Yeah Boi!

Vietnam’s first successful female rapper The DJ lays down another track as Suboi sits, hands clasped and elbows on her knees, brow knitted in concentration – and then she takes a breath, sits back, shakes her head and says, “Sorry guys, I don’t like any of these beats.” There’s a literal record scratch. Every head … Read more

Seoul Music

Vietnamese-Korean singer Hari Won opens up about the industry of making Korean pop idols It’s been almost two decades now since the delicious beauty and artifice of the Korean entertainment world began to prevail over popular Asian culture. The power of appearances has held enormous sway in this region since the time of Confucius, so … Read more

Head in the Clouds

For exceptional views and stylish settings, the rooftop Liquid Sky Bar is unsurpassed Saigon seems to have caught on to the idea that a lot of good things happen when you reach the rooftop. The air’s a little cleaner, the breeze a little better, the view just goes on and on and gives you the … Read more

Jazz Hands with Tran Minh Tuan

With sax player Tran Manh Tuan, you hear him before you see him Walking up to Tran Manh Tuan’s villa in the morning after the rain, there are the unmistakable sounds of a saxophone going up and down the tonal scale. It’s a distinctly metropolitan wake up call. Now the tones escape his studio and … Read more

Zero to Hero

Vietnam’s next musical idol, German Viet Kieu Trong Hieu American Idol may already be walking the green mile, but the popular TV format appears to be stronger than ever here in Vietnam, where the show continues to reward artists who break the local pop industry’s cookie mold. While its US counterpart has long since been … Read more

The Hat Dance

Contemporary dance merges with Vietnamese folk music to create a dazzling visual performance At the premiere performance of Nón in June – held at IDECAF on Thai Van Lung – audiences were treated to a rare fusion of traditional Vietnamese instrumentation and the evocative, sinuous movements of contemporary dance. On their own, these forms tend … Read more

The Sound Of Silence

Is it curtains for classical music in Vietnam? The 2015 Vietnamese Art Festival Autumn Melodies finished its triumphant run on August 30th. The one-week program consisted of 11 shows from a variety of music styles and performance disciplines such as symphony orchestra, chamber music, musicals, ballet, baroque, piano solos and contemporary dance. It opened with … Read more

In Session with Frank Turner

The punk rocker turned British folk songsmith arrives in Saigon this March with his unique brand of storytelling through catchy melodies and insightfully inclusive lyrics. Drawing from largely autobiographical inspiration and the nation of his birth, Frank Turner embodies what it is to be an honest musician. Having plied his exciting trade previously around Europe, … Read more