in Trích or Triết

Composer Hoàng Việt and a Radical Romance Across the North-South Border

In a country fractured by ideology, Hoàng Việt's love for his wife Ngọc Hạnh persisted like a secret melody carried across closed borders by weak radio signals, and letters that had to circle the globe before finding their way home.

in Music & Arts

The Cultural Depths in Contemporary Hip-Hop Dance ‘129BPM: Động Phách Tách Kén’

Have you ever witnessed a live performance so powerful that it still lives in your mind weeks later? “129BPM: Động Phách Tách Kén” is not your usual hip-hop breakdance battle, but a contemporary dance performance combining live music with Vietnamese folk elements. It is a journey that requires your full presence and attention to appreciate its fleeting and transformative moments.

in Film & TV

New 'Số Đỏ' Movie Announced, Directed by Phan Gia Nhật Linh, Starring MONO

Another classic of Vietnamese literature is heading to the big screen in the near future.

Thi Nguyễn

in Loạt Soạt

Revisiting the Delicious Satirical Society of 'Số Đỏ' by Vũ Trọng Phụng

Published in 1938, Dumb Luck , or Số Đỏ , remains one of Vietnam's most popular and controversial novels. Vũ Trọng Phụng was ...

in Music & Arts

Severine Phương Trần's Debut Exhibition in Saigon Celebrates a World of Colors

Step into Severine Phương Trần’s first-ever exhibition in Saigon, where you can explore the artist’s inner world of vibrant colors and different emotions. To fully enjoy this exhibition, it is best to let your inner child and imagination roam free and allow the flow of colors and different sceneries to guide you through a journey of creativity, self-discovery, and personal artistic transformation.

in Quãng 8

From Germany to 'King of Rap' Runner-up: How Tuimi Becomes a Hip-Hop Breakout Star

Tuimi, a Vietnamese German singer and rapper, has become one of the most notable female voices in the local hip-hop scene and been making big waves since her return in 2019.

Paul Christiansen

in Travel

Ruminate on Our Natural Legacies While Surrounded by Cây Sao at Ao Bà Om

I never pass up an opportunity to reflect on chò nâu and its dipterocarp relative, cây sao. The massive trees that gracefu...

in Culture

What Will Become of Chợ Quê in the Era of Widespread Online Shopping?

Firmly taking root in everyday life, our hometown markets — chợ quê — are not simply a place to trade, but also puzzle pieces that make up childhood memories, holiday excitement, and even tales of hardships and life milestones of countless people. 

Back Arts & Culture

in Music & Arts

The Zoologist Who Makes Animal Origami out of Vietnam's Banknotes

What if you could make art with just VND200?

Linh Pham

in Music & Arts

Hanoi Photographer Marcus Lacey: 'To Photograph a Subject Well, Learn From How It Was Painted'

Marcus Lacey’s first experience in Hanoi was sitting in a bia hơi for seven hours.

in Music & Arts

A Nguyễn Văn Tỵ Artwork Is up for Sale in Hong Kong. His Family Says It's Fake.

Nguyễn Văn Tỵ's family claims he never produced the lacquer screen of a jackfruit tree that was recently put up for bidding.

Paul Christiansen

in Quãng 8

Kim Chi Sun and Charles on the Evolution of Good

"I haven’t lost myself yet, but there are many new angles of me, new realizations; there are some new feelings, new vibes I want to share with you. I want to open up to you," Kim Chi Sun says to her l...

in Music & Arts

Phi Nhung, Bolero and Folk Songstress, Passes Away at 51 Due to Covid-19

Over the years, the resurgence in popularity of bolero music in Vietnam has spawned numerous new stars, but Phi Nhung’s place in the genre as a veteran chanteuse can never be replaced.

in Literature

Vietnamese Novel 'The Mountains Sing' Honored by Prestigious US Peace Prize

The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai was named the runner-up for this year's Dayton Literary Peace Prize in the fiction category. 

in Arts & Culture

An Illustration Project Brings Life to the Pages of 16th-Century Literature

Find yourself immersed in the world of mythical fiction through these enchanting illustrations from the art project Truyền Kỳ Mạn Lục.

in Music & Arts

'Thần Đồng Đất Việt' Author Lê Linh: 'I Will Never Stop Working With History'

For Vietnamese comic fans of the past two decades, the names Lê Linh and Thần Đồng Đất Việt will most definitely ring a bell.

in Music & Arts

In Artist Tú Na's Alternate Universe, Hanoi Is Home to Steampunk Adventures

Nguyễn Anh Tú, known by his pen name Tú Na, likes to draw characters and make up stories. He graduated from the Hanoi University of Industrial Art, and has been drawing for over a decade. In 2020...

in Culture

Basket Boats: A Key Part of Everyday Life in Coastal Vietnam

Vietnam’s narrow tube houses come from the feudal era and the tax policy in effect at the time. The feudal state charged a fee based on the width of the street-facing facade to collect taxes, pushing ...

in Film & TV

These 9 Vintage Vietnamese Films Are Now Available for Viewing on YouTube

The Việt Nam Film Institute (VFI) is providing free screenings of nine movies, available now on YouTube. 

Michael Tatarski

in Loạt Soạt

A Wildly Original Intermingling of Tales From Vietnam, Past and Present

In the Saigoneer office — which I haven't actually seen in person for months — a common concern is the prevalence of the war in literature about Vietnam. Even among younger writers, particul...

in Music & Arts

An Illustrator Gives Vietnamese Music Icons Sleek Cyberpunk Makeovers

Trần Phát, known on social media as Phat HaHa, is a designer from Bien Hoa. He recently released an album of 30 Vietnamese artists drawn in cyberpunk style. 

in Literature

Thơughtful: Chữ(a) Là(nh), a New Poetry Series to Raise Fund for Those in Need

“Chữ_là để chữa_lành,” or “words are for healing," is Bay Library’s motto for their poetry series. Amidst these difficult times, words have never abandoned people; they are here to heal, share, and sy...

in Quãng 8

Built on Rock, Raditori's Music Shines Thanks to Whimsy and Unpredictability

With the release of their ambitious debut album "Những Con Người," Raditori is making a name for themselves in the local rock scene.

in Music & Arts

Benefit Concert Featuring Indie Artists Plays Tomorrow to Raise Fund for Vaccines

Tomorrow at 7:30pm, Vaccine-AID-ED, a virtual benefit concert, will broadcast live on Facebook free for all viewers.

in Film & TV

Disney to Stop Airing Disney Channel, Fox, Channel V in Vietnam From October

Devastating news for children.

in Culture

An Ode to Gối Ôm, Our Time-Honored Sleeping Companion

There’s a scene in The Sound of Music, where Julie Andrews gazes into the future on a stormy night and envisions something holy: play clothes. She wraps herself in her bedroom curtains, a stuffy ...

Linh Pham

in Postcards

Hanoi Postcard No. 11: Saddle Chill Time

Who is better at the art of chilling on a motorbike than the xe ôm?

in Quãng 8

Indie Quintet Whee! Brings Their Eclectic Sounds to the Local Music Scene

Making their debut in the midst of the pandemic with a cryptically named album, Whee! offers listeners a down-to-earth and prismatic experience that draws from the musicians' harmonic bond.