Distorted, Disrupted, Divine: The Van Anh Interview

In Vietnam’s underground scene, Van Anh isn’t just part of the movement—she’s the one pulling the strings. A photographer, creative director, DJ, and organizer, she moves between mediums with surgical precision, bending reality through her lens and warping sound into new dimensions. Her photography isn’t just ahead of the curve—it is the curve. raw and two steps ahead, her work digs into the overlooked, the unsaid, and the unfiltered.

As the force behind GÁI NHẢY, a collective that’s taken over Boiler Room, fitness raves, and DJG2G, she’s reshaping what nightlife—and creative expression—can be. It’s not just a party; it’s a controlled detonation. Through her events and imagery, Van Anh crafts spaces where identities unravel, remix, and reform, capturing the electricity of the moment before it burns out.

gush virtually sat down with her to talk about her vision, pushing boundaries, and what it means to stay untouchable in a world that’s always trying to catch up.

Please introduce yourself to our readers!

I’m Tôn Tôn Bo. I move between photography, directing, DJing, and running around organizing stuff. I’m based in Sài Gòn, but I spend a lot of time in my head.

You move between photography, creative direction, DJing, and organizing. How do you see all these roles connecting—are they different sides of the same vision, or do they serve separate purposes?

For me, it’s all connected. I see it as world-building, honestly. Each piece brings a new dimension to my worldview. I think I move between mediums because the vision stays the same, but the delivery system needs to shift depending on the moment.

If you weren’t a photographer or DJ, what would your alternate reality self be doing?

I would become an actress—like the opposite of building the world, more like world-hopping. Constantly living in my imagination and inside other people’s imaginations.

What’s been your biggest challenge as a photographer, and how did you overcome it?

My biggest challenge as a photographer is fighting the urge to capture every single thing I have in my mind, or what I see, or anything I feel an instant connection with. Some days it’s tiring—but mostly, it keeps me alive.

If someone had to cosplay as you for a day, what would they need to wear, carry, or do?

They would need lots of sunglasses, eyeliner, a vape—and they’d need to know how to smile and laugh a lot.

You’re constantly ahead of the curve. What’s something you predicted in photography or music that people are just catching onto now?

Something I’ve known—and obviously we’re living in it right now—is that we’re in a time of remixing the remix. The value of raw material, something human but with a twist. Remixing and self-reinventing is the vibe for now. Immersing yourself in your environment will always be the move.

If you could teleport GÁI NHẢY anywhere for a dream event, where would it be and who would be on the lineup?

Definitely somewhere in Brazil. Dream collab would be Arca. That—or we’d throw a party on a blockbuster movie set. It’s a real party but also a movie.

What legacy do you wish to leave in the world?

I want people to feel brave enough to be too much. Too loud, too messy, too sensitive, too strange. I want to leave behind spaces where people can come undone safely. If anything I’ve made helps someone crack open a little more, then that’s enough for me.

all image credits van anh