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: A View of Vietnam From World Cinema
Episode 84 of the Saigoneer Podcast is now available!
Vietnamese Curator Do Tuong Linh on Creating a Global South-Led Art Scene
Walking into the Vincom Center for Contemporary Art (VCCA) in Hanoi, visitors almost immediately encounter a fifty-foot line of dirt and small rocks. The pathway of sorts — which some visitors step ov...
[Video] Heel-Flipping Through a Deserted Da Nang in This Awe-Inspiring Short
For skaters, emptiness can be bliss.
[Video] Hanoi Studio Turns Local Student's Drawings Into Kickass Earth Day Animation
Don’t you wish that every time 10-year-old you came up with a kickass comic, a team of veteran artists would step in to turn it into a professional animated short?
[Photos] In the Digital Age, Film Photography Offers a Chance to Slow Down
In fast-paced Saigon, sometimes it pays to slow things down a bit.
Saigoneer Podcast: The End of the National Social Distancing Order
The Saigoneer Podcast has returned!
An Online Fashion Exhibit Spotlights the Plights of Vietnamese Garment Workers
Part of Fashion Revolution Week, the online exhibition coincides with two presentations this week along with a social media campaign aimed at improving working conditions for women in Vietnam's many g...
Paul Christiansen in Music & Arts
We Made Some Saigoneer Coloring Templates for You Because Adults Need Whimsy Too
Feeling monochromatic? Well, Saigoneer can help with that.
[Photos] Tracing Hanoi's Contrast Between Neon and Shadow, Old and New
What is beneath the capital's skin?
Paul Christiansen in Literature
Saigoneer's Guide to What to Read While Social Distancing
“In good times arts are magical, and in tough times they are essential. That’s when you need them the most. Art makes you human.”
A Slovak-Vietnamese Photographer Explores Her Own Hybridity Through Food
A feeble limb of cucumber supports a plastic cup filled with mango pulp. Enoki strands grow out of the orange mush, hoisting up a sheet of bánh tráng. The translucent rice paper bends, as if wilting, ...
Paul Christiansen in Postcards
Saigon Postcard No. 23: A Round of Applause
"Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'"
Biti's Hunter Launches National Pride-Themed Shoe Design Competition
The made-in-Vietnam shoes feature inspiring street-art style depictions of the nation's response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Khoi Pham in Music & Arts
A Local Artist's Vision of Vietnam, Rendered in the Dreamlike Nature of Anime
In 2016, Toho released the Japanese romantic fantasy Your Name. worldwide to rapturous reception. The feature, written and directed by Makoto Shinkai, went on to become the most financially successful...
Saigoneer Podcast: Review Roulette
With no end in sight to working from home — and the coronavirus dominating daily life — we've had to think outside the box for this episode.
Govi Snell in Culture
To Learn How to Love Your Jeans Sustainably, Talk to Saigon's Denimheads
I never feel better than when I am ensconced in denim. This love for jeans is caught up in my genuine adoration of the cowboy aesthetic, the particular beauty of a denim-clad ass and the snug hug of a...
Iconic Novel ‘Số Đỏ’ by Vu Trong Phung Is Being Adapted for the Screen
Production on the film adaptation of Vu Trong Phung's satirical masterpiece Số Đỏ, or Dumb Luck, is set to begin this August.
Saigoneer Podcast: Covid-19 Dispatches From Saigon
We're back after taking a week off!
Michael Tatarski in Culture
Kite-Flying in Saigon in the Age of Coronavirus
As normal daily life grinds to a halt, last weekend was the final chance for some Saigoneers to take part in a favorite pastime: flying kites at sunset.
Khoi Pham in Film & TV
Saigoneer's Guide to What to Watch While Staying at Home
As the coronavirus outbreak stretches its treacherous tendrils across all aspects of our society, the lives of Vietnamese are gradually becoming more confined to the four walls of our home.
