in Culture

When Lịch Bloc Is Gone, What Will Vietnam Use to Keep Discarded Fish Bones?

I have never bought a lịch bloc, or tear-off calendar, for personal use, because every new year, I'm bound to be gifted a brand-new one. In Vietnam, a calendar is often something one purchases as a present for others.

Paul Christiansen

in Music & Arts

The Vibrancy of Vietnam's Mundane Depicted by Illustrator Chan-Nhu Le

“I miss that. When I was young, on the motorbike with my friends, it was like ’hey, you have 15 minutes?’ and we just met up [...], had some street food and did literally nothing; just street watching. It was fun,” Chan-Nhu Le shared with Saigoneer about the inspiration for her illustrations.

Paul Christiansen

in Music & Arts

The Unquenchable Spirit of Artist Lê Triều Điển

“Điển is like a flower; there is no question of growing or not growing.”

in Music & Arts

Cổ Động's Live Session Series 'Động Tag' Returns for Season 2 With 9 Vietnamese Artists

Động Tag Live Session, Cổ Động’s series of live recordings aiming to highlight Vietnam’s up-and-coming musicians, is returning with a second season.

in Culture

The Artist Preserving Saigon's Cultural Tapestry Through Hand-Painted Signs

"In the early 2000s, the market experienced an exodus of painters due to the shift to digital; it was difficult to retain customers otherwise. I didn't want my craft to be forgotten, so I started everything all over,” Nguyễn Hoài Bảo told me in Vietnamese when I visited his studio.

in Travel

Vietnam Welcomes 21m Tourists in 2025, Highest-Ever Figure in History

Last year marked an impressive year for tourism in Vietnam. A record number of 21.17 million international tourists visite...

in Loạt Soạt

Viet Thanh Nguyen's New Essay Collection Is Both Theoretically Sharp and Intimately Tender

Last year, acclaimed Vietnamese American writer Viet Thanh Nguyen published To Save and to Destroy: Writing as an Other, a collection of six essays adapted from the prestigious Norton Lectures that he delivered at Harvard in 2023–2024.

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in Film & TV

'Paris by Night' Host Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn Announces Retirement Next Year

Come 2022, fans of the variety show Paris by Night will miss the dulcet tones and witty banter from its veteran host Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn.

in Film & TV

Vietnamese-American Actress Set to Star in 'How I Met Your Mother' Spinoff

Tien Tran, the Vietnamese-American actress, will join the main cast of How I Met Your Father, the sequel to CBS's long-running TV show How I Met Your Mother.

in Arts & Culture

On the Other Side of the Window: a Peek into Different Worlds

in Arts & Culture

[Illustrations] 20th Century Vietnam by Thang Trần Phềnh

Time for a bit of history.

Paul Christiansen

in Music & Arts

Saigon Designer Envisages Classic Vietnamese Transportations With Some Pizzaz

What if your motorbike had rocket propulsion?

in Arts & Culture

14-year-old Vietnamese Painter Earns $23K from NFT Painting

 Xèo Chu, a 14-year-old Vietnamese artist, recently auctioned his first non-fungible token (NFT) painting on the platform Binance with the winning bid of US$22,899.

Mam

in Quãng 8

The Flob, a Band of '6 People Playing Together'

The Flob — a band of six guys who are still in college — has chosen to turn the most memorable chapter of their lives into music.

in Arts & Culture

It All Started With 100 Boxes of Cookies

Food is anything but apolitical.

Paul Christiansen

in Loạt Soạt

Saigoneer Bookshelf: 'Luminous Nights' Explores the 20th Century Literary Landscape

Why haven’t some of Vietnam’s most famous early 20th-century short stories been translated into English?

in Music & Arts

Covid-19 Propanganda Posters Re-imagined as Đông Hồ Paintings

Sourcing inspiration from the traditional art of Đông Hồ, a group of young artists put a modern spin on classic paintings to deliver anti-pandemic messages through cheeky illustrations.

in Film & TV

Phạm Gia Quý, the Gen Z Film Maker who Took on International Festivals

Phạm Gia Quý is a young filmmaker born and raised in Saigon and an alumnus of the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design.

Paul Christiansen

in Arts & Culture

[Illustrations] Mesmerizing Modern and Mythic Vietnam Re-Imagined

in Arts & Culture

Saigoneer Podcast: Tourist Attractions & Who They're For; The Debate Over 'Essential' Goods

A new episode of the Saigoneer Podcast is now available!

in Arts & Culture

How Vietnam's Street Artists Have Made a Global Medium Their Own

Graffiti, street art, urban art…living in Paris before settling in Vietnam, they were part of my daily life and wonder. Riding the metro, graffiti is everywhere along the way. Wandering around the Fre...

in Music & Arts

To Celebrate the Olympics, Japanese Artists Reimagine National Flags as Anime Fighters

As nations gather in Tokyo for the summer Olympics, a group of Japanese artists have shown their support by creating anime characters based on the participating countries' flags.

Kit Humphrey

in Music & Arts

Review: On Debut EP 'Low,' Ho Tram Anh Sings Like a Poet Laureate for the Disconnected

Is anyone else in Hanoi creating music as stark and affecting as Ho Tram Anh? 

in Film & TV

Giang Còi, Hanoi's Beloved Actor and Comedian, Passes Away at 59

Last night, beloved actor Lê Hồng Giang, commonly known by his stage name Giang Còi, passed away after months of battling with cancer.

in Music & Arts

The World at Your Fingertips: How Vietnamese Studios Lead the Art of Artisan Keycaps

Although custom keycaps are somewhat of a recent development in Vietnam, some local artisan studios have become key players in making these tech-art fusions that bring the world to your fingertips.

in Music & Arts

Vietnam's Art Spaces Find Silver Linings in Moving Online Amid Pandemic

When in February 2020, Đỗ Tường Linh’s exhibition "Foliage III," a celebration of Global South-led art, wrapped up at the Vincom Centre for Contemporary Art, so did most other events in Vietnam’s art ...

in Culture

Vietnam's Female Comics Show How to Unapologetically Be Yourself on Stage

In recent years, Vietnamese women have gained a foothold in Vietnam’s comedy scene, despite it largely being dominated by men. But as the industry grows, the evidence of a gender gap seems to be incre...