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in Culture

In Nam Định, a Village Goes All out in Festivities to Honor Their Holy Ancestor

Comprising a range of ceremonies and traditional activities reflective of Vietnam’s rice-growing culture, Keo Hành Thiện Pagoda’s annual festival is a momentous occasion for locals to pay respect to t...

in Music & Arts

In Action Together During Traveling Art Week Nổ Cái Bùm 2024

Taking place in Đà Nẵng and Hội An earlier in August 2024, the traveling art week Nổ Cái Bùm 2024 became a platform for local artists to showcase artworks, and attracted the attention of many local an...

in Culture

This Trung Thu, Learn How to Make Lion Heads From Huế's Lân Artisans

Often seen as the heart of Central Vietnam, Huế is the birthing ground for many traditional crafts. Artisan products from the ancient city often exude its inhabitants' elegance and rustic quality. Amo...

in Film & TV

Indie Short Film 'Saigon Kiss' Is a Quintessential Saigon Queer Love Story

Is there a meet-cute more characteristically Saigon than a motorbike breakdown and subsequent friendly assist from a stranger?

in Music & Arts

Nam Jam Festival Returns to Đà Nẵng With Week of Mural Arts

The Nam Jam Festival from March 4 to 10 invites more than 50 local and international street artists to create massive works of street art in Đà Nẵng. 

in Film & TV

'Madame Pirate,' Film Project Based on Asia's Greatest Female Pirate, Sets Sail Again

Zheng Yi Zao “started as a prostitute, resisted the authority of the Qing emperor, kicked everyone’s bottom, and then got away with it... also she has been ignored by history,” explains Vietnam-b...

in Film & TV

Hanoi Director's Debut 'Cu Li Never Cries' Wins Best 1st Feature at Berlin Film Festival

After Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell won the Camera D’or award at Cannes last year, this year, another independent film from Vietnam was honored at Berlinale.

in Culture

Phan Thiết's Vibrant Whale Worship Festival Reflects Vietnam's Rich Animist Traditions

Whale worship started from a folk belief harbored by fishermen seeking help from the gods to endure the arduous days spent at sea, but over time, it grew to become one of the most prominent spiritual ...

in Film & TV

Review: ‘Bên Trong Vỏ Kén Vàng’ Is a Soul-Searching Mission in the Lâm Đồng Mist

On the pastures of slow cinema where Andrei Tarkovsky, Tsai Ming-liang and Theo Angelopoulos reside, Phạm Thiên Ân's debut feature, Bên Trong Vỏ Kén Vàng (Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell), has made its...

in Film & TV

Cannes Caméra D'or Winner 'Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell' to Hit Vietnam Theaters in August

Following its win at the latest Cannes Film Festival, Bên Trong Vỏ Kén Vàng (Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell) will officially premiere in theaters across Vietnam next month.

in Culture

In Phú Nhuận's Communal House, a Kỳ Yên Festival Right by the Train Track

The Kỳ Yên festival is the biggest annual event held at the Phú Nhuận communal house from the 16th to the 18th of the first lunar month.

in Music & Arts

After 4 Years, Krossing Over Arts Festival Returns to Saigon With a Week of Events

After a four-year hiatus, performing art extravaganza Krossing Over Arts Festival (KOAF) officially makes a comeback this April with a week of events to delight Saigon’s art lovers.

in Film & TV

'Tro Tàn Rực Rỡ' Wins Top Prize at Film Festival in France

Recently, Tro Tàn Rực Rỡ (Glorious Ashes), a Vietnamese film directed by Bùi Thạc Chuyên, was awarded the highest honor at the Nantes Festival of Three Continents.

in Culture

In Ninh Thuận's Chăm Community, a Joyous Celebration of Katê, the Year's Most Important Festival

The Katê festival is the oldest and most unique festival of the Chăm ethnic minority and has been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage by Vietnam's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tou...

in Culture

Ghosts and Other Myths: How Vietnam Celebrates the 7th Lunar Month

In Vietnamese customs, the lunar month of July contains many special days of worship and celebration, with various traditions.

in Film & TV

'Spring Roll Dream,' a Short Film by Vietnamese Director Mai Vu, Is Screening at Cannes Festival

A short film directed by a Vietnamese director will be screened as part of the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.

in Music & Arts

Thai Rapper Eats Mango Sticky Rice During Coachella Set, Wins Our Hearts

Maybe Suboi can eat a plate of cơm tấm during her next performance.

Chris Humphrey

in Culture

At Hanoi's Thousand-Year-Old Flute Kite Festival, Melodies and Prayers Cross the Sky

Passed down by village forefathers since the Dinh Dynasty, Ba Duong Noi Village’s kite festival has become a source of pride for the local community. With three bamboo flutes attached to each kite, it...

in Film & TV

Fantasy Film Based on 'Maika' to Represent Vietnam at Sundance Film Festival

A fantasy film will represent Vietnam at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.

in Film & TV

Filmmaker Hà Lệ Diễm Wins Best Directing Award at Documentary Film Fest

Children of the Mist (Những Đứa Trẻ Trong Sương) is the debut long feature of Vietnamese documentarian Hà Lệ Diễm.

in Culture

Praying for Good Weather, Bac Giang-Style

My friends said that they were going to a festival which happens every four years, and that it would be great for photographs. I knew nothing more.

in Film & TV

Film Adaptation of Mạc Can's 'Tấm Ván Phóng Dao' Wins Award at Busan Project Market

If Wood Could Cry, It Would Cry Blood was awarded the ArteKino International Award as part of the 2021 Busan International Film Festival. 

in Food Culture

Covid-19 Outbreak Dampens Saigon's Trung Thu Spirits as Bakeries Forgo Moon Cakes

It will be a Trung Thu like no other this year in Saigon, as the city undergoes the strictest movement curbs yet.

in Film & TV

Phạm Gia Quý, the Gen Z Film Maker who Took on International Festivals

Phạm Gia Quý is a young filmmaker born and raised in Saigon and an alumnus of the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design.

in Film & TV

'Thưa Mẹ Con Đi' Producer Nguyễn Lương Hằng on Her Hopes for Vietnam's Indie Cinema

Nguyễn Lương Hằng is Zoom-ing in from Austin, Texas, to a town in northern Italy because she wants to make a film in her native Vietnam. Welcome to the world of independent Asian cinema.

in Film & TV

Horror Flick 'Người Thì Thầm' Bags Awards at International Film Festivals

Another Vietnamese film gets lauded overseas.

in Music & Arts

How LiveSpace, a New Music Initiative, Aims to Nurture Vietnam's Indie Musicians

A new joint initiative towards a more realized musical landscape extends the commitment of some of Vietnam’s key cultural players.

in Film & TV

Vietnamese Film 'Taste' Wins Berlin Film Fest Award, Is Fined at Home

This is why we can't have nice things.

in Music & Arts

Event Series Photo Hanoi ’21 Celebrates Storytelling Through a Camera's Lens

A major series of events dedicated to photography will be available to Hanoians interested in the craft starting this month. 

in Music & Arts

[Photos] A Royal Tea Set, as Envisioned by a Vietnamese Graphic Designer

Poets ponder flowers, aristocrats paint ceremonial masks, and courtesans gather lotus flowers in wooden boats, all while fragile threads of steam uncoil from ceramic pots of tea.

in Culture

[Photos] Get Set, Row: The Aquatic Exuberance of Soc Trang's Ooc Om Bok Festival

Also called the Moon Worship festival, Ooc Om Bok is one of the liveliest festivals in the Khmer calendar.

in Music & Arts

Saigon to Host Major Street Art Festival Next Year

Saigon is banking on the festival's success to draw international visitors back to the city after the COVID-10 pandemic subsides next year.

in Film & TV

Two Vietnamese Films Shortlisted for SeaShorts Film Festival 2020

The film festival will be held online from September 12-20.

in Film & TV

Envisioning the Mekong's Future Through the Eyes of 5 Regional Filmmakers

The future of the Mekong Delta is uncertain. The river and the people that rely on it are facing the impact of climate change, extreme weather conditions, rising sea levels, saline intrusion, hydropow...

in Film & TV

3 Vietnamese Films Selected for Locarno Film Festival

The Locarno Film Festival opens this month for the 72nd year running, this time as a new hybrid edition titled "For the Future of Films." 

in Film & TV

Hanoi International Film Festival Delayed Until 2022 Due to Pandemic

The effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic forced organizers to push the event back from its scheduled date of November 4–8.

in Film & TV

Hanoi Students Win Prize at Asian International Children's Film Festival in Japan

The students won the Excellent Prize for their emotional film about friendship.

Michael Tatarski

in Music & Arts

What's Inside the Eclectic Sets of Coracle Music Festival's 2nd Edition?

Perfect weather, a beautiful setting and great acts — what more do you need from a music festival?

Michael Tatarski

in Music & Arts

In November, Two Music Festivals Set to Rock Southern Vietnam

The next two weekends will be huge for live music in southern Vietnam.

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: Our Nguyen Hue Upgrades; We're Loud Fest Organizer Peter Menchetti

A new Saigoneer Podcast episode is out now!

in Culture

[Photos] In An Giang, Buddhist Devotees Gather to Observe Uposatha Day

In September, Buddhists in An Giang Province gathered at Tuk Phos Pagoda in Tri Ton District to observe Uposatha day together.

in Film & TV

Despite Drama at Home, Vietnamese Film 'Rom' Wins Important Award at Busan Film Fest

Despite legal issues at home, Vietnamese feature film Rom was awarded the top prize in the New Currents category at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) last week.

Michael Tatarski

in Music & Arts

[Photos] Krossing Over Arts Festival Wraps up a Striking Week of Performances

The third edition of the Krossing Over Arts Festival ended in Saigon on Thursday, capping a week of exciting workshops, artist talks and contemporary dance performances.

in Culture

In Bắc Giang, 'Mudball' Is a Centuries-Old Festive Sport

Held once every four years, the mud wrestling festival in Vân Village in Bắc Giang Province is one of the most dramatic and unique festivals in all of Vietnam.

Paul Christiansen

in Culture

Whale Worship: Exploring the Role of Whales in Vietnam's Coastal Lore

In 1799, the ferocious Tay Son army forced the first Nguyen Emperor, Nguyen Anh, and his troops to flee to the sea. While making their escape, a great storm engulfed the retreating army. As their ship...

in Culture

At Tết Nguyên Tiêu, a Celebration of the Lunar Year's First Full Moon

Last Saturday, on the first full moon of the first lunar month, members of Saigon’s ethnic Chinese community celebrated Tet Nguyen Tieu, or the Lantern Festival.

in Music & Arts

These 8 Saigon Christmas Cinemagraphs Will Get You In The Christmas Spirit

Whether you enjoy Saigon’s frenetic Christmas energy or not, it’s impossible to escape the twinkling light shows in the city’s alleys, Santa impersonators and tinfoil snow.