Paul Christiansen in Literature
Meet Dạ Ngân, the Author of the Most Important Vietnamese Novel You've Never Read
When the wind strafes Dạ Ngân’s window, seedpods shake and rattle like spent bullet casings in the tamarind tree that Americans planted decades ago. They also built the large apartment complex where she now lives. It’s an ironic place to call home, considering Dạ Ngân was a resistance fighter in the south during the American War.
Khôi Phạm in Culture
What Can Vietnamese License Plates Tell You About the Vehicles and Who Drives Them?
There was a game I used to play with my dad whenever we would stop at a traffic light. He would point to a random license plate in front of us and quiz me on where it came from.
Mũi Né Among Top 10 Trending Travel Destinations Globally in 2026, Booking Says
Travel site Booking.com dubbed Mũi Né “one of 2026’s trending travel spots,” reflective of the international attention and domestic emphasis the beach city is currently receiving.
Euphoria, Ruin, Nostalgia: Tracing Hanoi's Changing Skyline by Its Soundtrack
From loudspeakers broadcasting construction anthems during wartime to melancholic ballads mourning vanished street corners, Hanoi's soundtrack reveals a city that has never quite learned to live in its present tense.
Paul Christiansen in Rewind
In 'Cú Và Chim Se Sẻ,' a Director's Radical Empathy for Saigon's Less Fortunate
“They can do what they want. The city owns the zoo. They could sell all the animals here. They could turn it into a golf course. We’re just little people — you and me.”
In 'No Man River,' Dương Hướng Highlights the Raw Pain of Postwar Survival
Dương Hướng’s No Man River (Bến không chồng) was first published in 1991 and won the Vietnam Writers' Association Prize for Fiction. Translated into English by Quan Manh Ha and Charles Waugh, it captures the brutal reality of conflict in Vietnam from 1945 to 1979.
Nguyễn Đức Tín Weaves Spirituality, Faith, Everyday Life Altogether in His Paintings
Can a painting reflect who we are, even if we can’t see ourselves thoroughly? And how does faith guide us forward in life?
Liên Bỉnh Phát Makes History as 1st Vietnamese to Win Best Male Lead in Taiwan
Vietnamese actor Liên Bỉnh Phát recently made history at one of Taiwan’s most prestigious national award ceremonies.
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 be...
A Story of Personal, Political Reckoning in a Singaporean Writer's Fictional Wartime Vietnam
The Immolation first came to me as a bewildering surprise: at a now-relocated bookshop in Singapore, the book caught the eyes of the 17-year-old me. It was not so much the cover’s pale blue background...
Xuân Phương in Culture
Under the Sky, Above the Water: Into the Heat at Ninh Thuận's Salt Fields
A 3,000-kilometer coastline is one of nature’s best gifts to Vietnam, bringing about not just ample seafood, but also a motherlode of sea salt.
Paul Christiansen in Music & Arts
Enter the Dreamy Tales Told by the Works of Young Illustrator Thố Đầu • Hổ Vĩ
Being born at the cusp of the Year of the Rabbit (cat) and the Year of the Tiger offers the literal meaning for Hoàng Phúc's artist name, thố đầu • hổ vĩ, but he hopes it carries a metaphorical one, a...
Summer Nostalgia by the Sea: La Veranda Resort – MGallery Unveils a Golden Escape
Summer travelers are invited to step into barefoot elegance on Phú Quốc’s storied shores.
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.
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 mot...
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, sme...
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...
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.
New Tarot Deck Uses Traditional Motifs, Legends and Folk Wisdom to 'Speak Vietnamese'
Tarot decks can feel written in a foreign language.
Paul Christiansen in In Plain Sight
Pages of Passion Bookstore Epitomizes What It Means to Run a Passion Project
On the sixth floor of an old apartment building on Nguyễn Văn Tráng Street in District 1 stands Pages of Passion, a true haven for book lovers. New and used literature from around the world; non-...
Khôi Phạm in Music & Arts
'Đây Ngồi Ráp Việt' Pixel Art Project Turns Vietnam's 63 Provinces, Cities Into Model Kits
How many of us can identify all 63 localities in the current administrative map of Vietnam? Who has been to all of them? Who can name all the 54 ethnicities of Vietnamese across the country? These are...
Between Motion and Stillness, Huỳnh Công Nhớ Explores Memory and Belief in ‘Mắt Nhớ'
Drawing on themes of childhood memories, human beliefs and spirituality, filmmaker and painter Huỳnh Công Nhớ moves between the worlds of cinema and painting, inviting viewers on a journey in search f...
An Ode to Our Childhood Games and the Days of Being Wild
This season, chò seeds drift through the air, their tiny wings twirling in the wind before settling softly onto pathways. It feels as if someone, unseen, has scattered a handful of memories ...
Nay Mai Tạp Hóa Is a Love Letter From Its Founders to Vietnam and the Creative Spirit
When you step inside the jewel-box-sized Nay Mai Tạp Hóa, you have no choice but to confront the immediacy of the products on display around you: clothing, artwork, zines, jewellery, stickers, you nam...
In Chợ Lớn, Leaf-Wrapped Rice Dumplings Abound Every Tết Đoan Ngọ
The fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar is a day of great importance in Chinese communities all over Asia.
A Brief History of Hanoi Rock City, a Bastion of the Indie Spirit
Hanoi Rock City (HRC) is more than a household name for the youth of Hanoi, especially anyone who’s fond of the “Rock n Roll” culture. Nearly 15 years after its founding, HRC has become a special cult...
Paul Christiansen in In Plain Sight
Has the Saigon Metro Made Suối Tiên Relevant Again in the 2020s?
Has Vietnam outgrown Suối Tiên Theme Park?
In an Ever-Changing Saigon, Street Artisans Hold Fast to Dying Crafts
We delve into the lives of Saigon’s artisans — an animal coconut leaf folder, a woodcarver embracing modern influences, an accomplished street corner calligrapher, and an itinerant craftsman to see wh...
