How Hanoi's Infectious Rats and Impish Locals Bamboozled the French in 1902
When facing a bubonic plague epidemic, is it wiser to delve into sewers and cull infected rats yourself or offer payment to Vietnamese for deliveries of severed tails instead? For Hanoi’s French colonial rulers, the answer to this question was never in doubt, yet the consequences led to one of most humiliating periods of their rule.
Paul Christiansen in Saigon
The Saigon Post Office, Benjamin Franklin, and a Source of Unexpected Pride
It’s not hard to find snippets of America in Saigon.
In 1965, Life in Cần Thơ Was Tightly Interwoven With the Mekong River
With more than 1.5 million citizens and many indicators of a modern metropolis, from the international airport to several Vincom malls, Cần Thơ is firmly established as the Mekong Delta's largest city. But before it was the most important regional hub for business, education and culture, it was a relatively small port dedicated to fishing and trading. Wooden boats gather to offload people and products. In 1965, Cần Thơ carried an unmistakable vibe of agricultural commerce. Its position on the Hậu River, a distributary of the Mekong not too far upstream from the fertile coast, brought boats from all directions carrying fruit, vegetables, and seafood. Away from the waterways, bicycles were a predominant mode of transportation, ferrying locals to markets, homes, and shops. The camera captures local commotion. This collection of images taken by an unknown photographer and gathered by Flickr archivist extraordinaire manhhai reveals a more austere version of Cần Thơ that exists mostly in memory and stories. Clothing without a single name brand long, nón lá covering nearly every head in the markets and rows of storefronts absent of any neon bulbs: it's a very different Cần Thơ. Have a look and consider how much has changed in six decades: Spokes, chains, peddles and thighs powered locomotion. Local children who would be elderly by now. The cause of this dour expression in front of the river will never be known. Comings and going via all variety of wooden boats. Was this the first time some of these children ever had their photo taken? While less common than bicycles, trucks, vans and cars rumbled through town. A panoply of daily life and rustic routines. Not enough glory is reserved for the day laborers. Even the sweet potatoes get covered during a downpour. A simple fishing boat pushes out to fill its net. These photos are all, really, a matter of perspective. Scenes of an informal economy. Selling fruits to feed the baby. What is the average age at which one graduates from baby cap to nón lá? Bananas were a popular fruit and they still are. Typical activity on an unpaved road. Not a single plastic stool in sight during lunchtime. Trudging barefoot with heavy baskets. It's not too hard to imagine the cacophony of orderly chaos. Routine daily commute via boat. The doors are open so the activity spills onto the streets. Thats a lot of children. Imagine what your Grab app would look like here. Moments of happiness abound in the simple experiences.
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.
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...
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?
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.
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.
[Photos] Vietnam's 1969 Street Fashion Story as Told Through Honda Cubs
The very definition of cool was established decades ago in Vietnam, and it was badass women in áo dài dashing on the street in slick sunglasses.
[Photos] A Visual Tour of Late 1960s Saigon by Brian Wickham
It seems that every day, we get to uncover yet another old photo collection of Saigon from the 1960s.
The Hanoian Family Tracing 700 Years of Ancestral History
There’s a certain air of intrigue one feels upon entering one of Hanoi’s many labyrinthine alleyways. Anything could be around the corner: a raucous market, a hair salon or a nhà nghỉ. These areas pro...
[Photos] An Idiosyncratic Car Parade in 1920s Hanoi
Street festivals have come a long way since the endearing car parades of early 1900s Indochina.
[Photos] 30 Black-and-White Photos of 1947 Vietnam's Landscapes by Michel Huet
If you enjoyed our previous article on French photographer Michel Huet’s portraits of Vietnam series, then the second batch of his work from 1947 Vietnam will pique your interest as well.
[Photos] An Exploration Into Vietnam's History Through Black-and-White Portraiture
From inside aristocratic mansions to the austere fields of rural Vietnam, black-and-white portraiture has never looked so filled with life and stories.
[Photos] In 1995 Vietnam, a Paradise for Honda Cubs and Xích Lô
How heartening — or rather, disheartening — to discover that flooding isn’t a problem that is unique to 2010s Saigon.
A Rare Look Inside the Hue Imperial Court in 1895 in Watercolor
'La cour de Hue' (The court of Hue) is a series of painting done by Nguyen Van Nhan in 1895, during the reign of Thanh Thai, emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty at the time.
[Photos] 18 Rare Photos of Northern and Central Vietnam in the Late 19th Century
During the 19th century, postcards were one of the most popular forms of media that connected Vietnam with the rest of the world.
Paul Christiansen in Saigon
Street Cred: The Sins and Saving Grace of Dr. Albert Calmette
If you help save hundreds of thousands of lives via medical breakthroughs and establish one of the country’s first and most advanced research institutes, but also assist in the colonial regime’s bruta...
[Photos] The Children of Southern Vietnam in 1967
To see old photos of children is profound because we know, in a way they couldn't when the photos were taken, how their lives have been shaped since.
[Photos] 27 Snapshots of Saigon in 1970 by Carl Nielsen
Almost five decades ago, Saigon didn’t have much in terms of high-rise buildings; however, judging by the amount of people hanging about in public spaces, street life was as much a big part of metropo...
[Photos] Enthralling Black-and-White Aerial Shots of 1950s Ha Long Bay
It will come as a surprise to no one that Ha Long Bay was much quieter in the 1950s than it is today.
[Photos] A Visual Excursion to Past Bac Lieu, Home of Cải Lương Master Cao Van Lau
Tucked just below the Mekong's main aquiferous arteries, Bac Lieu Province serves as an interesting case study of how humans can thrive in swampy, steamy surroundings.
[Photos] On the Sidewalks of 1979 Saigon: Books, Knick-Knacks and a Multitude of Bicycles
Before the motorbikes invaded all aspects of modern Vietnam, Saigon streets were all bicycles, vintage cars and xích lô.
[Photos] 20 Black-and-White Snapshots of 1920 Saigon by Ludovic Crespin
In the early 1920s, central Saigon was an immaculate neighborhood with glamorous shops and clean streets.
[Photos] Walk the Streets of 1965 Da Nang
Given how fast Vietnam's major cities change, and it can be hard to imagine what they looked like in decades past.
[Photos] Saigon Then & Now: Rue Catinat, Tu Do and Dong Khoi Street
While some of Saigon's most extreme changes over the years have occurred in suburban areas like District 7 or Binh Thanh, central District 1 is obviously no stranger to transformations either.
[Photos] 20 Snapshots of Saigon in 1969 by George Lane
With every uncovered archive of old photos, we come closer and closer to reconstructing a complete tapestry of life in past eras.
[Photos] On the Road to Nha Trang in the 1960s, a Medley of Spartan Fields
If downtown Saigon was the epicenter of frenetic energy and urban chaos in the late 60s, you’d have been hard-pressed to find a crowd of more than five people or buildings with more than one floor onc...
