Even without photographic evidence, it’s a safe bet that 1955 Saigon was a world apart from the frantic energy of today’s mammoth metropolis.
Long before the skyscrapers started going up and throngs of motorbikes appeared on the streets, the southern hub was a quieter, greener, less congested place. This is clear as day in photographer Raymond Cauchetier’s collection of black-and-white aerial photos from 1955, which depict the empty streets and tree-lined boulevards of old Saigon with a dream-like quality. From the Saigon River to Binh Tay Market to the wide thoroughfare of Nguyen Hue, everything looks a little more peaceful from above.
Take a look at 1955 Saigon from above, courtesy of Flickr user manhhai:
Ham Nghi Boulevard.
![](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/D2ZAWWXb.jpg)
![](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/kZv2f1Hb.jpg)
Thi Nghe Canal's Kieu Bridge connecting District 1's Hai Ba Trung and Phu Nhuan's Phan Dinh Phung Streets.
District 1's Mong Bridge.
![](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/W1urLRdb.jpg)
![](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/GGPYKpzb.jpg)
Binh Tay Market (left) and Ong Lanh Bridge (right).
Notre Dame Cathedral.
![](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/aNBCzTOb.jpg)
![](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/rih0aUib.jpg)
Nguyen Hue (left) and Me Linh Roundabout (right).
Ben Nghe Canal.
Thi Nghe's Kieu Bridge.
![](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/3RUgStHb.jpg)
![](http://media.urbanistnetwork.com/saigoneer/article-images/legacy/CnJM4Shb.jpg)
District 8's Cha Va Bridge (left) and District 6's former Bai Say Canal (right).
[Photos via Flickr user manhhai]