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.
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 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.
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.
Did You Know That There's a Mummy on Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm Boulevard?
Why is there a mummy on display in Saigon?
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.
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.
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.
[Photos] Hanoi That Once Was Through the Eyes of Le Vuong
When he was 18 years old, Le Vuong bought his first camera. The year was 1936 and one could easily purchase land in Hanoi for the same price as the camera. But Vuong wasn’t interested in real estate;...
[Photos] The Dynamic Life of Vientiane Residents in the 1990s
Even now, media portrayals of Laos are usually associated with a well-constructed image of a nation of quietude, spirituality and natural beauty untouched by rampant development.
[Photos] Monochrome Images Capture the Calmness of the Capital in 1939
The following monochrome images, taken by an unknown French photographer in 1939, capture peaceful moments in corners of the capital, from the city center to outlying villages.
[Photos] Black-and-White Photos Capture the Life and Labor in 1991 Cho Lon
Famous Japanese photographer Doi Kuro once said: "Vietnamese people’s lives are exposed on every street. That’s fascinating." Perhaps that is why photographers visiting Vietnam usually focus on the ci...
[Photos] 18 Shots From the Streets of Nha Trang in the Late 1960s
White-sand beaches stretch beyond the horizon, towering mountains sit silently in the distance: for the most part, the natural landscape of Nha Trang remains relatively unchanged between the late 1960...
[Photos] 18 Photos on the Streets of Nha Trang in the Late 1960s
White-sand beaches stretch beyond the horizon, towering mountains sit silently in the distance: for the most part, the natural landscape of Nha Trang remains relatively unchanged between the late 1960...
[Photos] What Studying Was Like in a 1920s Hanoi Girls' School
Ever wonder what school in Hanoi was like before the advent of smartphones or even simple calculators and other basic electronic devices?
[Photos] On the Street in 1970, From Saigon to Vung Tau
Since Vietnam made helmets compulsory for every trip on motorbikes years ago, it’s hard to imagine a time when this trusty headgear wasn't a part of daily life. Which makes these photos of Saigon, tak...
[Video] See Artisans Creating Traditional Dó Paper in 1930s Hanoi
The following short clip, titled Women of Hanoi, is only really connected to its titular meaning by its captions, which refer to "dusky ladies" and love notes scrawled on dó paper by street-side calli...
Street Cred: Phan Đình Phùng, My Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather
An unassuming street named Phan Dinh Phung runs through Saigon’s Phu Nhuan District. It is named after a Vietnamese revolutionary who led rebel armies against French colonial forces in the 1880s ...
[Video] Witness the Profound Difference of Life in Hanoi's Old Quarter in 1931
This remarkable video reveals not only Hanoi's Old Quarter in 1931, but also scenes from temples in Phnom Penh around the same time.
[Photos] A Flight Over Da Lat in 1968–1971 Before the Tourism Boom
If you’ve taken a trip to Lam Dong within the last few years, these scenes seem like a distant dream of a sparsely populated and verdant Da Lat that’s engulfed by nature.
[Photos] Scenes in 1964 Saigon, Ben Tre, Bien Hoa on Film
In 1964, Saigon’s Phu Dong Roundabout didn’t feature the towering bronze statue of folk hero Thanh Giong. Instead of the congestion hot spot the intersection is known as today, it was actually spaciou...
[Video] Travel Back in Time to the Streets of 1980s Hanoi
Old videos of Vietnam are akin to a digital museum. This clip, set against the musical backdrop of Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata,' not only brings us memories of folk games, rolling trams, and th...
[Photos] Taiwan's Diverse Society Embodied in Surrealist Street Photography
Chang Chao-Tang has been regarded as one of Taiwan's most influential photographers known for his mastery of surrealism. Chang's primarily black-and-white images reveal the absurdity of everyday life ...
[Photos] A Tourist-Free Hoi An of the 1990s by Photographer Doi Kuro
Witness the casual atmosphere of central Vietnam more than two decades ago.
[Photos] Logging, Elephants and Factories in 1920s Nghe An
A little-visited mystery? A province where students study hard so they can leave the area? The birthplace of Ho Chi Minh? What comes to mind when you think of Nghe An Province?
Date With the Wrecking Ball: The Last Transmission From Dai La
In the southern reaches of the Vietnamese capital, a French villa will be demolished in the coming months following a decision by the Hanoi People’s Committee to construct a new ring road. The elegant...
[Photos] Rare Scenes of a Rebuilding Seoul After the Korean War
While Seoul may now call to mind sleek skyscrapers whose neon lights resemble the bioluminescent tentacles of benthic sea creatures, that wasn't always the case. Following the savage civil war that le...
[Photos] The Joy and Hardships of Life in 1963 Binh Phuoc
Binh Phuoc Province, located on the Vietnam-Cambodia border and known as two separate provinces, Phuoc Long and Binh Loc, in the 1960s, was an important site for many battles during the Amer...