These rare photographs are the work of Émile Gsell, the first commercial photographer based in Saigon.

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Though particularly famous for his images of Angkor Wat taken on the 1866 Commission d'exploration du Mékong, considered among the earliest photographs of the temple complex, he spent plenty of time focusing on the scenes and people of Saigon and Cho Lon.

Saigon Port.

Thu Ngu flag pole, which stands to this day.

Saigon Port.

Panoramic view of Saigon Port.

Panorama of the Tau Hu Canal.

A panel of the above Tau Hu Canal panorama.

A panel of the above Tau Hu Canal panorama.

Tau Hu Canal. The bridge is now part of Vo Van Kiet Street.

The Tau Hu Canal.

The Tau Hu Canal.

Children with coins.

A opera troupe.

The Saigon River in 1870.

Houses along a canal in Cho Lon.

Religious rituals in a Chinese pagoda in Cho Lon (1866).

A folk music band.

A wedding in Saigon.

A Chinese pagoda in Cho Lon.

Tomb of Cha Ca, aka bishop Pierre Joseph Georges Pigneau de Béhaine.

Saigon Port in 1866.

Today's Nguyen Hue Street. The Notre Dame Cathedral can be seen in the background.

The former Norodom Palace once sat on the site of the Independence Palace.