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?
Paul Christiansen in Music & Arts
Pull up a Plastic Stool, Break out the Watercolor, We're Painting Saigon
What is worthy of being painted?
Mầm in Quãng 8
Dzũng Phạm, the Progressive Metal Guitarist Enamored With Folk Music
“I want to elevate Vietnamese traditional music to the most glorious and heralded position. There, it's the center of attention, not merely something added just for the sake of embellishment.” Buildin...
Saigon's Young Voice Actors Learn There's More to Dubbing Than Pretty Voices
Voice actors are rarely given enough attention, for they are always working behind closed curtains, giving the movie its "life."
Park Chan-Wook to Direct TV Series Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen's 'The Sympathizer'
Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2015 novel The Sympathizer will be getting a TV adaptation directed by Park Chan-wook, the auteur behind the success of The Handmaiden and Oldboy.
Saigoneer Podcast: Recreation; Sustainable Trends in Hanoi and Saigon
A new Saigoneer Podcast is available now!
Inside 'Little Lotus,' the Adorable Japanese Manga Set in Saigon
Images of a Japanese manga with scenes of modern Vietnam have won the hearts of Vietnamese netizens recently.
Q&A: An Interview With 'Raya and the Last Dragon' Co-Writer Qui Nguyen
When Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon was released in March, it was a cultural milestone for Southeast Asians. Raya is the first Southeast Asian Disney princess in the Walt Disney Company’s...
Saigoneer Podcast: 'Things We Lost to the Water' Author Eric Nguyen
We hope you had a good, safe holiday weekend!
Vietnamese Artist Shows Incredible Skills in Hyperrealistic Hảo Hảo Noodles Painting
The much-shared image looks so real that its artist, Lê Đại Phát, was forced to upload a video of him creating it to prove it was in fact a painting.
Mầm in Quãng 8
The Marriage of Electronic and Folk Instruments in DJ Teddy Chilla's Music
DJ and producer Teddy Chilla is among a few artists in the current music scene who are known to experiment with Vietnamese traditional music in their electronic works.
[Video] The Absurdist 'Sài Gòn Đẹp Lắm' Music Video That Makes You Question Reality
What in the world is going on here?
Saigoneer Podcast: Vietnam's Contemporary Coffee Culture and a Street Food Update
A new Saigoneer Podcast episode is now available!
A Lotus 'Startup' in Hanoi Goes Back to Its Roots
For Lã Quang Khanh, a resident of Me Linh District, the term khởi nghiệp, or startup, has nothing to do with technology.
Inside the Extravaganza Using Literature to Highlight Hoi An History
Directed by writer Nguyễn Quang Vinh, “Hội An Show – Gratitude” was launched last month in the central Vietnam town. It featured 150 artists portraying the history of the ancient town via stories of H...
Sold for $3.1m, Mai Trung Thứ Portrait Becomes Highest-Valued Vietnamese Artwork
Artworks by Vietnamese artists have been sold at record-breaking amounts in recent years.
Saigoneer Podcast: Domestic Tourism Amid the Pandemic with Urbanist Travel's Chau Nguyen
A new podcast episode is out now!
Elise Luong in Music & Arts
Ahead of the Hanoi Return of 'Les Misérables,' a Talk With Director Trần Ly Ly
Directing the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet with a tender iron fist since 2018, Tran Ly Ly pushes her artists and the company towards a daring new image by revisiting classic works and promot...
Elise Luong in Ton-sur-Ton
Kilomet109's Thảo Vũ: 'Clothing Is a Language That You Can Write With'
In October last year, eco-fashion label Kilomet109 launched its latest collection “Miên.” Designer Thảo Vũ sat down with us to share the label’s awkward beginnings and what the label means to her...
Paul Christiansen in In Plain Sight
A Case for the Coexistence of Convenience Stores and Tạp Hóa
What is VND1,000 worth? t’s not enough to buy a piece of gum, boiled egg or phone call. You can’t even park your bike in most places for that pittance. I imagine many people step over a dropped 1K note on the street rather than make the effort to stoop down to pick it up. And yet, a few days ago, 1,000 đồng meant the world to me.
8 the Theatre Refreshes Jazz With Music by Young People for Young People
What are you doing at 8pm?
