How Did Vietnam Start Celebrating International Women's Day on March 8?
In the hyper-commercialized world we now live in, it might be impossible to associate anything but overpriced flower bouquets and corporate sponsorships with International Women’s Day (IWD), but the widely celebrated occasion actually has a rich history of over 100 years of the women’s rights movement.
Life on the Streets of 1978 Hanoi, as Seen via Black-and-White Film Photos
In August 1978, I visited Hanoi as part of an educational tour organized by a professor from La Trobe University in Melbourne. I was a high school history teacher at the time and an avid photographer. I walked the streets of Hanoi and took many photographs of everyday life in the city, and until now, these photographs have remained unpublished.
A Rare Album by Photographer Bruno Barbey Brings Us Back to Tết in 1994 Hanoi
What do you remember most about the 1990s? Do you remember the fashion, the old-timey technology, or the lack of traffic? And if you were just a wee child, do these memories stay with you?
Khôi Phạm in Vietnam
The First Asian in Space Was Vietnamese. He’s Still Alive Today.
Most Vietnamese schoolkids grew up learning about Phạm Tuân as the first Vietnamese in space, but few know that he was also the first Asian person to clinch the honor.
The Year of the Horse Gallops into The Grand Ho Tram
Inspired by the spirit of the horse, The Grand Ho Tram encourages you to have a year of success, confidence, and new horizons. Traditional Tết performances and activities alongside special feasts and opportunities for revelry will usher in a year of remarkable achievements and memorable moments.
My Great-Great-Grandfathers Were in Indochina in the 1880s to Build the Railway
We often see archival images of old Hanoi, but these photos are different — they are personal. The following shots, which come from a collection of five photo albums, are the only surviving record of my two great-great-grandfathers’ presence in what was then Indochina.
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.
Part of Historic Building, Meant to Be Preserved, Destroyed After Miscommunication
Part of a historic building, meant to be saved from demolition and recognized as a heritage site, has been bulldozed thanks to a miscommunication.
[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.
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.
[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...
[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.
[Photos] A Stroll Along Saigon's Tet Flower Streets in the 1960s
Flowers never go out of fashion.
[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.
[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?
[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.
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.
[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.
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.
[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...
[Photos] Daily Life in Northern Vietnam in the Early 1900s
Daily life in northern Vietnam was a little different over 100 years ago.
[Photos] Aerial Shots of a Past Saigon Without Towering High-Rises
Saigon represents constant transition.
[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.
How the Storied Caravelle Balances History and Modernity
Expensive imported cars idle in front of Saigon’s century-old Opera House, where inside a local orchestra is performing a medley of wartime songs, 19th century European standards and modern American f...
[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.
[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.
[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.
