This issue began with a simple idea: taste should never stand still. It evolves with us, shaped by experience and by the world we move through. At a time when so much can be generated or recommended by machines and algorithms, taste remains profoundly human: the accumulation of experience, instinct, curiosity, and judgment that gives each of us a point of view.
That is why we called this issue Taste in Motion. Rather than trying to define good taste—we leave that question to our opening essay—we wanted to see it in action.
Few people embody that spirit better than our cover star, Johnny Trí Nguyễn. After nearly a decade away from film, he returns to the big screen with the historical drama Hộ Linh Tráng Sĩ – Bí Ẩn Mộ Vua Đinh, bringing a lifelong devotion to craft shaped by Vietnam and Hollywood, acting and martial arts, spectacle and intense discipline.
You’ll find this dynamism, too, in the eight figures we’ve chosen as our Tastemakers, each shaping contemporary Vietnamese culture from a different vantage point—from fashion to travel. In another feature, we sit down with Da LAB’s Thơm and Thỏ, friends and collaborators for nearly two decades, as they reflect on writing lyrics and making music.
Elsewhere, a new generation of chefs pushes Vietnamese fine dining forward, Vietnamese art finds an audience in Paris, and traditional performance is reimagined for contemporary stages. From watches and classic cars to tailoring, chocolate and books, these pages represent a collection of conscious choices—from our editors, contributors, and subjects alike.
Because taste, after all, is evidence of a life lived: what we have seen, learned, loved, and chosen for ourselves. It is not simply an expression of who we are, but an expression of our humanity.
