Neighborhood Vibes and Modern Comforts Combine at Hotel Indigo Saigon The City
Staying in a local neighborhood means surrounding yourself with the sights, styles, routines, traditions, and history of a locale. Hotel Indigo Saigon The City, a new boutique lifestyle hotel, tells the stories of the iconic Ba Son area via its details, decor, atmosphere, and experiences, so checking in feels like taking part in a celebration of the city.
Uyên Đỗ in Arts & Culture
Strangevisuals Is an Archive of Daily Life on Postcards of Rice and Dó Papers
What are our memories made of?
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
Within the Shocking Brutality of Queer Novel 'Parallels' Rests Poignant Poetry
Parallels by Vũ Đình Giang shocked me. While I refrain from spoiling its plot, allow me to share my experience when reading this novel, as translated by Khải Q. Nguyễn, to better explain how the book jolted me from expectations and why the experience provides a unique and valuable addition to the array of Vietnamese novels translated into English.
‘129BPM’ Carries the Contemporary Hip-Hop Heartbeat From Vietnam to Malaysia
Under the shared heartbeat of “129BPM,” the dancers channeled their emotions through movement, navigating between individuality and collectivity both on and off stage. Extending beyond Vietnamese audiences, the piece has now been presented on an international platform at George Town Festival 2025 in Penang, Malaysia, marking a significant milestone for Vietnamese contemporary hip-hop performance on the international stage.
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.
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?
Saigon Postcard No. 29: Nhâm Dần Limps In
Humans adapted to fields, birds to branches... and yet, in Saigon...
'54 Shades of Dần,' a Tribute to Tết in Tiger-Themed Playing Cards
Tết is coming, a time of joy, new beginnings and, for some, the ideal time for card games.
Indie Documentary Project on the Music of Vietnam Releases First Trailer
It started as a personal project that has turned into much more.
Chris Humphrey in Culture
At Hanoi's Thousand-Year-Old Flute Kite Festival, Melodies and Prayers Cross the Sky
Passed down by village forefathers since the Dinh Dynasty, Ba Duong Noi Village’s kite festival has become a source of pride for the local community. With three bamboo flutes attached to each kite, it...
John Legend to Perform at Vingroup Ceremony in Hanoi Tomorrow
On January 20, the American singer behind hits such as 'All of Me' and 'Love Me Now' will perform at a Vingroup event at the Hanoi Opera House.
Uyên Đỗ in Music & Arts
A Vietnamese French Artist Reunites With His Own Roots Through Painting
On display at Thảo Điền’s Ngõ Art Gallery last year, the watercolor painting exhibition “Dream” is the conclusion of a decades-long artistic journey that has led a French national to learn more about ...
'In Art We Trust,' a Propaganda Art Exhibition for Gender Equality
Last weekend, Heritage Space and Ơ Kìa Hà Nội held the exhibition “In Art We Trust” — a collection of propaganda art on gender equality — at the Goethe Institute.
Paul Christiansen in In Plain Sight
Finding Fun and Revelation Aboard Saigon's Wayward Waterbus
Cement, clay, clapboard, spackle, rebar, piping, plaster smears, paint drips, pencil scrawlings: to witness the rise of a building, observe its innards, is to marvel at the pretense of an ego, for wha...
Saigoneer Podcast: We Rate 2021; Lunar New Year or Gregorian New Year?
A belated Happy (Gregorian) New Year from the Saigoneer Podcast team!
The Graceful Rhythms of Áo Dài Through the Lens of Chiron Duong
Dương Quang Đạt, better known as Chiron Duong, is a Vietnamese fine art photographer. One day, his foreign friends asked him about áo dài, and he realized that he hadn’t worked much with this national...
A Movie Adaptation of 'Đất Rừng Phương Nam' Will Hit Theaters in Late 2022
The adventures of the intrepid An will return to screens in a movie adaptation by director Nguyễn Quang Dũng.
Indie Meets Classical in a New Rendition of 'Tôi và Em' by Pink Frog
In the company of three violins, a cello, and a double bass, Pink Frog delivers a version of ‘Tôi và Em’ that is even sweeter than the original.
Khôi Phạm in Music & Arts
Year in Review: Saigoneer's 30 Picks for Best Vietnamese Music of 2021
Despite the drab outlook enveloping the entertainment industry for most of 2021, this year saw a boom in new faces across genres and the release of many pandemic albums.
Saigoneer's Favorite Original Photography of 2021
If Vietnam was able to skirt the worst of the pandemic in 2020, that was no longer the case this year, which saw major localities in the country battered by waves of COVID-19 deaths and extended bouts...
On Its 100th Birthday, a Brief History of Hanoi's Theater Scene
Hanoi is home to many kinds of art forms, but to me, theater is the most special — an art that blends charisma, brilliance, and elegance. When I was growing up in Hanoi, my father used to take me to t...
'How I Met Your Father,' Featuring Tien Tran, Hilary Duff, Drops First Official Trailer
Have... you met Sophie?
Saigoneer Podcast: Hannah Hà, Mark Gergis, Jan Hagenkoetter & the Making of 'Magical Nights'
We're hear to deliver a Christmas present from the Saigoneer Podcast!
A Series of Live Sessions That Add a Classical Flair to Pop Favorites
Continuing with their goal to bring to the table a different musical experience, 8 the Theatre returns this month with a new project to combine classical music with a contemporary stage.
Heartfelt, Queer and Wickedly Witty: How Poetry Collection 'Come Clean' Sparks Joy
Joshua Nguyen lists himself as many things on his Instagram bio — a writer, a PhD student, a boba snob. He received his MFA from the University of Mississippi, where he is currently studying for ...
Exhibition 'Hà Nội Là' Showcases How Local Youths Define the Capital
Twenty-nine outstanding artworks from the illustration contest “Hà Nội Là” are on displayed at the French Institute in Hanoi-L’Espace from December 18, 2021 to January 2, 2022.
