in Vietnam

Journeying Through Đà Lạt and the Central Highlands in 1992

Đà Lạt has always been a highly sought-after traveling destination, like how it was originally designed as a resort town for French officials. These days, however, the hilly Lâm Đồng town has urbanized so quickly that at times it’s hard to believe that here once lived a tree-carpeted enclave.

in Saigon

Rare Film Shots Depict a Fast-Growing Saigon in 1996

Change was in the air in 1996, and the streets purred with development.

Paul Christiansen

in Vietnam

Revisiting the Coats of Arms of Vietnam's Major Cities Under French Rule

Did you know that several Vietnamese cities have coats of arms?

in Vietnam

How the 1st Quốc Ngữ Newspaper Shaped the Foundation of Vietnam's Modern Journalism

Stopping at the intersection of Saigon’s Trần Hưng Đạo and Trần Bình Trọng streets, the tranquil mausoleum of scholar Trương Vĩnh Ký remains hidden amid the daily commotion. Few realize that the visionary resting here, along with his associates and their contributions, laid the foundation for Vietnam's modern journalism with the launch of Gia Định Báo (Gia Định Newspaper).

in Saigon

Hidden in the Heart of D5, an Architectural Vestige of 1970s Vietnam-Korea History

For years now, the verdant pine green pavilion in the heart of Hòa Bình Park in District 5 has been a familiar landmark for denizens of Chợ Lớn.

in Hanoi

Postcard-Ready Vintage Album Highlights a Lonesome Hanoi in the 1920s

Looking at past albums of our cities today, I’m always stricken by a bewildering vastness — every street, every square, every building seemed to have been constructed in a ghost town, serving lonesome phantoms and nonchalant horse-drawn wagons.

in Vietnam

French Illustrated Encyclopedia Paints the Slices of Vietnam Life in the 1900s

"To effectively govern colonial peoples, the foremost requirement is a thorough understanding of the very people one rules over," so believed Paul Doumer, the second Governor-General of French Indochina, who spent his career imposing the imperial French government's agenda on studying the culture of their colonized subjects.

Back Heritage

in Vietnam

[Photos] A Glimpse of Turn-of-the-Century Indochina

France didn't colonize Vietnam overnight.

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 Hanoi

[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.

in Saigon

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...

in Vietnam

[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.

in Saigon

[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. 

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 Asia

[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.

in Vietnam

[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.

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 Hanoi

[Photos] Black-and-White Shots of Hanoi Street Scenes From 1940

For thousands of years, streets have served a multitude of purposes.

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.

Linh Pham

in Hanoi

Street Cred: Pháo Đài Láng, Home of Ông Voi and Where the War Began

More often than not, a country’s independence is won with guns. The location where the first shots were fired for Vietnam is memorialized to this day.

in Saigon

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

What are the people in these photos doing today?

in Vietnam

[Photos] 13 Film Snapshots of a Sleepy Vung Tau in 1967

Vung Tau is a fitting name for the coastal town that invites people to pause and stay a while.

in Vietnam

[Photos] Wander Along the Beach in 1967 Nha Trang

We often yearn to visit tourist destinations before they became heavily developed, but what would that actually be like?

in Vietnam

[Photos] From the National Geographic Archive, Slices of Life in 1952 Vietnam

Mostly taken by National Geographic photojournalist Joseph Baylor Roberts, these excellent shots are among the best images of 1952 Vietnam that one can encounter.

in Vietnam

[Photos] The Coastal Life in Nha Trang in a Timewarp

You can practically taste the salty sea breeze and hear the occasional wafting of rock music in these photos of Nha Trang from the late 60s, early 70s.

in Saigon

The Mystical Origins of Saigon's Notorious Octagonal Prison, Khám Chí Hòa

Chi Hoa Prison (Khám Chí Hòa) is a seven-hectare facility located in Saigon's District 10.