in Music & Arts

New Exhibition on Painter Lưu Công Nhân Is a Trip Through Time

The solo exhibition allows the audience to time travel to the world of the late painter Lưu Công Nhân. From watercolor sketches to large-scale paintings, old documents, and even a typewriter on display, the paintings will take us through different time periods of his artistic career.

in Music & Arts

Minh Thúy, Muse of 'Em Thúy' by Famed Painter Trần Văn Cẩn, Passes Away

Even though both the painting’s creator and muse have left us behind, a part of their life will live on with us in an important relic of Vietnam’s 20th century history.

in Travel

A Merry Morning Over the Fish Markets and Salt Fields of Phan Rang

I live in Đà Lạt, so the most direct route to the coast brings me to Phan Rang, which is where I often go for the beach and seafood.   

in Music & Arts

Traces of Movement, Memory and Heritage in Duo Exhibition 'Entrusting to Emptiness'

An exhibition that brings the audience through the transition between day and night, and movements between dream and memories. There is no beginning and no end, and all elements above somehow reflect the cycle of our existence.

in Music & Arts

In 'Vietnam Retropunk,' a Young Illustrator Dreams of a Cyberpunk Hanoi

To Đặng Thái Tuấn, the talent behind illustration project “Vietnam Retropunk,” whimsical depictions of robots and animatronics sprouting out from everyday objects and activities embody the space in between the ancient and the futuristic.

Paul Christiansen

in Ton-sur-Ton

Easybadwork's Free Spirits Are Rooted in Nature and the Underground

A sparrow swooping across a special-edition can of Coca-Cola, the illustrations featured in the artworks of Ngọt's Grammy...

Khôi Phạm

in Music & Arts

The 1st Vietnamese Song With 1bn Views on YouTube Is About Ducks

It’s not Hoàng Thùy Linh’s catchy dance track ‘See Tình’ or the crossover Mekong Delta hit ‘Con gái miền Tây,’ the first Vietnamese song to amass one billion — or bill-ion, if you will — on YouTube is a children’s song about ducks.

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Brian Letwin

in Music & Arts

Vietnamese Artists Mix Electronic, Hip Hop and Traditional Music

There are complaints that Vietnamese pop music is bland and lacks variety and musical ingenuity. Pop ballads, usually indistinguishable from one another, dominate Vietnamese TV and radio. Fortunately...

in Music & Arts

Ode To Saigon

When Mark Batchelor found himself in an all-to-familiar power outage, he was left with no internet and decided to spontaneously pick up a pen a paper and whip together a poem/rhyme about his first imp...

Brian Letwin

in Culture

Event: Green Drinks Returns on June 25

Every month people who work in the environmental field meet up at informal sessions known as Green Drinks. With a lively mixture of people from NGOs, academia, government and business, it's a great w...

Brian Letwin

in Music & Arts

Downed US Plane in Binh Phuoc

Earlier this year, Quinn Ryan Mattingly made his way through Binh Phuoc Province. Eventually reaching Phuoc Long, he stumbled upon some interesting history, a downed US plane, slowly decomposing in th...

in Music & Arts

Amazing Vietnamese Origami

This is the work of Hanoi-based artist Nguyen Hung Cuong who creates his beautiful pieces with paper called Do. Nguyen Hung Cuong has been making origami since the age of six when he received his fir...

Brian Letwin

in Music & Arts

Call for Submissions - Ho Chi Minh MEGA City

If you love Saigon, it’s time to grab your camera and take some shots of the city! The photo book, “TP. Ho Chi Minh MEGA City,” is currently being assembled and the authors are seeking submissions. C...

Brian Letwin

in Music & Arts

Saigon Graffiti - Part 1

Saigon has quite a bit of graffiti but not much of it is of particularly high quality. These refreshing pieces by local bombers such as Tom, KD, Ares, Mur, K Dee, YCP are a few years old but show a h...

Brian Letwin

in Culture

Authorities to Crack Down on Showing Skin in Public

If the Ministry of Public Security has its way, there will be a lot less skin showing on Saigon’s streets. The ministry has introduced a draft decree that doubles fines for people appearing in "underg...

Brian Letwin

in Culture

New Report on Vietnamese Online and Mobile Trends

The market research firm, Cimigo, just completed their most recent report on Vietnamese online and mobile trends. The numbers revealed that consumers are becoming increasingly engaged online. The stu...

Brian Letwin

in Culture

Rolls-Royce Coming to Vietnam in 2014

Apparently Mercedes, BMWs and Bentleys aren’t enough for Vietnam’s growing upper class. But not to worry! Starting next year, British luxury carmaker, Rolls-Royce will set up shop in Vietnam. Rolls-R...

Brian Letwin

in Culture

Nixon’s Plan to Nuke His Way out of Vietnam

B52 Stratofortress Taking Off. Source: US Government Remember that time Nixon gave orders to drop nukes on Moscow to end the war in Vietnam? No? Well neither did I until I came across this article wr...

Brian Letwin

in Culture

Who Does Hoi An Exist For?

Ancient houses, beautiful beaches, great restaurants and plenty of places to take long strolls have given Hoi An a reputation for being one of Vietnam’s most charming destinations. But as the number o...

Brian Letwin

in Music & Arts

Event: Art House Cinema Presents “The Night James Brown Saved Boston”

Tonight, Art House Cinema will screen the 2008 film, “The Night James Brown Saved Boston.” The film covers a James Brown concert which took place after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and ...

Brian Letwin

in Music & Arts

Vietnamese Language Garden 'Green City' Photo Contest

About the Contest We are now accepting submissions for the Vietnamese Language Garden photo contest. Use your creative eye to shoot photos that capture nature in Saigon - tree-lined streets, a day i...

Brian Letwin

in Culture

How Vietnam’s Rich Earn Their Millions

Two words: Real estate. Citing an unnamed report, VietnamNetBridge found that nearly 30% of Vietnamese millionaires made their money from real estate investments and development. As living standard...

Brian Letwin

in Culture

Hanoi Train Travels Though Narrow Gap Between Houses

Just as in Saigon, Hanoi is a dense city where, outside of downtown, little attention was paid to details like infrastructure planning. This can result in some impactful visuals such as this video of ...

Brian Letwin

in Culture

A Look at Vietnam's Love Hotels

Walk through any urban public space in Europe, South America or the US and chances are you’ll encounter a young couple doing…couple’s things. Public spaces are an escape from the oversight of family a...

Brian Letwin

in Culture

Vietnam's Ancient Villages Face Serious Problems

Vietnam realized long ago that its ancient villages and towns would be big hits with foreign tourists. Over the last 15 years, the country has rushed to protect its historical heritage by anointing so...

Brian Letwin

in Film & TV

Record Profits for Vietnam's Cinemas

For those whom frequent movie theatres, it’s probably not a surprise to learn that 2012 was a record year for ticket sales in Vietnam. The country has seen massive growth in this industry with a 514% ...

Brian Letwin

in Film & TV

Local Director Heading to Cannes Film Festival

Vietnamese director, Tran Dung Thanh Huy, will be showing his short film, 16:30, at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The film follows a group of street kids who sell lottery tickets in Saigon’s street...