#collector

In Plain Sight

Meet the Saigon Man Whose Home Is an Archive of Traditional Musical Instruments

“These instruments serve our everyday life, or even our spiritual life. For example, they mark the transitions of life. When a baby is born or a person passes away, people play these instruments to welcome or bid farewell to these moments. They also use music to pray for good weather, good business, and happiness for future generations,” Đức Dậu, a seasoned collector of Vietnamese traditional instruments, shares how these antique musical devices are more than just merely tools used for entertainment.

Culture

Inside the Bình Thạnh Depot Where Retro Military Knick-Knacks Live

“This furniture has been around for many decades, but you can use them normally without the fear of breaking them. Because they are industrial equipment made for the military or office buildings, they were manufactured to be hard as a rock,” explains Hoàng, a vintage military interior enthusiast. This durability is one of the many qualities that made Hoàng fall in love with the furniture, going so far as to set up a unique shop dedicated to them.

Parks & Rec

Tiny Tracks, Big Passion: Inside the Miniature World of Vietnam's Model Train Enthusiasts

“When you turn it on, the train is not only moving, but it can make sounds too. The sounds are so authentic that when I listen to it, I feel like I am sitting on a real train right now,” Minh Tú, a Saigon-based model train aficionado, shares with me the satisfied feeling every time he gets a mini train to run.

Culture

In Đà Nẵng, a Vintage Money Aficionado Forgoes Professorship for Life in the Night Market

What gives one’s life meaning? For some, it’s faith, family or art. For Trần Văn Nam, it’s money, but not in the way you probably imagine.

Parks & Rec

The Weird, Whimsical, Wondrous World of Art Toys in Vietnam

At the end of 1999, Hong Kong artist and designer Michael Lau presented the “Gardener” toy collection , an amalgamation of his interests in G.I. Joe action figures and street culture. The launch is widely considered the birth of a new movement in toy-making: designer toys, also known as art toys.

Music & Arts

Our Memories of Vietnam, Transformed Into Lego Creations by Collector Hoàng Đặng

Đặng Huy Hoàng is a Hanoi-based industrial designer. He loves building custom scenes with Lego, and has created many Vietnam-themed model sets on his social media accounts.

Culture

Bưu Hoa Stamp Project Is an Online Chronicle of Vietnam's Philatelic History

Among the best ways to learn of a country’s culture and history is looking at its stamp design through the ages. These paper tokens follow their owners’ letters to all corners of the world, serving as the most effective cultural ambassador of a country while perfectly preserving the design influence of the period in history they were created.