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.

in Saigon

Portrait of a Jubilant Saigon on the Precipice of Tết in 1992

Tết in 1992 was an especially fortuitous time to be a foreign arrival to Saigon. 

in Vietnam

In 1992 Vietnam, the Streets Were Brimming With Love and Life

How has your life been transformed in the past 30 years? Changes might materialize overnight, but some tend to creep up on you at a glacial pace. Through this collection of images from 1992, mull over how Vietnam as a country has grown with every 12-month cycle.

in Vietnam

Vintage French Book Illustrations Depict a Quaint Indochina in 1903

In this rare collection of images from 1903 Indochina, life in the peninsula appears as if in a dream, with rows of colonial-style houses in between heritage trees and natural landscapes that weren’t interrupted by concrete.

Paul Christiansen

in Saigon

Did You Know That There's a Mummy on Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm Boulevard?

Why is there a mummy on display in Saigon?

Brian Letwin

in Heritage

Tàu Cánh Ngầm: The Curious Case of Saigon’s Lost Soviet Hydrofoils

Not long ago, hulking “creatures” glided atop the waters between Saigon and Vũng Tàu. Like the dinosaurs that came before them, they slowly disappeared, until all that was left were their skeletons.

in Saigon

Relive Your Memories of Saigon Water Park via These Photos by One of Its Makers

Although water parks involve a combination of two of the most tedious human experiences, standing in lines and prolonged direct sun exposure, the now-demolished Saigon Water Park was an icon of 2000s Saigon that remains a crucial cornerstone of many city dwellers' memories.

in Vietnam

The Vintage Charm of 1995 Vietnam on Kodachrome Film Slides

While editing a retrospective of my recent work from Vietnam in the summer of 2019, I discovered 50 yellow boxes of Kodachrome slides in my basement that were shot in 1995. The images were from my first trip to Vietnam.

Back Heritage

in Vietnam

[Illustrations] Everyday Life in 1923 Northern Vietnam Through 10 Rare Sketches

It was a simpler time in Vietnam 100 years ago — just people going about their life without a single phone in sight.

in Saigon

Saigon to Preserve Part of Old Binh Loi Railway Bridge

The new Binh Loi railway bridge, built 12 meters away from the old one, has been open for public use since September last year.

in Saigon

[Photos] A French Photographer's Portrait of Saigon in 1866

It took millions of years for dinosaurs' ferocious claws to evolve into the soft wings of a hummingbird and even longer for simple algae to transform into towering pine trees; change has been much mor...

in Vietnam

[Photos] A Record of the Past in Pre-1975 Nhạc Vàng Album Art

Modern album art doesn't hold a candle to the hand-drawn song sheets of pre-1975 Vietnam.

in Saigon

[Photos] A Stroll Along Saigon's Tet Flower Streets in the 1960s

Flowers never go out of fashion.

in Hanoi

[Photos] An Artist's Sketches Capture the Charm of Indochina's Street Vendors

These illustrations of vendors working on Hanoi streets during French colonial rule are half-sketched, half-painted, which adds to the air of memories fading. 

in Saigon

[Photos] A Brief Tribute to Saigon’s Old Electricity Substations and Their Iconic Logo

Have you ever spotted these substations peppered across downtown Saigon and wondered what the initials CEE stands for?

in Vietnam

[Photos] An Aerial Perspective of Pleiku and Kon Tum in 1970

In today’s Vietnam, Pleiku in Gia Lai Province is the Central Highlands’ third-biggest city, after Da Lat and Buon Ma Thuot.

in Saigon

Thu Thiem Church, Convent Classified as City-Level Heritage Sites by Saigon

After years of precarious existence in the face of constant development in the Thu Thiem Peninsula, the two Roman Catholic institutions have finally achieved protected status.

in Saigon

[Photos] A Walk Down Memory Lane: 1990 Saigon Caught on Camera

Once among the 1990s’ most recognizable icons, xích lô is now a rare species on Saigon streets that’s reserved only for tourists.

in Vietnam

A Meandering Photographic History of the Red River and Long Bien Bridge

Upon its completion in 1902, Hanoi’s Long Bien Bridge was the second-longest of its kind in the world — it was only a few hundred meters shorter than Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. 

in Saigon

[Photos] The Wilderness of Suburban Saigon in 1904

In 1904, the entirety of Saigon was confined to the area we know as District 1 today. Apart from the neatly planned city center and Cho Lon’s bustling trade town, the city’s peripheral regions were ov...

in Vietnam

[Photos] Daily Life in Northern Vietnam in the Early 1900s

Daily life in northern Vietnam was a little different over 100 years ago.

in Saigon

[Photos] Aerial Shots of a Past Saigon Without Towering High-Rises

Saigon represents constant transition.

in Asia

[Photos] 21 Rare Old Photos Showcase Kuala Lumpur's Unique Architecture

If you’ve enjoyed our collections of old Saigon photos so far, this set of rare images of Kuala Lumpur taken throughout the 20th century might pique your interest.

in Asia

[Photos] 21 Rare Old Photos of Kuala Lumpur Through the Decades

If you’ve enjoyed our collections of old Saigon photos so far, this set of rare images of Kuala Lumpur taken throughout the 20th century might pique your interest.

in Hanoi

[Video] Travel Back in Time to Late 1970s Hanoi When Bicycles Ruled the Streets

The following footage of Hanoi from 1975 to 1980 reminds us that, less than 50 years ago, the capital was tranquil, slow-moving and unpolluted.

in Vietnam

[Maps] A Brief Cartographic History of Hai Phong From 1898 to 1968

Known today by the moniker "City of Red Flamboyant Trees," Hai Phong has always been one of Vietnam’s most prominent port cities ever since its establishment in 1888.

in Vietnam

[Maps] A Brief Cartographic History of Hai Phong 1898–1968

Known today by the moniker "City of Red Flamboyant Trees," Hai Phong has always been one of Vietnam’s most prominent port cities ever since its establishment in 1888.

in Vietnam

[Photos] Cruising Across Vietnam on the North-South Train in 1920

It appears train travel in Vietnam has changed very little in the past 100 years.