Paul Christiansen in Vietnam
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.
Marc Dinh in Vietnam
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.
Xuân Phương in Vietnam
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.
Tim Doling in Saigon
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] 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?
[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.
[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.
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.
[Photos] 12 Snapshots of Downtown Saigon From Over 30 Years Ago
What can travel photos tell us about the places depicted, especially when it’s been decades since the shots were captured?
[Photos] What Life in Hanoi Was Like in the 1890s
Can you imagine daily life before electricity, light bulbs, plastics, refrigerators, antibiotics, automobiles and telephones?
[Photos] Amble Along the Familiar Streets of District 1 in 1969
Was Saigon more colorful in the past?
[Photos] Making Sugar at an Early 20th-Century Boiling House in Quang Ngai
Unlike cash crops such as rubber or coffee that were brought in from other parts of the world, sugarcane was among Vietnam’s original native trees, and locals have been growing the sweet plant for cen...
[Photos] Memories of 1973 Hanoi in 22 Film Photos
Taken by an unknown photographer working for the American Department of Defense, these crisp color images capture Hanoi’s 1973 street life on film. Have a look below.
[Photos] Rare Photos of Hue From a Vintage French Publication in 1919
Hue is a city of empires, dynasties, armies, conquest and rule.
[Photos] On the Road in Quang Ngai in 1967
Is nostalgia always a positive emotion?
[Photos] A Hanoi in Transition, Over a Century Ago
Today, Hoan Kiem Lake has no lantern-lifting Statue of Liberty that people fish beside, Russian naval ships don't moor in the Red River, and nón lá hardly cover every head in the capital.
[Photos] 1994 Hanoi in the Eyes of a Former Japan Ambassador to Vietnam
On a day like any other in November 1994, some Hanoians might have been curious about the fact that their shop front and daily routine were being photographed by a wandering Japanese man.
[Photos] 30 Film Photographs That Take You Back to 1965 Saigon
What draws viewers to the spectacle that is old photographs?
[Photos] 18 Rare Black-and-White Photos of Northern Vietnam in the 1970s
What draws us towards the spectacle that is old photos?
Hanoi Launches Night Tour at Hoa Lo Prison to Attract Domestic Tourists
History buffs from the rest of the country might find the night tour an opportunity to observe the storied historical site from a different perspective.
[Photos] A Walk on the Streets of Quaint 1966-1967 Da Nang
Like its namesake river, the Han Market remains a bustling destination attracting visitors and casual shoppers to the area today, just as it did decades ago.
[Photos] Rare Black-and-White Shots Reflect Hanoi Street Life in 1950
No skim milk and saltine parties here.
[Photos] Hanoi's Colonial Architecture in Postcards From 1916
The French aimed to remake Hanoi in Paris' image via elaborate architecture and infrastructure projects.
[Photos] Vietnam's Sepia-Drenched Past
The past was just as colorful as our present, though we rarely imagine it that way.
