Water as a Metaphor for Trauma, Memories and Unspoken Histories in Quế’s Art
Through installations and animated films, Quế traces the flow of water as they move through personal memories and collective histories, carrying generational trauma amidst urbanization, and even natural disaster.
Insights, Polished History Lessons Await in Hanoi's Massive, Brutalist Military Museum
When I pitched a review of Hanoi’s massive new Vietnam Military History Museum to the Saigoneer editorial staff, I expected to find the museum somewhat boring. After all, although I am a historian, I am not really that interested in military stuff, and I’d been to the original location on Điện Biên Phủ Street several times — how could this new museum improve on the old one? What could this new museum say that the old one didn’t? What could I learn here that I haven’t already learned at Saigon’s War Remnants Museum and Hồ Chí Minh Campaign Museum, at Điện Biên Phủ’s war museum, at Hải Phòng’s naval museum, and at the countless other shrines to Vietnamese martial prowess across the country? Quite a lot, it turns out.
Tourists Generate Up to 3 Times More Plastic Waste Than Locals, UNDP Finds
A recent report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) warns that plastic waste pollution poses increasing pro...
Thi Nguyễn in Music & Arts
The Facetious Gender Politics of Gỗ Lim, Hanoi's Feminist Post-Punk Quintet
In an example of cruel irony, October 20 is when we celebrate annual Vietnam Women's Day, and also the anniversary of the passing of Mai Nga (commonly known as Nga Nhí), the lead singer of Gỗ Lim — a Hanoi-based female post-punk band that, albeit short-lived, struck a blow for women’s representation in rock and metal music in Vietnam in 2011 and 2012.
Paul Christiansen in Travel
'Chuyện Của Pao' Turned a Historic H'Mông Home in Hà Giang Into a Tourist Attraction
The photos don’t do it justice. That’s what you’ll often hear from people who visit Hà Giang to cruise its famed highway loop.
How Vietnam's Muslims Celebrate Ramadan, Eid Al-Fitr in Mekong Delta's Châu Đốc
Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world, yet Vietnamese Muslims represent as little as 0.1% of the country’s population. Most are ethnic Chăm, while a few are foreigners and a few converts. After traveling to Châu Đốc in An Giang Province, where the majority are located, I was mesmerized by the unique cultural mix this community represents.
Văn Tân in Culture
A Brief History of Ông Đồ, Vietnam’s Scholars Whose Calligraphy Is Highly Sought After
To say that Tết gathers together everything most beautiful in Vietnamese culture would not be an exaggeration. More than a threshold between the old year and the new, it is also a time when people feel they can return to, and relive, the traditional values that define them.
Paul Christiansen in Travel
From Dark to Dawn, an Early Morning at Hội An's Duy Hải Fish Market
At 3am, Hội An’s streets resemble dog-gnawed pork bones, licked clean of all scent and viscera. No light, no noise, no movement. But that’s the time you must venture out to witness the Duy Hải Fish Market in action.
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?
Linh Pham in Culture
Bình Dân Học Vụ, Vietnam's Revolution Against the Enemy of Illiteracy
O tròn như quả trứng gà / ô thì đội mũ, ơ là thêm râu.
Mỹ Anh's Journey to Carve Her Own Space in the Music Scene Is Just Starting
You can feel Mỹ Anh’s eccentric bubbly energy right away; her free-spirited character is expressed through not only her music, but her '80s-inspired style and aura. Wearing her trademarked checkered t...
Saigoneer Podcast: Vietnam's Modernist Architecture With Book Author Phạm Phú Vinh
A new Saigoneer Podcast episode is out now!
Elise Luong in Music & Arts
The Unwavering Creative Gusto of Artist Mộng Bích
As she approaches her 90th spring, artist Mộng Bích continues to paint with insatiable gusto and infectious calm in preparation for her solo show at the French Institute of Hanoi opening on ...
'The Humanimal' Exhibition Celebrates Artist Daos501's 15-Year Journey in Graffiti
The set of artworks titled "The Humanimal" by Daos501 — an established name in Vietnam's graffiti scene — brought the harmony between nature and humans to Interlink’s art event.
After Decades Under the Bed, a 1974 Vietnamese Film Finds an Audience Online
It's 2009 and I'm running a workshop for a large group of unemployed jobseekers in Sydney, Australia.
Nguyễn Huy Thiệp, One of Vietnam's Most Celebrated Writers, Passes Away
Nguyễn Huy Thiệp, one of Vietnam's most talented and influential post-war authors, passed away on March 20 at the age of 71.
Review: The Confluence of Art and Hip-Hop in Rapper Táo's Melancholic Music
Táo, based in Saigon, began his career as a rapper and developed his interests to include painting, poetry, literature, modeling, and photography. As a rapper, Táo has a recognizable rap style th...
Saigoneer Podcast: Levi Oi on Her DJ Career; Saigon's War on Karaoke
Our new episode is out now!
Local Website Saigoneer Puts Calendar on Sale in Mid-March, Confuses Readers
In Saigon, the sweltering heat of March and April usually drives city-dwellers to take refuge in air-conditioned coffee shops and seek out refreshing thirst-quenchers like đá me and sugarcane juice — ...
Hue to Pilot Reintroducing Home Economics Into High School Curriculum
Starting from the next school year, some highschoolers in Hue might have an opportunity to learn how to cook Hue cuisine and other essential life skills.
Saigoneer Podcast: Covid-19 Vaccinations Begin; Vietnam's Most Controversial Dishes
Our latest episode is out now!
Phởq Sessions Reinvents a DJ’s Habitat in a Mystical Mai Chau Cave
Flexing the creative mind amid idle times.
Khoi Pham in Music & Arts
A Designer From Da Lat Brings His Hometown's Beauty to a Calendar Project
Da Lat is not merely a place, it’s a state of mind.
The Wildlife Artist Who Paints the Beauty of Vietnam’s Endangered Nature
Dao Van Hoang, a self-taught painter, welcomed us into his studio at Le Petit Musée in Thao Dien. Surrounded by watercolors of exotic plants and paintings of wild animals, he shared with us his life s...
Mầm in Quãng 8
Meet Cam, the Idiosyncratic Rapper Telling Stories Through Music
Born from the streets, rap/hip-hop often features confrontational lyrics and intense performances. But to Lê Văn Toàn, who goes by the stage name Cam, rap is like a canvas to bare his heart; chronicle...
A Sequel to 2007 Vietnam-South Korea Horror Hit 'Mười' Is in Production
One of the handful of horror flicks with a local production team from the 2000s is returning for a second installment.
Saigoneer Podcast: 100th Episode Roundtable!
We are 100!
