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Article: Outside the system: despite continuing problems with officialdom, the ongoing Saigon Open City exhibition series reveals the vitality of Vietnam's contemporary art scene.(REPORT FROM HO CHI MINH CITY)
- Article from:
- Art in America
- Article date:
- October 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Brant Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Ho Chi Minh City, the largest city in Vietnam--which many locals still call by its former name, Saigon, especially when referring to the downtown district--has an economy that is expanding faster (10 to 12 percent annually) than markets in any other part of the country. Money is made here, and speculation on what might trickle down is such that the poor from the rural areas are flowing into the city seeking a better living. Twenty years ago the most common mode of transportation was the bicycle; now it is the motorbike. Cars are becoming more common, bought at discount prices and adding a new element to the dense flow of traffic. The former French colonial capital lives on ...