An Indie Archival Project Dreams of Time Travel. How? Lots and Lots of Vietnam Maps.
Its entrances flanked by ATMs and adverts for international airlines, the Sun Wah Tower on Nguyễn Huệ today appears to be another nondescript testament to the global economy and Vietnam’s enthusiastic place within it. However, on those same grounds only 150 years ago, a guillotine was set up to decapitate people on order of the colonial authorities at the Justice de paix.
A Brake Failure and 200 Victims: Remembering Vietnam's Deadliest Rail Accident
About 55 kilometers from Saigon, in the small commune of Tây Hoà rests the 17/03/1982 Railway Cemetery. It currently houses 85 unidentified graves of victims of the Train 183 Disaster, the deadliest railway accident in Vietnamese history.
A British Photographer's 30 Years of Forming a Kindred Connection With Vietnam
When he boarded a flight from Bangkok to Hanoi in 1992, Andy Soloman thought he would stay in Vietnam for just one month. Little did he know that what seemed like a brief trip would stretch into seven years — the beginning of a bond that has tied him to Vietnam for three decades and beyond.
Rare Film Photos by Andrew Holbrooke Showcase an Industrious Vietnam in 1991
Money cannot buy happiness, but it makes happiness easier to attain.
How Nhà Thờ Tân Định, Saigon's Iconic Pink Church, Came to Be
You just have to mention the “pink church” and everyone knows which one you mean. But few are aware that the building in question — Tân Định Church — is one of Saigon’s oldest and most important Roman Catholic institutions.
Slices of Life in Saigon, Huế, Hanoi in 1989 on Film
What is it about coming across old photos that tugs on our heartstrings so much, even when they depict a time when some of us weren’t alive yet?
Saigon Demolishes 3 Heritage Villas to Make Room for Covid-19 Memorial Park
As part of a plan to build a dedicated space to commemorate victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, Saigon authorities recently demolished several heritage buildings from the 1950s, sparking concerns about the city’s loss of architectural heritage.
What a Set of Art Homework From Long Xuyên Teaches Us About 1930s Vietnam
Much like their descendants today, schoolchildren of 1930s Vietnam also took art classes as part of their syllabus. In this rare collection of what was essentially our grandparents’ homework, we can surprisingly learn a lot about the daily life of Mekong Delta residents from nearly 100 years ago.
[Photos] A Visual History of Saigon's Rainy Season Through the Eras
Oh, rain.
[Photos] Memories of Hue, Quang Tri in 1967 Through the Lens of Edward Palm
Empty streets, lines for food, shuttered shops: the last few weeks have certainly provided some strange scenes for Saigon residents.
[Photos] Napping in Saigon Through the Decades
Can you hear the snores?
[Photos] Expansive Views of 1950 Saigon from Above
How often do you think about the Saigon River?
[Photos] Rare Photos From Above Show a Sparsely Developed Da Lat in 1966
When we think of Da Lat today, we imagine a fully formed city of flowers, fruits and mountain photoshoots.
[Photos] Travel to a Bustling Singapore in 1979 Through Doi Kuro's Lens
While some Southeast Asian cities were completely unrecognizable from their current self in 1979, Singapore at that time was already on its way to becoming the region's most developed location.
Chợ Âm Phủ and the Embattled History Behind Hanoi's Book Street
19/12 Street was once a mass burial ground for those who died in the National Resistance against France in 1946. The event shaped the history of the city and the relationship that thrived for 71 years...
[Photos] Da Lat's Charming Green Landscapes as Seen in 1969
The mountain escape was a thriving farming area long before the recent boom in organic produce.
[Photos] An Enchanting Hue and Da Nang in 1967 Captured by Winfield Parks
Travel back to a time when drones were just airplanes.
[Photos] A Peek Back at Saigon's Enduring Street Vendors in 1950
Where else can you buy whatever you need without having to step inside a building?
[Photos] A Dynamic Bangkok in 1984 via the Lens of Photographer Doi Kuro
Before the days of mega-malls and the Skytrain, Bangkok was still plenty busy.
Vintage Illustrations From 1931 Showcase Native Birds of Indochina
Somebody definitely paid attention in art class.
[Photos] Amble Around Downtown Tay Ninh in These Photos From 1965
Just a short car ride from Ho Chi Minh City, Tay Ninh remains among the favorite spiritual destinations of worshipers in the region to visit for a weekend getaway.
[Photos] A Game of Trade: Hanoi’s First International Trade Fair Complex
Hanoi has had many names in its life time; among the lesser-known ones is Ke Cho, which literally means "the market people."
[Photos] 10 Black-and-White Images of Saigon in 1970
A trip to Saigon in 1970 by photographer Jerry Bosworth yielded a small cache of black-and-white images that vividly depict a city in flux.
[Photos] Long Xuyen, an Enterprising Mekong Delta Trading Hub in the 1920s
Founded on the banks of the Hau River, Long Xuyen began as a trading post and has prospered into one of the Mekong Delta’s major cities today.
[Photos] Black-and-White Photos Depict a Spirited Hanoi in 1973
The capital in 1973 provided many examples of normalcy amidst upheaval.
[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?