Ho Chi Minh City—known more colloquially as Saigon—never fails to reinvent itself. Dubbed “the city that never sleeps,” Saigon and its inhabitants wasted no time rebounding from the dark gloom of alternating lockdowns and economic uncertainties, and as soon as the government relieved locals of their confinement, the previously empty streets came alive again. Street vendors set up shop, stores reopened, taxi drivers mingled about, and locals enjoyed eating out. It was almost as if the pandemic had never left its horrific mark.
As Saigon shook itself awake, the art scene rejoiced in its momentand museums spread across town as Lunar New Year celebrations wrapped up. In July, gossip became reality as Sotheby’s organized its first noncommercial show in Vietnam, titled “Timeless Souls: Beyond the Voyage,” featuring works from a quartet of Indochinese master painters—Le Pho, Vu Cao Dam, Le Thi Luu, and Mai Trung Thu—swiftly followed by another noncommercial show in August, “The Faraway East: of Dreams and Pursuits.” As the auction house giant slowly treaded into Vietnamese waters, local and regional collectors began seeing Saigon as an emerging destination for regional modern art, encouraging discussions about how to structure the standards for a professional art market that caters for local as well as international demands. Business as usual, as we like to describe the city’s spirit.
