Postcard-Ready Vintage Album Highlights a Lonesome Hanoi in the 1920s
Looking at past albums of our cities today, I’m always stricken by a bewildering vastness — every street, every square, every building seemed to have been constructed in a ghost town, serving lonesome phantoms and nonchalant horse-drawn wagons.
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.
Paul Christiansen in Saigon
Did You Know That There's a Mummy on Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm Boulevard?
Why is there a mummy on display in Saigon?
Brian Letwin in Heritage
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.
[Video] Take a Stroll on Hanoi Streets in 1974
Thanks to an influx of tourists, video montages and photo collections of Saigon from previous decades are not hard to come by, but visual recordings of Hanoi are few and far between.
[Photos] Immerse in the Nostalgia of Tet Past With These Black-and-White Snapshots
While schoolchildren and some food vendors are still enjoying the rest of Tet holiday, vacation is officially over for the majority of Vietnam’s office workers. On the first day of work after Tet, let...
[Video] Rare Footage Documents How Vietnam Celebrated Tet in 1950
In less than two weeks, the Year of the Rooster will be over, making way for the reign of the Dog in the lunar calendar.
[Photos] A Look Into the Life of Duy Tan, Vietnam's Child Emperor
Vietnam’s child emperor, Duy Tan, ascended to the throne at age 8 with all the pomp and ceremony the title involves.
[Photos] The Pastoral Charm of Bac Ninh in the 1920s
Despite being one of Vietnam’s tiniest provinces, Bac Ninh was home to the earliest trace of ancient Vietnamese tribes.
[Photos] A Montage of Saigon's Street Life from 1964-1968
Even today, some parts of Saigon’s road system still leave much to be desired. However, judging by this set of old photos from 1964-1968, at that time most of the metropolis’ thoroughfares didn’t even...
[Photos] 36 Photos of Life in Vietnam in 1956
There are many things to love about life in Vietnam in past decades, but over the years, Saigoneers nowadays might have gotten used to a certain standard of living, making it hard to picture a time wh...
Khoi Pham in Saigon
Memories of 1997 Vietnam Through the Lens of Saigon's Canadian Consul General
Digging into one’s collection of old mementos can be a thrilling experience. From antique watches to tattered letters, these trinkets serve as a remembrance of a period of time in our past. For Kyle N...
[Photos] The Iconic La Dalat, Vietnam’s First Domestic Vehicle
Though production only lasted five years, the La Dalat has earned a place in Saigon history as Vietnam’s first locally manufactured commercial car.
[Photos] Saigon of the Late 1960s Through an American's Lens
Saigon is changing so fast these days it can be difficult to recall what the city looked like in 2008, let alone 1968.
[Photos] A Black-and-White Look Into Saigon and Hanoi in 1890
Vietnam’s swift pace of development might render a neighborhood unrecognizable in the span of just a few months. Thus, imagine how much change could occur in local metropolises over the duration of mo...
[Photos] Take a Quick Trip to Vung Tau in 1967
Due to its proximity to Saigon, Vung Tau is perhaps Saigoneers’ favorite location for a quick weekend trip to unwind. Based on this set of photos taken in 1967 by American veteran Tom Twitty, the slee...
[Photos] 20 Photos of Vietnam's Spartan Rural Provinces in the 1960s
Less than a decade before 1975, Vietnam’s rural provinces were still sparsely developed despite Saigon’s rising position as one of Southeast Asia's major cities.
[Photos] A Dreamlike Saigon in 1964 on Film
What makes Saigon’s 1964 self different from how it is today?
[Photos] A Walk Down Dong Khanh Boulevard in Old Saigon's Cho Lon
Ask anyone who has ever set foot in Saigon and they have undoubtedly heard of Cho Lon. Spanning the western half of District 5 and a few neighborhoods in Districts 6 and 11, the quarter has been one o...
[Photos] Life in 1973 Saigon - Part 3
On his trip to Saigon in 1973, famed American photographer Nick DeWolf spent a lot of time strolling local streets to capture on film numerous slices of life in the southern city just before the ...
[Photos] Vinh Phuc's Tam Dao Hill Station in Its Glory Days
Nestled in a cradle of hills about 85 kilometers northwest of Hanoi is the Tam Dao Hill Station, a former colonial village whose lakes, waterfalls and villas made it known during its heyday as “The Da...
[Photos] A Wistful Reel of Life in Vietnam in 1989
Vietnam is evolving fast. It seems like every day in local metropolises, centuries-old buildings are being demolished to make way for new skyscrapers. The photos below, taken by famed photographer Dav...
[Photos] The Quietude of Saigon in 1965
Thanks to decades of steady economic growth, Saigon is getting more and more crowded as people from all over the country and even overseas decide to settle down in the southern hub.
[Photos] Tet Trung Thu Celebrations in Old Hanoi
As this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, more than a few Saigoneers have shown a renewed interest in the holiday’s traditions.
