Uyên Đỗ

in Hanoi

A Slice of Life in Coupon-Era Hanoi via Colorful Vintage Lottery Tickets

What can tiny sheets of paper reveal about a whole time period?

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.

Tim Doling

in Saigon

The Surprisingly Recent History Behind Bình Thạnh's Lonely 'Gia-Đinh' Gate

It’s claimed by several tourism websites that a gateway from one of the ancient Gia Định citadels has survived and may be viewed on the Lê Văn Duyệt-Phan Đăng Lưu intersection in Bình Thạnh District, close to the Lê Văn Duyệt Mausoleum. However, a little research into the history of that area reveals that the gateway in question has more recent origins.

in Hanoi

The Legends of Thăng Long Tứ Trấn, the 4 Guardian Temples Protecting Hanoi

In the edict to move Vietnam’s capital to Hanoi, Emperor Lý Thái Tổ described this land as the middle of heaven and earth, the center of the four directions. Such a place would bring peace and prosperity, he believed, and deserved sacred protection.

in Vietnam

Feel the Pulse of a Fast-Changing Vietnam in the 1990s via This Lively Photo Album

By the mid-1990's, Vietnam's astounding economic transformation was well underway.

in Vietnam

Street Cred: Dauntless Antiwar Icon Nguyễn Thái Bình and His Tragic Death

If one were to see the streets of Vietnam as a tangled network of people whose names they took, every city would resemble a messy collection of historical fragments.

Linh Phạm

in Hanoi

Street Cred: Pháo Đài Láng, Home of Ông Voi and Where the War Began

More often than not, a country’s independence is won with guns. The location where the first shots were fired for Vietnam is memorialized to this day.

Back Heritage

in Saigon

[Photos] Life on Saigon Streets in 1971 Through the Lens of an American Soldier

If you were born when these photos were taken, you would be 47 years old now.

in Saigon

[Photos] Sri Thendayuthapani Temple: The Architectural Footprint of Tamils in Downtown D1

Saigon used to be home to a modest but vibrant Indian diaspora. Despite being an integral part of the city, their history often went off the records.

in Saigon

[Photos] A Day in the Life of Saigon's Apartment Dwellers

When I arrived here ten years ago, I lived in the Eden Building, until it was destroyed to put in yet another shopping mall. Escalators and lifts in this mall are at a standstill. The corridors are no...

in Saigon

[Photos] A Study of Saigon's 1970 Street Style

You might never be as cool as the ladies on Saigon's streets in 1970.

in Saigon

[Photos] The City That Never Sits Still: Traffic in 1965 Saigon

Half a century ago, Saigon was home to many familiar sights as well as some surprising interlopers from across time and space.

in Vietnam

[Photos] A Glimpse Into Life in Vung Tau in 1967

Today, Vung Tau is a bustling tourist spot for Saigoneers looking to get out of the city and enjoy some ocean waves, but these photos from 1967 reveal its past as a working port.

in Saigon

[Photos] Walk Down the Streets of Saigon in 1969

  How often are we treated to the spectacle that is 1969 Saigon and Vietnam from above?

in Saigon

[Photos] Snapshots of Downtown Saigon During the Mid-1960s

For the past 30 years, the country’s economic changes have placed Saigon at the epicenter of rapid urbanization and modernization, with endless development projects.

in Saigon

[Photos] 21 Snapshots of Downtown Saigon in 1967

As time goes by, our memories of past eras slowly lose their linear structures but instead come in snippets when chancing upon old memorabilia; an old ticket stub may bring back snapshots of nigh...

in Vietnam

[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.

in Vietnam

[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...

in Vietnam

[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.

in Vietnam

[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.

in Vietnam

[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.

in Saigon

[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...

in Vietnam

[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...

Dana Filek-Gibson

in Vietnam

[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.

in Vietnam

[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.

in Saigon

[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...