in Literature

Guilt, Mortality, and Hope in 'Khát Vọng Cho Con' by Poet Du Tử Lê

“We are like fruits forcefully ripened, a generation of premature adults, a generation of misery.”— Du Tử Lê.

in Music & Arts

Vietnam's Central Highlands Imagined in ‘Angin Cloud’ at National Gallery Singapore

Amidst shifting social currents, industrialized landscapes, and a fast-paced world, how does a community preserve its heritage, rewrite histories, and confront colonial legacies? In this long-term collaboration with the Jrai community, ‘Angin Cloud’ by Art Labor explores these questions through a multi-floor installation at National Gallery Singapore that poetically intertwines Gia Rai (Jrai) beliefs, traditions, and environmental change.

in Quãng 8

Music Is My Release: Behind the Anger That Fuels the Fiercely Indie Group COCC

“I don’t make happy songs,” says Phúc, the lead singer and guitarist of Saigonese rock group COCC. He and I are sitting in the middle of the band’s “cave” — a homemade recording studio they began putting together ten years ago. “I dreamed about it for a long time,” Phúc says of the studio. “In 2015, when I finished this house, the vision came true. We invest in it all the time, buy a little bit here, buy a little bit there. We’re still adding and improving the system and the equipment.”

Paul Christiansen

in Culture

The Harrowing History of Vietnam's Rubber Plantations

"Oh it’s easy to go to the rubber and hard to return, / Men leave their corpses, women depart as ghosts."

Paul Christiansen

in Literature

Korean Culture Has Stolen Vietnam's Hearts. What About Korean Literature?

If you were a book publisher and saw a sudden spike in sales for a book published years ago, how would you explain it?

in Literature

'I Wander Alone' and 'Your Shirt Button,' Two Poems by Nguyễn Quang Thân

“You told me not to look at you, it’s silly / Yet I want to gnaw you the way I gnaw bread ... the pack of ravenous dogs looked at me with night sea eyes / I wish they could gnaw me piece by piece.”

in Music & Arts

Đờn Ca Tài Tử Captures the Soul of Southern Vietnam in Every Melody, Every Word

“It’s not something unfamiliar, but it’s been a few years since I last heard it. Stumbling upon this beautiful bucolic scene now has made me fall in love with the Mekong Delta’s đờn ca tài tử melodies again.”

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in Culture

Working Multiple Jobs: A Trend for Foreigners in Saigon?

It’s been almost a year since I first arrived in Saigon. Now, when looking back on my search for jobs in the city, I think that my personal experiences carry some value and may come in handy for those...

in Music & Arts

“Long way home” - Asia - Europe Short Story Contest

"They called her The Big Girl, sometimes The Lost Girl, but among themselves The Strange Girl. In her own world she was a little girl. But she stopped being little when she went travelling and decided...

in Music & Arts

Saigon Players Are Back and Calling for New Cast Members

“Saigon Players” will celebrate its 10th anniversary as a community theatre in Saigon. It is a non-profit theatrical group composed by amateurs and professional foreigners and Vietnamese who share the...

Brian Letwin

in Music & Arts

Dope Vietnamese Rap Mix

Over at Bodegapop, Gary has assembled a dope mix of Vietnamese hip hop tracks. Gary, always on the hunt for unique international music, was driven to find some Vietnamese hip hop at his local Vietnam...

Brian Letwin

in Culture

Vietnam Struggling to Keep Treasure Hunters in Check

Since 1998, numerous ancient vessels have been found of the coast of Quang Ngai Province. The ships hold thousands of ancient artifacts, mainly ceramics as these waters were once part of the ‘Ceramic ...

in Culture

VietPride Arrives in Saigon

Tomorrow, August 24th VietPride - "share the pride" will arrive in Saigon for the very first time. The LGBT community has prepared a series of activities and events to raise awareness about sex...

in Music & Arts

San Art Laboratory: Open Studio Session 3

Have you ever been in front of a painting, a photograph, a video installation or any other form of artistic creation, for that matter, and asked yourself “What was the artist/author thinking?”, “What ...

Brian Letwin

in Film & TV

New Web Series Captures the Vietnamese Diaspora Seeking a New Life in Vietnam

A new web series, Employed Identity, explores the phenomenon of the Vietnamese diaspora returning to the country of their parents’ birth, to find both themselves and successful careers. Directed by Ba...

in Culture

Today is Vulan, the Day of Mother Worship and Welcoming Ghosts

If you're wondering why the Buddha flags are out and why all your Buddhist friends are eating vegetarian today, that's because it's one of Vietnam's coolest holidays - Vulan.

Brian Letwin

in Culture

Saudi Man, Exiled for Being Too Đẹp, on His Way to Vietnam

You may recall hearing the story of Omar Borkan Al Gala, a Saudi man deported from his home country for being too handsome. Well, luckily this is no crime in Vietnam and the exiled, really, really ri...

Brian Letwin

in Film & TV

Films Coming to Vietnam This August

We know we’re a few weeks late, but here’s a list of films being released in Vietnam this month. Descriptions from IMDB.

in Music & Arts

Beautiful, 100-year-old Water Paintings of Vietnam

You know how much we love to post old photos of Vietnam. But every now and then it's nice to switch up the medium a bit, so today, we present some beautiful, turn-of-the 20th century water color paint...

Brian Letwin

in Music & Arts

Vietnam in the Frame for New Season of BBC World News Programmes

The BBC will be televising a number of stories relating to Vietnam starting August 24.

Brian Letwin

in Music & Arts

The Flaming Lips - Zaireeka Listening Party --AND-- a Special Screening of the Rockumentary, The Fearless Freaks

An evening of music and cinema.

Brian Letwin

in Music & Arts

Lush Pajama Party

From the organizer: Time to dress up again! Ladies and gentleman get ready for the sexiest and funnest pajama party ever. Join us for an amazing evening as Mr. Jolly and the Pajama Jam Sexy Dancers ...

in Film & TV

South East Asian Portraits - A Documentary Series

Sunday 5 p.m - I have just finished work and I look outside the window like a child on Christmas morning, hoping that the rain has stopped. No luck. I prepare myself for yet another ride under the rai...

Brian Letwin

in Music & Arts

Event: Japandroids Bringing Euphoric Rock to Saigon

From the Organizer For the 4th installment of Loud Minority, the Saigon based club night will host acclaimed Canadian rock-duo, Japandroids at Cargo Bar.

in Culture

Awkward Allies: North Korea and Vietnam

A recent article from NK News examines the slightly awkward relationship between North Korea and Vietnam since the beginning of the Cold War. Starting in the 1950s, Hanoi and Pyonyang became uneasy al...

Brian Letwin

in Music & Arts

Event: PechaKucha Returns on August 15th

PechaKucha is exactly the kind of event Saigon needs - a place for forward thinkers to meet other like-minded indiviguals, share expierences and network.

in Music & Arts

Creative Shakes - Where Art Comes to Life

Who defines art? Who can make art? Who is an artist? These questions have been explored, dealt with and talked about by artists and critics since the beginning of the 20th Century. The perception and ...