Tag: Graffiti

SAIGON, VIETNAM 🇻🇳: EVERYDAY LIFE IS ICONIC

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The iconic combination of the conical hat, plastic chair and table, and iced coffee in a plastic cup. Bonus: Graffiti scrawled on the weather- beaten wall.
Often referred to as the Catinat Building or the 26 Ly Tu Trong Old Apartment, it perfectly captures Saigon’s layers of time—stretching from French colonial elegance to wartime intelligence.
The French Colonial Era (Late 1920s)
🇻🇳 Built around 1926–1927 by the French, it was originally named the Catinat Building (as Đồng Khởi street was then called Rue Catinat). It was designed as a luxury Art Deco/Early Modernist mixed-use complex.
🇻🇳 The ground floor housed high-end commercial businesses, including the famous Société Indochinoise de Transports (SIT).
🇻🇳 The upper floors were designed as upscale residential apartments for wealthy French officials, expatriates, and the elite class of Indochina.
Just one of many “alley gangs.” To say they’re photogenic, is an understatement.
National Pride
An eclectic group of smiling individuals at a fave neighborhood café. Tao Florist / Tao Café. 📍 28C Ton That Tung
Com Tam Suon (grilled pork and rice): The breakfast, lunch, and dinner, of champions.
239 De Tham:
 An extreme and fascinating example of a Vietnamese “super-thin tube house” (nhà siêu mỏng).
Beautiful ominous clouds almost on the daily during rainy season.

June 2026

SAIGON, VIETNAM 🇻🇳: TOKIDOKI NOMAD T-SHIRT 2 by ©️JAHA 1

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This design is inspired by the iconic red plastic stools of Vietnam, my Adidas Sambas, Vietnamese coffee, my field notes journal writing, graffiti, photography (camera slung over the shoulder,) some of the places I’ve been fortunate enough to live in and travel to…and the masterpiece novel I just finished by Fernando Pessoa: “The Book of Disquiet.”

*Design 3 is ready, but production is on hold due to a weeklong Vietnam holiday and my impending departure to Cambodia. I’ll try to pick things up from there.

27aug26

SAIGON, VIETNAM 🇻🇳 STREET ART: MONKEY ON THE RIO

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22may26

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA 🇰🇭 STREET ART: BUDDHA by YI KAKADA

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Yi Kakada (often known as Kakada Yi) is a prominent, self-taught contemporary Cambodian street artist and muralist. Born in 1996 in Battambang province—historically the artistic hub of Cambodia—he has become a recognizable figure in the Kingdom’s flourishing urban art scene.

One of Kakada’s most famous physical talents is his ability to paint ambidextrously. He can draw different images with both hands simultaneously, a skill that often captivates audiences during live painting showcases. He is also recognized for creating “two-canvas” paintings that seamlessly merge to tell a singular story.

Kakada’s journey to becoming a full-time artist is marked by resilience. He lost both of his parents at an early age and faced severe financial hardship, which forced him to drop out of high school. He moved to Phnom Penh with his siblings to look for opportunities, relying entirely on his raw talent. 

Without formal art school training, he mastered his craft through hands-on practice, initially using standard house paint because expensive spray cans were out of reach. His breakthrough came when he won first place in the “Asian Drawing Category” in a competition organized by UNESCO.

7june26

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA 🇰🇭 STREET ART: 🪶

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17june26

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA 🇰🇭 STREET ART: CAMBODIA URBAN ART

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7june26

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA 🇰🇭 STREET ART: 🪶

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17june26

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA 🇰🇭 STREET ART: GIRLS

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7june26

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA 🇰🇭 STREET ART: J ROYAL

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Julien Croyal (professionally known online IG @j.croyal) is a French motion designer, digital artist, and animator based in Paris.  

While he is from France, he has a notable footprint in the Cambodian contemporary art scene through a series of prominent cross-cultural, tech-driven art collaborations in Phnom Penh.

7june26

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA 🇰🇭 STREET ART: BUDDHA by YI KAKADA

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Yi Kakada (often known as Kakada Yi) is a prominent, self-taught contemporary Cambodian street artist and muralist. Born in 1996 in Battambang province—historically the artistic hub of Cambodia—he has become a recognizable figure in the Kingdom’s flourishing urban art scene.

One of Kakada’s most famous physical talents is his ability to paint ambidextrously. He can draw different images with both hands simultaneously, a skill that often captivates audiences during live painting showcases. He is also recognized for creating “two-canvas” paintings that seamlessly merge to tell a singular story.

Kakada’s journey to becoming a full-time artist is marked by resilience. He lost both of his parents at an early age and faced severe financial hardship, which forced him to drop out of high school. He moved to Phnom Penh with his siblings to look for opportunities, relying entirely on his raw talent. 

Without formal art school training, he mastered his craft through hands-on practice, initially using standard house paint because expensive spray cans were out of reach. His breakthrough came when he won first place in the “Asian Drawing Category” in a competition organized by UNESCO.

7june26