Tim Doling 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 the modest headquarters of Cantonese millionaire and philanthropist Quách Đàm. This is Part 1 of our miniseries on the origin story behind Chợ Lớn. Read Part 2 here.
Charming Hosts Invite You to Experience Serene Beachside Stays at Danang Marriott Resort & Spa
What do you want from a hotel?
Visit a Serene Đà Nẵng in 1991 During a Time Before the Tourism Boom
As a special municipality of Vietnam, Đà Nẵng is considered by many as one of the most livable cities in the country, with lower costs, delicious local cuisine, and a languid, wholesome pace of life. This, in conjunction with readily available modern services, has turned the coastal metropolis into a magnet luring young professionals away from the chaos of Saigon and Hanoi, and attracting snowbird tourists from Russia, China and South Korea seeking tropical warmth.
Linh Phạm in Hanoi
A Personal History of Hồ Tây: Romance, Colonial Rule and Subsidy-Era Fishing Heists
My father-in-law has spent decades visiting Hồ Tây (West Lake). His personal story both contrasts and reflects Vietnam's history as a whole and, as a result, offers a profound insight into the importance of Hanoi's largest lake.
Tim Doling in Saigon
A Brief History of Cung Văn Hóa Lao Động and Saigon's First Swimming Pool
Once a fashionable rendezvous for the elite of colonial society, the Labour Culture Palace ( Cung Văn hoá Lao động ) ...
Khôi Phạm in Vietnam
6 Saigon Streets That Were Named After Lesser-Known Female Historical Figures
Any place is a great learning opportunity if you know where to look. A brisk walk in Saigon can be amazing fodder for history aficionados to exercise their brain muscles — just look at street titles and the amazing people they were named after.
How Did Vietnam Start Celebrating International Women's Day on March 8?
In the hyper-commercialized world we now live in, it might be impossible to associate anything but overpriced flower bouquets and corporate sponsorships with International Women’s Day (IWD), but the widely celebrated occasion actually has a rich history of over 100 years of the women’s rights movement.
A Collection of Illusory Saigon Nightscapes From 1938 by Eli Lotar
A rare glimpse into colonial Saigon after sunset.
Tim Doling 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 ...
Visit a Serene Đà Nẵng in 1991 During a Time Before the Tourism Boom
As a special municipality of Vietnam, Đà Nẵng is considered by many as one of the most livable cities in the country, with lower costs, delicious local cuisine, and a languid, wholesome pace of life. ...
Linh Phạm in Hanoi
A Personal History of Hồ Tây: Romance, Colonial Rule and Subsidy-Era Fishing Heists
My father-in-law has spent decades visiting Hồ Tây (West Lake). His personal story both contrasts and reflects Vietnam's history as a whole and, as a result, offers a profound insight into the im...
Tim Doling in Saigon
A Brief History of Cung Văn Hóa Lao Động and Saigon's First Swimming Pool
Once a fashionable rendezvous for the elite of colonial society, the Labour Culture Palace (Cung Văn hoá Lao động) at 55B Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai is today one of Hồ Chí Minh City’s most popular spor...
Khôi Phạm in Vietnam
6 Saigon Streets That Were Named After Lesser-Known Female Historical Figures
Any place is a great learning opportunity if you know where to look. A brisk walk in Saigon can be amazing fodder for history aficionados to exercise their brain muscles — just look at street titles a...
How Did Vietnam Start Celebrating International Women's Day on March 8?
In the hyper-commercialized world we now live in, it might be impossible to associate anything but overpriced flower bouquets and corporate sponsorships with International Women’s Day (IWD), but the w...
A Collection of Illusory Saigon Nightscapes From 1938 by Eli Lotar
A rare glimpse into colonial Saigon after sunset.
The Rickety Last Days of Hanoi's Tramway System in the 1990s
Vietnam residents are rightfully celebrating recent advances in public transit.
Uyên Đỗ in Vietnam
How the National Lottery Reflects Vietnam's Socio-Economic Realities Through Time
For nearly a century, lottery tickets and their strings of lucky numbers have occupied a special role in Vietnamese society: both as a lifeline for dreams of better fortune and as a mirror reflec...
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...
Uyên Đỗ in Saigon
The Forgotten History Behind Saigon's CEE Colonial Substations
Woven into the fabric of modern-day streets, the aging electrical substations of Saigon stand as quiet witnesses to a historical era shaped by the complex legacy of French colonialism.
Hanoi's Soviet-Style Khu Gia Binh and Life Amid Vietnam's Growing Pains
Hanoi is often known in Vietnam as the land of a millennium-old civilization, a living archive of past Vietnam life. Each tiny alley within the capital can evoke a strong sense of nostalgia in visitor...
A Flight Over Đà Lạt in 1968–1971 Before the Tourism Boom
If you’ve taken a trip to Lâm Đồng within the last few years, these scenes seem like a distant dream of a sparsely populated and verdant Đà Lạt that’s engulfed by nature.
The City That Never Sits Still: Traffic in 1994 Saigon via Photos by Ed Kashi
In Saigon on Wheels, American photojournalist Ed Kashi managed to capture the pulse of a simpler Saigon.
Tim Doling in Saigon
With Unchecked Destruction, Saigon's Heritage Shophouse Architecture Is in Danger
The colonial shophouse, one of Saigon’s most iconic forms of architecture, is in imminent danger of extinction.
Rare Black-and-White Album Depicts a Historic Flooding in 1952 Hanoi
The extreme weather patterns in recent years might make you worry that Vietnam’s drainage network is buckling under the pressure of rapid urbanization, but looking at these rare photos taken of a floo...
Back in Time to the 1990s, When Vintage Renault Goélette Roamed Vietnam
A sturdy, stately vehicle roamed Vietnam's city streets and rural roads not too long ago.
How Hanoi's Infectious Rats and Impish Locals Bamboozled the French in 1902
When facing a bubonic plague epidemic, is it wiser to delve into sewers and cull infected rats yourself or offer payment to Vietnamese for deliveries of severed tails instead? For Hanoi’s French colon...
Paul Christiansen in Saigon
The Saigon Post Office, Benjamin Franklin, and a Source of Unexpected Pride
It’s not hard to find snippets of America in Saigon.
In 1965, Life in Cần Thơ Was Tightly Interwoven With the Mekong River
With more than 1.5 million citizens and many indicators of a modern metropolis, from the international airport to several Vincom malls, Cần Thơ is firmly established as the Mekong Delta's largest...
