EM Gallery

EM Gallery. Contemporary art in Saigon. By appointment.

An ongoing programme at 218c Pasteur Street, District 3, a few minutes from Tao Đàn Park. Vietnamese and Southeast Asian artists, and work that rewards more than one visit. EM Gallery is viewed by appointment, including on scheduled opening nights, so reserve ahead either way.

EM Gallery

Inside the gallery

EM Gallery with nobody in it: concrete walls, track lighting, the slot windows and the listening room. Select any frame to see it larger.

Currently showingWorks on Paper

The long exhibition room at EM Gallery, framed works lit along both concrete walls
Three small framed works spotlit in a row on a bare concrete wall
The corridor at EM Gallery with a lit display niche cut into the concrete
A tall lit niche in the concrete wall with a framed work hung either side
A red toned work lit at the far end of the empty gallery room
The listening room at EM Gallery: turntable, speakers and a woven sculpture suspended overhead
A wide framed work lit alone on the gallery wall
A sculpture lit on its plinth in a darkened corner of the gallery
A corner of the gallery with two framed works and a narrow slot window
Suspended lanterns turning above the listening room, caught in a long exposure
Exhibition wall text beside a framed work under a downlight
A timber column in the gallery, wall text opposite and a lit niche beyond
An ornately framed painting spotlit on the concrete wall
The gallery room with exhibition text, a slot window and hung works
A timber column and a sculpture lit on its stand in the empty gallery
A framed work lit beside a small window in the darkened gallery
The listening room seen wide: lanterns, a low table and a projection on the wall
Framed works hung along the gallery wall with daylight from a slot window
A framed work hung beside a lit doorway in the gallery
Lanterns above the listening room's low table, speakers and turntable behind
The listening room close in: woven sculpture, lion dance head, speakers and turntable

The Programme

EM is Vietnamese for gentle, hushed, soft-spoken. It's also the room: dark lime-wash plaster on the walls, a seam of light splitting one wall floor to ceiling, low stone plinths instead of pedestals. We show work by Vietnamese and Southeast Asian artists: painting, photography, installation, mixed media. Emerging and mid-career practitioners, not only those with gallery representation. The programme is built around the work, not the CV.

Exhibitions rotate throughout the year, with no fixed calendar. Each show stays up until the next one opens, and the space remains available for private events and bookings between shows. EM Gallery is viewed by appointment, including opening nights: reserve ahead, then take the original colonial staircase up from Pasteur Street, past the gold-leaf wall at its base, into a run of small rooms lit one work at a time. Spend as long as you want with each one. Quiet by day, for a considered look. Golden hour brings the first pour from downstairs up the stairs, and by the time an opening starts, the gallery and the bar are already one room. Alive AFTER DARK, when an opening turns the floor into the night's main event.

See What's OnPropose a Show

For Artists

Work that earns its walls.

We read the artist statement before we meet you. The programme is co-managed with an independent curator and publicist based in Ho Chi Minh City. Opening nights are built around the work, and the room that gathers to see it. Bar service, promotion through our channels, coordination from enquiry to close. Hire terms and any sale commission are agreed with you before the show, so nothing is left to guess. One point of contact. The artist and their team focus on what matters.

  • Track lighting: adjustable, warm white (3000K)
  • Neutral exhibition walls · floor-to-ceiling hang
  • Open gallery floor for exhibitions, talks & events
  • Natural light from Pasteur Street windows
  • Sound system for openings, talks, and screenings
  • Bar service for opening nights
  • Promotion via newsletter & social channels
Propose a ShowSee Current Programme
Lit concrete display niche in EM Gallery, TEMPO House
Framed work under a spotlight on the concrete wall of EM Gallery
Listening room at EM Gallery: turntable, speakers and suspended lion-dance heads
Sculpture lit on its plinth at EM Gallery
Hung works either side of the lit niche in the EM Gallery corridor
Ornately framed painting spotlit at EM Gallery

Opening night

The rooms on an opening night, when the works are lit and the gallery fills up.

Guests filling the room on an opening night at TEMPO House
Guests talking in front of a hung work at EM Gallery
A visitor pointing out a work to others at EM Gallery
Visitors looking at the wall of framed works at EM Gallery
Two guests beneath a suspended lion-dance head at EM Gallery
A visitor with percussion instruments beneath the wire sculpture at EM Gallery
Drinks being poured at the bar during an opening night at TEMPO House

The Space

EM Gallery. An open floor built to hold work.

Neutral exhibition walls. Track lighting at 3000K warm white, adjustable. Natural light through street-facing windows for daytime viewing. The floor hosts exhibitions, artist talks, screenings, and private events for up to 50 guests.

Combined with the Villa (the café and bar) and the Garden, the full venue at 218c Pasteur accommodates up to 260 standing for opening nights, or 160 seated. Ho Chi Minh City's gallery scene is still building its infrastructure (VIA Art Fair's second season in late 2025 was a first step toward it), and EM Gallery runs on the same premise: a regular, appointment-based programme, not a one-off pop-up.

  • EM Gallery: 60 standing · 50–55 theatre · 40 seated
  • Full venue: café + bar + outdoor to 260
  • Track lighting: warm white 3000K
  • Neutral walls · floor-to-ceiling hang
  • Natural light · Pasteur Street frontage
  • Sound system
Enquire About the SpaceView Venue Details
EM Gallery floor at TEMPO House, District 3

Hire the EM Gallery

Hang the show. Launch the brand. Take the floor.

  • Art Openings & Private Views

    Opening nights built around the work. Good wall space, good light, room to circulate without crowding the art. Bar service, catering coordination, and venue setup handled. So the artist and their team can focus entirely on the work.

    Enquire →

  • Talks, Screenings & Performances

    Artist talks, panel discussions, film screenings, live performances, with a sound system and an audience of up to 50–55 theatre-style, in a room built to take ideas seriously. Not a conference room with art on the walls. A gallery that holds events.

    Enquire →

  • Brand & Creative Launches

    A hotel function room can't do this. Brand launches are scheduled around the current show, with the exhibiting artist's sign-off, never without it. Genuine curatorial credibility, not a backdrop rented for the night. The architecture, the art programme, the address on Pasteur Street: the venue becomes part of the story.

    Enquire →

  • Private Gatherings

    Birthday dinners, collector evenings, brand gatherings of up to 60 standing or 40 seated. More considered than a restaurant hire, smaller in scale than an event hall. For occasions where the setting should feel earned, not simply booked.

    Enquire →

Working Together

You bring the work. We bring the people who'll stand in front of it.

Whether you're an artist proposing a solo show, a manager planning an opening night, or a brand looking for a space with genuine cultural context: opening nights spill into the bar, and the conversation keeps going AFTER DARK. One point of contact. Trusted vendors, caterers, and crew from our network in Ho Chi Minh City. No chasing.

Start the ConversationPropose a Show

EM Gallery Hours

By appointment · opening nights included.

Admission

Reserve ahead. No walk-ins, opening nights included.

Location

218c Pasteur, Xuân Hoà
Quận 3, Ho Chi Minh City

Gallery FAQ

EM Gallery, Answered.

  • Is there an art gallery in District 3, Saigon?

    Yes. TEMPO House runs EM Gallery, a contemporary art gallery inside a 1930s French-colonial villa at 218c Pasteur Street, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.

  • Can I visit EM Gallery? Do I need an appointment?

    EM Gallery is viewed by appointment only, including on opening nights. Send us the day and time you'd like through the contact form or a message on Zalo or WhatsApp, email info@tempohouse.com.vn, or ask at the counter when you're in.

  • How many exhibitions does EM Gallery show per year?

    There's no fixed number. Exhibitions rotate throughout the year on an ongoing, curated programme. Each show runs until the next one opens, and the gallery floor remains available for private events and bookings between shows.

  • Can I hire EM Gallery for my own exhibition or event?

    Yes. EM Gallery is available to hire for art openings, artist talks, screenings, brand launches, and private gatherings. Up to 60 guests standing, 50 to 55 theatre-style, or 40 seated across its two connected rooms.

  • How do I submit my work for exhibition at EM Gallery?

    Send your artist statement and portfolio through the enquiry form. We read the statement before we meet you, and consider emerging and mid-career artists alongside those with existing gallery representation.

  • Who curates EM Gallery's programme?

    EM Gallery is co-managed with an independent curator and publicist based in Ho Chi Minh City, working alongside the TEMPO House team on exhibition selection and artist relationships.