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.”
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.
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.
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...
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.
Hanoi's Proposal to Stop Train Service Might Spell the End of 'Train Street'
Hanoi’s infamous train street might be going away if a new municipal plan becomes a reality.
In Sa Pa, Learning How to Indigo Dye, One Plant, Vat, and Beeswax Pen at a Time
My first meal in Sa Pa was accidentally earned. After a few hours of uneven rest in a sleeper bus and a short ride from Sa Pa city center to the village, I finally arrived, along with two other indigo enthusiasts, at a small hill in bản Cát Cát. A few modest houses framed a quiet courtyard where indigo vats rested, and long strips of dyed fabric hung on bamboo poles, drying in the morning air.
Khôi Phạm in Quãng 8
Hanoi Indie Duo Limebócx Brings Tried-and-Trù Traditions to Young Ears
A grazing buffalo, frolicking water puppets, mystifying tam cúc cards, an insolent maiden in áo tứ thân, a rustic meal around cái mâm. These are just a few standout visuals that will haunt your brain upon feasting your eyes on Limebócx’ debut music video ‘Yêu Nhau (Qua Cầu Gió Bay).’
Saigoneer Podcast: Central Vietnam Floods; Sustainable Fashion Designer Lê Ngọc Hà Thu
Our latest episode is available now!
How a Vietnamese Ethiopian Designer Built Her Fashion 'Dynasty'
“I’m young so I still have big dreams,” Kim Berhanu begins our chat on an early September day. At the tender age of 23, Berhanu is already the CEO and creative director of the fashion brand Dynasty th...
Elise Luong in Music & Arts
[Video] Rap Song Offers Glimpses Into the Lives, Loves and Labors of Hanoi Residents
The British rapper behind 'Oi Gioi Oi' and 'Find Me in the Mountains' has just released a new video, titled 'The Charming Beast,' describing his mixed experiences of living in Vietnam’s beautiful but ...
Saigoneer Podcast: Our Dream Pedestrian Areas; Chilling Stories for Halloween
We're back!
[Videos] Get up Close and Personal to Hanoi's Myriad of Urban Textures
To walk through Hanoi is to move simultaneously forwards and backwards in time.
Paul Christiansen in Postcards
Saigon Postcard No. 26: Urban Decay
What happens after the cho thuê nhà signs go up?
Đinh Tiến Mậu, Photographer of Old-School Saigon Glamor, Passes Away at 85
You might not know who Đinh Tiến Mậu is, but if you’re a fan of nhạc vàng, his works are impossible to miss.
How a Controversial SEA Games Mascot Design Inspired an Art Campaign
The upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) will take place next year in Hanoi and some nearby provinces.
Khôi Phạm in Film & TV
'Ròm' Review: A Sterling Portrait of Saigon's Dark Underbelly, Despite Falling Short of Its Potential
I stepped out of the theater after watching Ròm with a heaviness weighing down my shoulders. It was, however, a refreshing feeling that one rarely experiences after a Vietnamese feature film these day...
Vietnam Debut of 'Les Misérables' to be Staged Next Month in Hanoi
The play with a title that currently describes the general mood of humanity is heading to the Hanoi Opera House.
Paul Christiansen in Loạt Soạt
Saigoneer Bookshelf: 'Other Moons' Aims to Amplify Voices of Vietnam's Wartime Writers
Why must we continue talking about war?
Khôi Phạm in Culture
These Illustrations of Vintage Trung Thu Lanterns Are a Ticket to Your Childhood
There are many harbingers of mid-autumn in Saigon: the mushrooming of street-side mooncake vendors, the gradual arrival of corporate mooncake boxes, and a kaleidoscopic tapestry of lanterns along...
Ngô Thanh Vân to Produce Vietnam's First Superhero Movie, Vinaman
Horror, historical fiction, comedy, heist, coming-of-age — in recent years, Vietnamese filmmakers have gradually come up with their own interpretation of many classic movie genres. But what about a su...
'The Worlds Between My Wings' by Kim Loan
From the time I began learning Vietnamese at home and English in public school, I have lived with dual identities pulling me from seemingly opposite ends of a spectrum.
Penguin Random House to Publish Acclaimed Storybook by 2 Vietnamese Illustrators
An’s first journey to school isn’t just limited to the Mekong Delta anymore, he’s paddled his way to the wide oceans of the world.
On the Road With One of Vietnam's Last Traveling Cải Lương Troupes
Most Saigoneers know cải lương as a form of television entertainment usually enjoyed by their parents or grandparents, but not many are aware of the art form’s important role in the nightlife of resid...
This Ghost Month, an Other-Worldly Exhibition Not for the Faint-Hearted
The topic can be summed up in one word — “ghosts” — but it was enough inspiration for illustrators to create a plethora of artworks as part of the Hù project spearheaded by Khô Mực Studio.
Saigoneer Podcast: Urbanist Vietnam's Launch; Áo Dài's Place in Modern Society
The podcast is back!
Review: Red Balloons, a Fresh Musical Take on Vintage Vietnamese Cartoons
At 6:30pm on July 5, Red Balloons: Music for 20th Century Vietnamese Animation took place at the Institut français de Hanoi-L'Espace. It was organized by The Onion Cellar and The Centre for Assis...
Khoi Pham in Music & Arts
Ten Iconic Vietnamese Women as Drawn by Illustrator Camelia Pham
If you had to pick the 10 most iconic female figures in Vietnamese history, who would make the list?
