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 flood in Hanoi over half a century ago provides strange comfort that our soggy reality today might not be all that bizarre.
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 colonial rulers, the answer to this question was never in doubt, yet the consequences led to one of most humiliating periods of their rule.
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 city. But before it was the most important regional hub for business, education and culture, it was a relatively small port dedicated to fishing and trading. Wooden boats gather to offload people and products. In 1965, Cần Thơ carried an unmistakable vibe of agricultural commerce. Its position on the Hậu River, a distributary of the Mekong not too far upstream from the fertile coast, brought boats from all directions carrying fruit, vegetables, and seafood. Away from the waterways, bicycles were a predominant mode of transportation, ferrying locals to markets, homes, and shops. The camera captures local commotion. This collection of images taken by an unknown photographer and gathered by Flickr archivist extraordinaire manhhai reveals a more austere version of Cần Thơ that exists mostly in memory and stories. Clothing without a single name brand long, nón lá covering nearly every head in the markets and rows of storefronts absent of any neon bulbs: it's a very different Cần Thơ. Have a look and consider how much has changed in six decades: Spokes, chains, peddles and thighs powered locomotion. Local children who would be elderly by now. The cause of this dour expression in front of the river will never be known. Comings and going via all variety of wooden boats. Was this the first time some of these children ever had their photo taken? While less common than bicycles, trucks, vans and cars rumbled through town. A panoply of daily life and rustic routines. Not enough glory is reserved for the day laborers. Even the sweet potatoes get covered during a downpour. A simple fishing boat pushes out to fill its net. These photos are all, really, a matter of perspective. Scenes of an informal economy. Selling fruits to feed the baby. What is the average age at which one graduates from baby cap to nón lá? Bananas were a popular fruit and they still are. Typical activity on an unpaved road. Not a single plastic stool in sight during lunchtime. Trudging barefoot with heavy baskets. It's not too hard to imagine the cacophony of orderly chaos. Routine daily commute via boat. The doors are open so the activity spills onto the streets. Thats a lot of children. Imagine what your Grab app would look like here. Moments of happiness abound in the simple experiences.
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.
A Visual Timeline of Hội An's Historic Chùa Cầu Through the Eras
With the recent makeover of Hội An's Chùa Cầu sparking divisive chatter , it's a great time to gaze at the iconi...
There's a Dark Context Behind These Seemingly Random 1930 French Sketches
Can visual representations of colonial activities produced with immoral intent become works of art?
[Photos] Rare Aerial Photos Depict the Urban Contours of Saigon in 1950
In the French photo book titled Indochine – Couverture. Saigon-Cholon – Photographie Aerienne 1950, a fascinating set of aerial images showcases the urban layout of Saigon in 1950.
[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.
[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?
[Photos] Immerse in the Small-Town Charm of 1960s Vinh Long
Thanks to its tangled snarl of canals, estuaries, streams and rivers, one associates the Mekong Delta with boats.
[Photos] The Arduous Pilgrimage to Chùa Hương Over 30 Years Ago
Every year, with the arrival of spring comes a grand journey.
These Rare Paintings Depict Life in Vietnam in the 17th and 18th Centuries
Now we can envision Vietnam well before the advent of photography.
[Photos] 20 Photos of Life in Vietnam in 1966–1967
Motorbikes and buffalo carts, marching bands and xích lô.
Last Surviving Imperial Maid of Nguyen Dynasty Passes Away at 102
An important historical figure of the Nguyen Dynasty has left us this week.
[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...
[Photos] A Glimpse of Turn-of-the-Century Indochina
France didn't colonize Vietnam overnight.
[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.
[Photos] How Did Hanoians Enjoy Tết in 1955?
With Tết less than a month away, now is probably the time to ramp up shopping trips, cleaning tasks and home decoration efforts.
Cột Cờ Thủ Ngữ: Overlooked Saigon Landmark Gets a Makeover
Flanked by a busy road and overshadowed by an unfinished skyscraper, you'd be forgiven if you rarely noticed the Signal Mast (Cột cờ Thủ Ngữ) where Ton Duc Thang and Vo Van Kiet streets intermingle.&n...
[Photos] Black-and-White Shots Depict Quotidian Details of 19th-Century Vietnam
These black-and-white shots are among the highest-quality documentation attempts of Vietnam at the end of the 19th century.
[Photos] The Saigon Zoo's Enduring Serenity in the 1970s
Over the years, Saigon has changed as drastically as a flounder undergoing a metamorphosis that transfers its eyes from one side of its face to the other.
[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.
[Photos] An Idyllic Slice of 1957 Cambodian Life
Vietnam isn't the only country in the region to change dramatically over the last several decades.
[Photos] The Small-Town Charm of Vung Tau in the 1960s
From remembering fond memories with loved ones to selling products and even gaining clues to a grisly crime, photos have many uses.
[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.
[Photos] Black-and-White Shots of Hanoi Street Scenes From 1940
For thousands of years, streets have served a multitude of purposes.
