in Saigon

Reminiscing About the Last Days of Downtown Saigon’s Pigeon Coop

The first time I pay a visit to the Pasteur pigeon coop, Lê Văn Âu assures me the place is probably not going anywhere.

in Saigon

Portrait of a Jubilant Saigon on the Precipice of Tết in 1992

Tết in 1992 was an especially fortuitous time to be a foreign arrival to Saigon. 

in Vietnam

The Vintage Charm of 1995 Vietnam on Kodachrome Film Slides

While editing a retrospective of my recent work from Vietnam in the summer of 2019, I discovered 50 yellow boxes of Kodachrome slides in my basement that were shot in 1995. The images were from my fir...

in Saigon

Tân Định Market, D1's Nearly 100-Year-Old Trading Hub

Originally known as the marché de Phu-Hoa, Tân Định Market at 1 Nguyễn Hữu Cầu in District 1 is one of the city’s most historic markets, but it was the opening of the stylish French market building of...

in Saigon

From Vauban Citadel to Modernist Icon: The History of Turtle Lake

The area of Công Trường Quốc Tế and Turtle Lake (Hồ Con Rùa) has been through many changes both in design and function throughout the history of Saigon. First, it housed a gate for a Nguyễn-dynasty ci...

in Saigon

How Nhà Thờ Tân Định, Saigon's Iconic Pink Church, Came to Be

You just have to mention the “pink church” and everyone knows which one you mean. But few are aware that the building in question — Tân Định Church — is one of Saigon’s oldest and most important Roman...

in Saigon

The Story of Quách Đàm, the Man Who Shaped Modern Chợ Lớn — Part 2

By the 1920s, the old Bình Tây Market and much of the surrounding land had belonged to Quách Đàm, so he proposed to the colonial authorities the demolition of the existing building and the constructio...

in Saigon

The Story of Quách Đàm, the Man Who Shaped Modern Chợ Lớn — Part 1

Hải Thượng Lãn Ông Boulevard (the former quai Gaudot) in central Chợ Lớn preserves several elegant old colonial shophouse buildings, but perhaps the most interesting of all is the one at No. 45, once ...

in Saigon

It's (Almost) Always Sunny in Saigon: A Glimpse Into Street Fashion in the Early 1970s

You can deduce a lot from a photo.

in Saigon

[Photos] Views of a Saigon in Transit in 1945 by John Florea

1945 was yet another time of drastic change in Saigon overseen by foreign powers. 

in Podcast

Saigoneer Podcast: Hannah Hà, Mark Gergis, Jan Hagenkoetter & the Making of 'Magical Nights'

We're hear to deliver a Christmas present from the Saigoneer Podcast!

in Saigon

[Photos] Landmarks of 1966-1967 Saigon in Black and White

Sometimes the backstory behind a photograph is key, while other times simply observing an image is better.

in Saigon

[Photos] A Shopping Trip in Ben Thanh Market in 1938

Dried fish? Pomelo? A chicken? Heels? Plates? Perhaps a fizzy soft drink or simple meal on the street? What is on your shopping list when you go to Ben Thanh Market?

in Vietnam

[Photos] On the Road in 1971 Vietnam, From Saigon to Da Nang

This week's collection of old film photos comes from an American service member named Terry Nelson, who covered quite a bit of ground in Vietnam in 1971 and 1972. These shots include colorful depictio...

in Saigon

[Photos] Downtown Saigon in 1972: Same Same, but Different

What if all the core images, sounds and smells you know of a place were intact, but altered, tweaked or reworked the way songs can be? In some ways, this is what it feels like to gaze at photographs o...

in Saigon

[Photos] A Visual History of Saigon's Rainy Season Through the Eras

Oh, rain.

in Saigon

[Photos] Napping in Saigon Through the Decades

Can you hear the snores?

in Saigon

[Photos] Expansive Views of 1950 Saigon from Above

How often do you think about the Saigon River?

in Vietnam

[Photos] Rare Photos From Above Show a Sparsely Developed Da Lat in 1966

When we think of Da Lat today, we imagine a fully formed city of flowers, fruits and mountain photoshoots.

in Saigon

[Photos] A Peek Back at Saigon's Enduring Street Vendors in 1950

Where else can you buy whatever you need without having to step inside a building?

in Saigon

[Photos] The Frenetic Energy of 1960s Chợ Lớn

Comic books and bread, cigarettes and rickshaw rides: Saigon has always reveled in the exchange of goods and services for money. 

in Vietnam

[Photos] Fly Over Vietnam in the 1930s via These Rare Black-and-White Shots

What if you had a time machine and traveled 90 years into the past with a drone?

in Saigon

[Photos] 20 Photos of Life in Vietnam in 1966–1967

Motorbikes and buffalo carts, marching bands and xích lô.

in Saigon

[Photos] A Sepia-Toned Tour of 1902 Saigon

Long before Saigon became a maelstrom of motorbikes zipping past bubble tea shops, convenience stores, and cellphone sellers, it was a sleepy town where sampan boats cluttered placid canals, locals sn...

in Saigon

[Photos] Getting Lost in Traffic on Late 1960s Chau Van Liem Boulevard

Old photos of Vietnam and cheese: two things you can never too much of.

in Vietnam

[Photos] The Maritime Idyll of 1965 Phan Thiet

Before it became a weekend destination for workweek-weary Saigoneers, Phan Thiet was an austere fishing town.

in Vietnam

[Photos] Views of 1993 Vietnam From Behind the Lens of a Past War Orphan

I have been carrying this film around for over a quarter-century from Hanoi to Saigon to Boston and to New York.

in Saigon

[Photos] A Collection of Illusory Saigon Nightscapes From 1938

A rare glimpse into colonial Saigon after sunset.

in Saigon

[Photos] 10 Incredible Shots of 1960s Saigon by William Ruzin

It takes seven to ten years for a human body to replace every cell to the point it consists of entirely different atoms.

in Saigon

[Photos] Exploring Downtown Saigon Via These 10 Snapshots From the 1970s

What are the people in these photos doing today?

in Music & Arts

Đinh Tiến Mậu, Photographer of Old-School Saigon Glamor, Passes Away at 85

You might not know who Đinh Tiến Mậu is, but if you’re a fan of nhạc vàng, his works are impossible to miss.

in Saigon

[Photos] 12 Snapshots of Downtown Saigon From Over 30 Years Ago

What can travel photos tell us about the places depicted, especially when it’s been decades since the shots were captured?

in Saigon

Hao Si Phuong, Saigon's Century-Old Hẻm, Says No to Photography

Yet another community in Saigon has become disillusioned by internet exposure.

in Saigon

Co.opmart Cong Quynh, Saigon's Oldest, Might Have to Close Next Year

Say it ain’t so!

Paul Christiansen

in In Plain Sight

On Loving the Saigon Zoo Despite Its Flaws

We’ve all wanted something we can’t have. Something we can see but can’t touch. Something dangled in front of us but just out of reach like an especially succulent apple growing on a branch inches ...

in Saigon

Saigon Zoo Staff Take Voluntary Pay Cuts to Keep Animals Fed

Difficulties related to COVID-19 have led the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens staff to take voluntary 30% pay cuts so food can be purchased for the animals.

in Vietnam

[Photos] Feel the Pulse of a Fast-Changing Vietnam in the 1990s

By the mid-1990's, Vietnam's astounding economic transformation was well underway.

in Saigon

[Photos] 30 Film Photographs That Take You Back to 1965 Saigon

What draws viewers to the spectacle that is old photographs?

in Saigon

[Photos] Amble Through Saigon’s Markets and Pagodas in 1965–1966

The photo series was taken by Thomas W. Johnson, a chaplain assistant working at the US 3rd Field Hospital in Saigon in the 1960s.

in Music & Arts

An Artist’s Role in Debate at Vo Tran Chau’s Solo Exhibition on Heritage

Located at The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre in District 2, “Leaf Picking in the Ancient Forest” is artist Vo Tran Chau’s largest solo exhibition to date, and is currently on view from February 14 ...

in Saigon

[Photos] Building the City: Snapshots of Saigon in the Late 1960s

Buildings play a significant role in shaping how we see and navigate Saigon — the Notre-Dame de Paris gives us a sense of belonging to history while modern high-rises can feed our dreams of grandeur a...

in Music & Arts

[Video] Tanita Tikaram's Music Video Offers a Peek Into Vietnam in 1995

Tanita Tikaram is a British singer-songwriter who had commercial success in Europe with her debut album Ancient Heart and singles such as 'Twist in My Sobriety' and Good Tradition' in 1988.

in Saigon

[Photos] Into the Wilderness of Saigon in 1867

Before “southern Vietnam,” there was Cochinchina; before Saigon, there wasn’t much of anything but vast stretches of tropical jungle and mosquito-infested swamps.

in Vietnam

Unearthed: Tracing the Past Citadels of Southern Vietnam

Although the forces of modernization encourage constant progress and leaving behind the pre-modern past, the trails of yesterday never fail to leave our presence.

Thi Nguyen

in Saigon

Street Cred: Dauntless Antiwar Icon Nguyen Thai Binh and His Tragic Death

If one were to see the streets of Vietnam as a tangled network of people whose names they took, every city would resemble a messy collection of historical fragments.

in Saigon

[Photos] Views of 1954 Saigon-Cho Lon From a USS Rochester Sailor

The USS Rochester CA-124 was a heavy cruiser that was first launched after World War II.

in Saigon

[Photos] A French Photographer's Portrait of Saigon in 1866

It took millions of years for dinosaurs' ferocious claws to evolve into the soft wings of a hummingbird and even longer for simple algae to transform into towering pine trees; change has been much mor...

in Saigon

[Photos] A Brief Tribute to Saigon’s Old Electricity Substations and Their Iconic Logo

Have you ever spotted these substations peppered across downtown Saigon and wondered what the initials CEE stands for?

in Saigon

Thu Thiem Church, Convent Classified as City-Level Heritage Sites by Saigon

After years of precarious existence in the face of constant development in the Thu Thiem Peninsula, the two Roman Catholic institutions have finally achieved protected status.

in Saigon

[Photos] A Walk Down Memory Lane: 1990 Saigon Caught on Camera

Once among the 1990s’ most recognizable icons, xích lô is now a rare species on Saigon streets that’s reserved only for tourists.

in Saigon

[Photos] The Wilderness of Suburban Saigon in 1904

In 1904, the entirety of Saigon was confined to the area we know as District 1 today. Apart from the neatly planned city center and Cho Lon’s bustling trade town, the city’s peripheral regions were ov...

in Saigon

Street Cred: Phan Đình Phùng, My Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather

An unassuming street named Phan Dinh Phung runs through Saigon’s Phu Nhuan District. It is named after a Vietnamese revolutionary who led rebel armies against French colonial forces in the 1880s ...

in Culture

[Video] Sidewalk Barbers: The Very Saigon Comfort of Getting a Haircut on the Street

Sidewalk barbershops are a symbol of old Saigon. In the face of globalization and its demands for westernization, the sight of a simple chair placed beneath an awning where one can get an affordable t...

in Society

[Video] In Remembrance of a Green Ton Duc Thang Past

October 2017 spelled the death of Ton Duc Thang Street in spirit after Saigon maintenance workers started slaying its trees to make way for bridge construction.

in Saigon

[Photos] 17 Photos of 2002 Saigon as Seen From Above

2002 might not seem like a long time ago, but Saigon’s urbanscapes have grown so much in the last ten years that these scenes offer some surprising insights into our city 17 years in the past.

in Saigon

[Photos] 10 Remarkable Black-and-White Shots of Saigon in 1967

Lush bunches of fresh bananas at a market, a street-side merchant selling embroidered artworks to tourists, and Buddhist worshipers praying at a local temple — these Saigon scenes are rather mundane b...

in Vietnam

[Photos] In 1995 Vietnam, a Paradise for Honda Cubs and Xích Lô

How heartening — or rather, disheartening — to discover that flooding isn’t a problem that is unique to 2010s Saigon.

in Saigon

One of Saigon's Oldest Supermarkets Closes This Month. Saigoneers Are Heartbroken.

After news broke that supermarket chain Co.opmart will shut down its Dinh Tien Hoang outlet, Saigon’s cybersphere witnessed an outpouring of grief and nostalgia over the impending closure.

in Saigon

[Photos] Saigon Then & Now: Rue Catinat, Tu Do and Dong Khoi Street

While some of Saigon's most extreme changes over the years have occurred in suburban areas like District 7 or Binh Thanh, central District 1 is obviously no stranger to transformations either.

in Saigon

A Brief History of Saigon's Now-Defunct Thu Thiem Ferry Service

While the Thu Thiem Bridge and Thu Thiem Tunnel allow easy access to the District 2 peninsula from nearby districts, for decades past Saigoneers had to rely on the Thu Thiem Ferry to cross the river.

Khoi Pham

in Saigon

Old Saigon Building of the Week: The Glitz and Glam of Tự Do Nightclub

While today’s Dong Khoi Street is peppered with tourist-centric shops and restaurants, just half a century ago, the downtown street was the nightlife hotspot for Saigon’s cool kids to congregate.

in Culture

The Evolution of Vietnamese Beauty Through Old Ads

Vintage cosmetic advertising and magazine covers depicting perceptions of Vietnamese beauty tell not only Saigon's, but Vietnam's feminine spirit in years gone by. Whether plain or in full color, each...

in Culture

Inside the 170-Year-Old Homestead of Vuong Hong Sen, Vietnam's Famed Historian

This noble house is one of Saigon's dormant treasures. Dating back to 1848, it once hosted a notable Saigoneer, Vuong Hong Sen, and his family now calls it home. The lives of its current inhabitants i...

in Saigon

[Photos] 21 Snapshots of Downtown Saigon in 1967

As time goes by, our memories of past eras slowly lose their linear structures but instead come in snippets when chancing upon old memorabilia; an old ticket stub may bring back snapshots of nigh...

in Food Culture

[Photos] Saigon's Old-School Cafes Hold Fast to Time-Honored Traditions

In a city of rapid change, there is no doubt that opinions on many subjects vary with passion and, sometimes, noticeable subtlety.

Khoi Pham

in Saigon

Memories of 1997 Vietnam Through the Lens of Saigon's Canadian Consul General

Digging into one’s collection of old mementos can be a thrilling experience. From antique watches to tattered letters, these trinkets serve as a remembrance of a period of time in our past. For Kyle N...

in Saigon

[Photos] Lycée Pétrus Ky: Saigon's Famous School for the High-Achieving

Lycée Petrus Ky is the former name of the school now known as Le Hong Phong High School. Established in 1927, it is one of the oldest operating high schools in Vietnam.

in Heritage

[Photos] Lycée Marie Curie: The High School That Has Stood the Test of Time

Marie Curie High School, also called Lycée Marie Curie in French or Truong Trung Hoc Pho Thong Marie Curie in Vietnamese, is a public high school located in Saigon’s District 3.

in Saigon

Old Saigon Building of the Week: The Three-Legged Bridge of Cho Lon

Saigoneers born after the 1990s might be familiar with the term dân chơi cầu Ba Cẳng, or “the daredevils of Ba Cang Bridge”. However, not many are aware of its starting point, which originated from a ...

in Heritage

[Photos] 1972 Saigon, a City of Style

Based on this collection of black-and-white snapshots, there’s no doubt that Saigon was – and still is – a city of style.

in Saigon

[Photos] How Saigoneers Enjoyed Christmas in the 60s and 70s

With Christmas just around the corner, Saigoneer takes a look at how past city dwellers enjoyed the holiday season.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: A Cuppa in Saigon's Oldest Cafe

One of the first things Co Suong does when we sit down in the back of her tiny District 3 cafe is bring out the newspaper clippings.

in Vietnam

How a French Adventurer Became King of the Central Highlands

Many will have heard of Englishman James Brooke, the so-called “White Rajah” who in the 1840s established the Kingdom of Sarawak, or indeed of French lawyer Orélie-Antoine de Tounens, who in 1860 foun...

in Saigon

Gateway to Nowhere: The Yellow 'Gia Dinh Gate,' 1913

It’s claimed by several tourism websites that a gateway from one of the ancient Gia Dinh citadels has survived and may be viewed on the Dinh Tien Hoang-Phan Dang Luu intersection in Binh Thanh Distric...

in Saigon

Date With the Wrecking Ball: Thu Thiem Parish Church and Lovers of the Holy Cross Convent

Two of Saigon’s oldest Roman Catholic institutions, located across the river in Thủ Thiêm, may soon be gone.

in Saigon

Saigon's Cầu Mống and the Remnants of Gustave Eiffel's Work in Vietnam

Many people will be familiar with the spurious claims that French civil engineer and architect Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923) was responsible for two of Vietnam’s most iconic buildings, the Long Biên Brid...

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Old Saigon: Pictures from Life Magazine

When looking at old pictures of big cities, what usually strikes us is how different yet similar things are today. Back in the 50s, Time Magazine ran some great pictures of Saigon, capturing its initi...

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Abandoned Temple in District 2

Abandoned Temple. Parts of central District 2 are currently a mish-mash of leveled neighborhoods where all that remain are the skeletons of old buildings.