Heritage Festival 2026: Saigon Rock & Soul with Sheila Ngọc Phạm

In the early '70s, downtown Saigon was a happening place full of frenetic energy. Even while the war raged, fashionable young people were getting out and about. The live music scene was flourishing, with the city's many nightclubs full of locals and foreigners every night, listening to a new generation of popular musicians. In 1971, there was even the Saigon International Rock Festival held at the Saigon Zoo.

This talk touches on Saigon during the '60s and '70s, a period of artistic and cultural flourishing in South Vietnam, and explores the history of Vietnamese rock music and why it is being discovered and rediscovered all around the world.

• 6:00–6:30pm: Arrive early and enjoy listening to archival music over a cup of trà sen (Vietnamese lotus tea)
• 6:30–7:30pm: The talk, presented by Sheila Ngọc Phạm

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Sheila Ngọc Phạm writes about Vietnamese culture during the '60s and '70s. Her work includes the rediscovery of pioneering rock singer Phương Tâm for The Guardian (2021) and her features for ABC Radio National including The Lost Cinema of Tan Hiep (2016) and Saigon’s Wartime Beat (2012). She is currently developing a mainstage play about the 70s in Vietnam and its legacy for the Vietnamese diaspora who have grown up abroad.

ABOUT THE VENUE:

MARRICKVILLE PAVILION is accessible for people using wheelchairs and other mobility aids. If you have any access or support requirements in order to participate fully, please let us know in the booking form to ensure that we can arrange any reasonable adjustments.

We may take photos and video of the speakers and audience. See details here.

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Host or Publisher Inner West Council Libraries