Pete Walls

in Travel

Watching the Sunset From Lai Châu's Fansipan, the Roof of Indochina

Conquering Mount Fansipan’s 3,147 meters was once a feat reserved for those willing to take on the potential multi-day hike from Sapa to the summit and back.

in Film & TV

Vietnam Arrests 7 Suspects Behind Streaming Site HiAnime on Piracy Charges

As part of the current crackdown on intellectual property infringement, Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security recently took down a major network of websites providing illegal anime streaming.

in Quãng 8

Dropping the Disguise: The Evolution of Punk Band Cút Lộn Towards More Radicality

In recent years, CÚT LỘN has cemented themselves as one of the most recognizable hardcore punk bands to emerge from the Vietnamese underground scene.

in Music & Arts

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.

in Film & TV

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.

in Music & Arts

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.

Back Arts & Culture

in Culture

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.

in Culture

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...

in Music & Arts

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.

in Podcast

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.

in Music & Arts

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.

in Quãng 8

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...

in Podcast

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 ...

in Music & Arts

'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.

in Film & TV

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.

in Literature

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.

in Music & Arts

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...

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: Levi Oi on Her DJ Career; Saigon's War on Karaoke

Our new episode is out now!

in Music & Arts

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 — ...

in Culture

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.

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: Covid-19 Vaccinations Begin; Vietnam's Most Controversial Dishes

Our latest episode is out now!