in Saigon

Reminiscing About the Last Days of Downtown Saigon’s Pigeon Coop

The first time I pay a visit to the Pasteur pigeon coop, Lê Văn Âu assures me the place is probably not going anywhere.

in Vietnam

A Visual Timeline of Hội An's Historic Chùa Cầu Through the Eras

With the recent makeover of Hội An's Chùa Cầu sparking divisive chatter , it's a great time to gaze at the iconi...

in Vietnam

There's a Dark Context Behind These Seemingly Random 1930 French Sketches

Can visual representations of colonial activities produced with immoral intent become works of art?

in Vietnam

Chùa Cầu's Makeover Draws Ire of Netizens for Looking 'Too New'

Hội An's 400-year-old bridge, best known as Chùa Cầu, was finally uncovered recently after more than a year and a half of renovations, leaving many unimpressed.

in Vietnam

Journeying Through Đà Lạt and the Central Highlands in 1992

Đà Lạt has always been a highly sought-after traveling destination, like how it was originally designed as a resort town for French officials. These days, however, the hilly Lâm Đồng town has urbanized so quickly that at times it’s hard to believe that here once lived a tree-carpeted enclave.

in Saigon

Rare Film Shots Depict a Fast-Growing Saigon in 1996

Change was in the air in 1996, and the streets purred with development.

Paul Christiansen

in Vietnam

Revisiting the Coats of Arms of Vietnam's Major Cities Under French Rule

Did you know that several Vietnamese cities have coats of arms?

Back Heritage

in Vietnam

[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.

in Vietnam

[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...

in Hanoi

[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...

in Asia

[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 ...

in Vietnam

[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. 

in Vietnam

[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?

in Hanoi

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...

in Asia

[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...

in Vietnam

[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...

in Hanoi

[Photos] The Days When Hanoi Had Traditional Paper-Making Villages

Situated near the To Lich River, in the west of Hanoi, Yen Thai was a famous dó paper-making village, which began to develop rapidly in the 12th century once Hanoi became established as the capital o...

in Asia

[Photos] Vintage Stamps From 1950 Depict Tourist Sites in Indochina

As if prematurely nostalgic for a colony that was rapidly slipping through their fingers, France issued a set of stamps focused on their Southeast Asian territories.

in Vietnam

Quoc An Temple, One of Hue's Oldest, Is Dismantled for a New Structure

Citing deterioration of the roof and wooden main structures, Venerable Thich Minh Chon moved forward with a major renovation project on his temple, Quoc An, in Hue.

in Hanoi

[Photos] A Celebration of the Hung Kings' Festival Decades Ago

Every year, the Hung Kings' Temple Festival is held to mark the death anniversary of the Hung Kings on the 10th day of the third month on the lunar calendar.

in Vietnam

[Photos] A Dao Mau 'Mother Goddess' Ritual in 1920s Nam Dinh

Situated in Nam Dinh City, Phu Giay is considered the largest center of the Dao Mau 'Mother Goddess' religion across all Vietnam. There are more than 20 temples and mausoleums in the area dedicated to...

in Asia

[Photos] Travel Through Time to Singapore in the 1960s

There used to be a time when the sights and people of Saigon and Singapore didn’t look too dissimilar.

in Saigon

[Photos] Memories of 1966 Saigon in 11 Film Photos

Have you ever wondered why a fascination about old images is encoded in our blood? Tattered family albums, tiny Polaroid shots, a roll of undeveloped film — these have great potential to surprise us w...

in Hanoi

[Photos] 1885 Hanoi Revealed Through Sepia Prints, Sketches, Postcards and Maps

All too often these days, we come across monuments of historical significance, pull out our smartphone and take a picture, only for it to waste away in our maze of a camera roll, never to be looked at...

in Saigon

[Photos] 23 Photos of Saigon Street Life in 1969-1970

Free of international-style skyscrapers, Saigon’s urban quarters used to be all red roofs and modernist tube houses in the late 1960s.

in Saigon

[Photos] The Streets of Cho Lon, as Seen Through Old Postcards

From downtown Saigon, take Tran Hung Dao Boulevard, drive past rows of towering dipterocarp trees, and one will arrive in the colorful quarters of Cho Lon.

in Vietnam

[Photos] The Two Sides of 1920s Hai Phong: Fancy Hotels and Seaside Shanties

Established in the late 19th century, Hai Phong is one of Vietnam's five municipalities and the second-largest city in northern Vietnam, after Hanoi.