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Arts & Culture
French photographer Brice Coutagne settled in Saigon several years ago. With an interest in unusual lettering, the expat found himself mesmerized by the city's hand-painted signs. Camera in hand, Coutagne set out on a quest to archive these disappearing fonts in the obscure corners of Saigon’s Binh Tay Market.
Saigon Hẻm Gems
Nguyen Hue's heritage has been badly degraded over the years. Thanks to the city's neverending development, its older buildings have either been torn down, used as air-conditioning unit pedestals or turned into fast food joints . Beyond the ornate lost facades, these architectural changes impact locals who, like the old buildings, are swept away, never to return to the place they have called home for generations.
Saigon Hẻm Gems
A mellow hideaway amidst the hastening traffic near Ben Thanh Market, Tin Nghia vegetarian restaurant is a time capsule.
![[Photos] The Origins Of Caodaism, Vietnam’s Hybrid Religion](https://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/spdUToXb.jpg)
Culture
Here’s a look at the early days of Caodaism, based on the writings of a French educated Vietnamese during the colonial period. This is all that is known about the author who was deported from Indochina for writing anti-French and anti-Japanese articles.
Music & Arts
In addition to digital art and stop motion films, Saigon-born Nguyen Ngoc Vu has also found success with one of Japan's most prolific analog art forms – origami.
Film & TV
Part of Sao La and Freeland ’s community art project, March: Art Walk, aims to bridge the gap between Saigon’s contemporary art scene and the general public. To that end, on March 11, the project screened two local independent films, Ánh and Mùi .
![[Photos] Remnants Of Old Saigon](https://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/7V0hmB0b.jpg)
Culture
Often coming across as bustling and chaotic, Saigon’s entangled streets make for one hell of a first impression. Saigon’s charm, however, lies underneath the surface and only unveils itself when time is taken to really look.
Culture
We’re back with another series of illustrated Vietnamese slang. Part 1 of this series can be found here .
Culture
We’re back with another series of illustrated Vietnamese slang.
![[Photos] Vintage Vietnamese Matchboxes](https://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/fAEtksnb.jpg)
Culture
The images on Vietnamese matchbox covers before 1975 varied from the traditional - drawings of zodiac animals - to the modern – brand advertising and popular singers of the day.
Architecture
Lê Hưng Trọng, creator of the upcoming illustration book about the architectural aesthetics of old Saigon, “Saigon Xưa” , talked to us about the varying styles of houses across the city.
Music & Arts
With her bubbly personality and welcoming smile, one may assume that Saigon Artbook artist Thanh Xinh's journey as an artist has been nothing but smooth sailing. Like anything that is worth while, however, it has come with obstacles along the way.
Music & Arts
Author and artist Lê Hưng Trọng picks his favorite illustrations from his upcoming art book, “ Saigon Xưa ,” to give us a closer look into these fairytale-like drawings.
Music & Arts
With an obsession for peace signs, adoration for the hippie lifestyle and an open mind, two young artists, Đinh Công Thành and Ngô Đình Lệ Thuỷ, have started a creative project called “ Bài Ta ” (Vietnamese Playing Cards) adding traditional elements of Vietnamese culture to a deck of playing cards.
Music & Arts
Although born in Ninh Thuan province, Le Hung Trong has grown intimately attached to his second home, Saigon. Working as an architect for past three years, he has put together a collection of drawings depicting his dreams and love for Saigon in his new book called Sài Gòn Xưa . Images within its pages show old Saigon and its subtle charm: the houses, the vehicles and daily life – simultaneously bustling and serene.
Saigon Hẻm Gems
At the corner of a dead-end alley and the crowded pub street of Ton That Thiep among neon signs of nearby bars and restaurants, an eatery with an old hand-painted sign reading “Thanh Xuan” might come across as a forgettable, insignificant spot with its few small tables and plastic chairs. Yet this place has been home to three generations of a family who brought to Saigon – and named – hủ tiếu Mỹ Tho in 1946.
Culture
Mã tà! Nhà dây thép! Đi bum! Do these phrases look familiar? No? Don’t worry you’re not alone. This old Saigon slang is derived from mispronounced French words, the names of locations and plenty of metaphors.
Culture
Mã tà! Nhà dây thép! Đi bum! Do these phrases look familiar? No? Don’t worry you’re not alone. This old Saigon slang is derived from mispronounced French words, the names of locations and plenty of metaphors.
![[Photos] Spiritual Sites Of Vietnam – Part 1](https://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/fW4EqAAb.jpg)
Travel
Much of Vietnamese culture is based in spiritualism, dictating everything from the day one picks for their wedding to how one lives their life. These 12 spiritual sites, scattered across the country, encompass a multitude of religions and stand out for their scale and historical value.
Culture
Renowned among local photographers and cameras aficionados, the Phạm Thê Camera Repair Shop, which opened before 1975, has stood the test of time. But behind the façade of customer’s smiles sit the worries of a son who bears the responsibility of continuing his father’s famed but fading legacy as well as securing his own children’s future.
Food Culture
People travel to Vietnam from all over the world for the country’s culinary magic. But while broths, meats and noodles are often play the leading role, the unsung heroes of Vietnamese cuisine are fresh herbs which grace almost every dish.
Tech
Known once as “the pearl of the orient,” Saigon was Indochina’s hub of modern industry and entertainment. This environment spawned the “La Dalat,” one of the first cars to be produced in Vietnam.
Music & Arts
In April, Hong Kong-based animal welfare organization, Animals Asia, launched a painting competition about the lives of wild animals in the circus. Hanoi artist, Dương Đoàn Anh Minh, took first prize with his image depicting a circus elephant bound in chains.
Vietnam
These days, the melodic cries of Hanoi’s street vendors are drowned out by the city’s constant buzz of activity. But 85 years ago, these songs, which announced a seller’s goods or services, made up the bulk of the capital’s soundtrack.