From TikTok to Bars, a Group of Young Artists Brings Đờn Ca Tài Tử to Unexpected Venues
“If you happen to pass by Huỳnh Mẫn Đạt Street in Hồ Chí Minh City There’s a strange bar with a Mekong theme Where cải lươ...
Khôi Phạm in Culture
Home Is Where the Bum Gun Is
In the 2010s, my journey to study abroad took me to Singapore. Being a tiny person in an enormous city was a huge undertaking for a teenager, as I had to adapt to countless changes, from minute to major, at once: living in a different language, academic pressures, foreign customs and cuisines, and being away from my family. Gradually, things fell into place. The public transport worked well; the accent got more familiar; and I didn’t miss bánh mì and cơm tấm nearly as much as I thought I would; but there was one thing I never managed to entirely overcome — the bum gun-shaped void in my heart.
Review: From Czechia, ‘Trường Hè, 2001’ Bridges Family Divides, Both Onscreen and in Real Life
Summer School, 2001, directed by Czech-Vietnamese writer and director Dužan Duong, was first released last year and has received critical acclaim within the Czech Republic and Europe. Now, the film has come to Vietnam, where it is available in Galaxy, Cinestar, and Beta theaters across Saigon, Hanoi and Đà Nẵng.
Family-Friendly Summer Vacations Made Easy at Crowne Plaza Phu Quoc Starbay
The ripening of sweet jackfruit, mangosteen and mangos; hammocks swinging gently in patches of cool shade; and evenings that stretch on with the comfort of knowing there is no alarm clock waiting the next morning: summer arrives as opportunity. When school holidays begin, families scramble to adjust schedules and secure care and activities, creating the potential to carve out some time for a vacation to savor fresh air, explore thrills, and simply bond as a family in a beautiful destination.
This Wedding Is Too Boring to Nhậu, Let's Put on Some Miền Tây Remix
While phasing in and out of sleep on a coach in the Mekong Delta, have you ever been jolted awake by the bouncing beats of a Vinahouse version of ‘Quê em mùa nước lũ’ (Flooding Season in My Hometown)? Or, a mindless TikTok scroll would bring up the catchy tune of ‘Lấy cây kim may đồ’ (Pass Me the Sewing Needle) that’s trending nationwide.
Indie Short Film 'Saigon Kiss' Is a Quintessential Saigon Queer Love Story
Is there a meet-cute more characteristically Saigon than a motorbike breakdown and subsequent friendly assist from a stranger?
Linh Phạm in Trích or Triết
In Xuân Diệu's Tender Poetry, a Reminder to Love Honestly and Courageously
“Tenderly, fondly, Xuân Diệu held on to my wrist, caressing it up and down. Our eyes locked in affection…Xuân Diệu loved me.”
Pete Walls in Travel
For the Freshest Fish of the Day, Head to Hội An's Coast Before Sunrise
The alarm goes off at 3am. By 3:30am, scooters laden with empty crates and baskets are already moving through the dark lanes and sandy passages towards Hội An's coast. Long before the old town wakes, the beaches along the shore are coming alive with engines, head torches, waves, and fishermen preparing to return to land. Thankfully, coffee is readily available almost anywhere.
Saigoneer Podcast: The Demise of the Saigon Tax Center; Old v. New Photos of Vietnam
It's time for the second season of the podcast!
How a Hanoi Collective Found Audio-Visual Beauty in Bamboo and Red River Soil
Traditional music in Vietnam is a complex fabric woven of many threads. Some strands extend hundreds of kilometers across the country and others reach across borders and oceans to nearby neighbors.
The Artist Making a Miniature Saigon Out of Lego Blocks
If a bowl of hủ tiếu were the size of a Lego brick, how many hủ tiếu would you have?
The Timeless Beauty of Vietnamese Women in Mai Trung Thứ’s Legacy
Mai Trung Thứ, who lived from 1906 to 1980, was a remarkable Vietnamese artist who graduated from the Indochina Fine Arts College.
Film Adaptation of Mạc Can's 'Tấm Ván Phóng Dao' Wins Award at Busan Project Market
If Wood Could Cry, It Would Cry Blood was awarded the ArteKino International Award as part of the 2021 Busan International Film Festival.
Michael Tatarski in Music & Arts
Nocturnal Animals Music Livestream Series Unites Artists for Pandemic Relief
While bars and nightclubs remain closed, a special monthly livestream series starting tomorrow will give those of us in Vietnam the chance to experience nightlife without leaving the house.
Elise Luong in Music & Arts
Can Street Art Help Restore One of Hanoi's Poorest Communities?
Can street art lead to urban restoration? Or is it wilful gentrification? In February 2020, the Phuc Tan Public Art Project officially opened — the work on display offers engaging art and stirs up int...
Uyên Đỗ 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.
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...
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.
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.
Uyên Đỗ 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.
'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 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...
Adrien Jean 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 ...
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...
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.
