing less than a playground for graffiti artists, where street art is considered something...

in Culture

In Vietnam, Cheating Will Cost You Dearly

In yet another effort to improve Vietnam’s education system, MOET, the government’s education and training ministry, has decided to impose a series of fines on those who engage in rule breaking behavi...

in Culture

Zombie Walk Saigon Returns on Nov. 2

Saigoneer is proud to be a media partner of the upcoming Zombie Walk Saigon. In case you haven’t experienced it yourself, here’s the lowdown – people put on terrifying makeup, dress up and roam the st...

in Culture

Video: Không Muốn Ăn Thịt Chó (Don't Want to Eat Dog)

"Studying another language is hard. Studying Vietnamese is ridiculous." Ăn Đu Đủ, aka Dave just launched his blog, Daily Davey where he plans to chronicle his life in Vietnam. For one of his first po...

in Music & Arts

'Other Knowledges' - 2nd 'Encounter'

‘Other Knowledges’ is the second lecture presented by San Art as part of their ‘Encounter’ programme, which aims at bringing thinkers from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to Saigon.

in Culture

Green Drinks: Can Ethics & Profitable Manufacturing Co-Exist?

From the organizer: Join Green Drinks for a new experience at Bizu Cafe in The House of Saigon with a fresh Speaker this November. Rachael Carson will talk about the nuances of building a social ente...

in Arts & Culture

Hundreds Take to the Streets to Support Same-Sex Marriage in Vietnam

As the Vietnamese National Assembly gears up to debate gay marriage next month, hundreds took to the streets of Hanoi yesterday to highlight the issue. Part of the “Toi Dong Y” (I agree) festival, the...

in Culture

Video: Hanoi - Saigon Time Lapse

It seems like time lapse videos are all the rage in Vietnam these days. A number of them have popped up over the last few months, some by amateurs and others by professionals. In either case, they do ...

in Music & Arts

Event Rewind: GLAM

Last night saw the first installment of GoGo City’s GLAM, a new art and music party, at Q4. Live artistic expression was the name of the game - guests joined artist Yanneth Albornoz to paint huge mur...

in Film & TV

Vietnamese Horror Film Reviewed by New York Times

Earlier this year, the government announced plans to overhaul Vietnam’s film industry. Looking to copy the success of Korea and Japan, officials are planning to invest over US$300 million of the state...

in Culture

Fundraiser: How you Can Help the Victims of Typhoon Nari

Saigoneer has partnered with Venus Café to raise money and collect goods to help the victims of last week's Typhoon Nari which devastated central Vietnam. To help families rebuild their lives and get...

in Music & Arts

Um Kafe: Adding a Bit of Jazz to Saigon

Don’t you love it when, almost by accident, you discover cosy, out of the way music venues? Even more so if the music in question is jazz, a rarity in Saigon. Jazz musician and painter Zan (Truong Gi...

in Music & Arts

GLAM: Bringing Exciting New Art and Music to Q4

Get in the holiday spirit this Friday with a little dress up, great entertainment, and exciting new art! GoGo City presents GLAM, an event that celebrates art and self-expression in its many forms. T...

in Music & Arts

The Saigon Players Present: Rocky Horror Halloween Madness!

The Saigon Players are a non-profit community theater group who aim to uphold the arts while giving to charity. All the proceeds from their performances go towards a charity that the members personall...

in Culture

Saigon Blog Spotlight: SoJournaling Vietnam

Wanting to reconnect with his ancestral homeland, Kyle, a 23-year-old Viet Kieu from California, packed his bags and moved to Vietnam a few years ago. He has been traversing the country ever sinc...