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streets of Hanoi and took many photographs of everyday life in the city, and until now, these photographs have remained unpublished.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.
[Photos] A Visit to Hanoi's 1,000-Year-Old Taoist Temple
Once known as Tran Vu Temple, Quan Thanh Temple is a Taoist temple situated near West Lake in Hanoi.
[Photos] The Quaint Days of 1920s Vinh Long
Across the internet, there is ample documentation of Vietnam’s cities in the days of French colonialism. Turn-of-the-century countryside snaps, however, are a little harder to come by.
[Photos] A Walk Through Downtown District 1 in 1967-68
Saigon’s current growing pains are obvious: streets are fenced off for metro construction, trees are torn down to make way for overpasses and old apartments are obliterated one by one.
Saigon's Iconic 'Rainbow Bridge' Riddled With Large Cracks
One of Saigon’s most recognizable landmarks, the Rainbow Bridge in downtown District 1, is suffering from major structural problems including extensive cracks.
[Photos] Raymond Depardon's 1992 Vietnam: The Many Faces of Hanoi
After his Saigon trip in 1972, famed French photographer Raymond Depardon returned in 1992 to traverse the length of Vietnam.
[Photos] Ben Thanh Market in the Motorbike-Free 1920s
Ben Thanh Market is one of Saigon's most famous landmarks, but that doesn't mean it is loved by all.
[Photos] Lycée Pétrus Ky: Saigon's Famous School for the High-Achieving
Lycée Petrus Ky is the former name of the school now known as Le Hong Phong High School. Established in 1927, it is one of the oldest operating high schools in Vietnam.
[Photos] An Intimate Look Into Life in Can Tho in the 1990s
Belgian photographer Harry Gruyaert, known for his use of color and for his striking images of Morocco, India and Egypt, also took a series of photographs in Can Tho two decades ago.
[Photos] Emperor Bao Dai's 1942 Offering of Worship to Heaven and Earth
Throughout Vietnam’s imperial era, ceremonial rituals were an indispensable part of a local monarch’s reign. One such celebration was Nam Giao, an annual ceremony of utmost importance in the king’s ca...
[Photos] The 1920s Students of Hanoi’s Indochina University
In Vietnam, “người không học như ngọc không mài” – an uneducated person is like an unpolished gem. From the founding of Ly Nhan Tong’s Quoc Tu Giam in 1076 to the 14th-century Confucian wisdom of Chu ...
Old Saigon Building of the Week: The Three-Legged Bridge of Cho Lon
Saigoneers born after the 1990s might be familiar with the term dân chơi cầu Ba Cẳng, or “the daredevils of Ba Cang Bridge”. However, not many are aware of its starting point, which originated from a ...
Street Cred: Trinh Cong Son, the Voice of a Generation
Earlier this week, Hanoi officials announced the conversion of the capital’s narrow Trinh Cong Son Street into a pedestrian zone featuring artistic performances as well as snacks and souvenirs.
[Photos] Saigon’s Colonial-Era Shipping Line Brought the World to Vietnam
During the French colonial era, the Messageries Maritimes shipping line, established in 1851, permitted thousands of men and women to traverse the seas in order to visit French colonies. It had an esp...
129-Year-Old Nam Dinh Church Destroyed by Fire
On Saturday night, a 129-year-old church in Nam Dinh province caught fire, damaging one of Vietnam’s oldest religious structures.
[Photos] A Nostalgic Look at Da Lat Market Through Time
Built in 1929, Da Lat’s central market is not only a buzzing commercial center, but also an important historical landmark of the sleepy resort town.
Khoi Pham in Saigon
Street Cred: The Ill-Fated Power Couple of Vietnam's Literary Scene in the 1980s
It’s been almost three decades since that fateful day in 1988 when, in a blink of an eye, Vietnam’s literary scene was robbed off two most beloved talents. Luu Quang Vu and Xuan Quynh’s death was some...
Old Saigon Building of the Week: Hotel Majestic Saigon
The 92-year-old Hotel Majestic has seen many incarnations, most notably becoming the first Vietnamese managed five-star hotel in Saigon. But the rest of the building’s nine-decade existence has been j...
[Photos] Gia Long High School and 100 Years of Female Education
Before becoming the prestigious Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School of today, this District 1 institution used to be home to Gia Long, once Saigon’s most well-known school for girls.
[Photos] Take a Stroll Down the Streets of Saigon in 1970
The streets of today's Saigon were considerably different from what they were in 1970: fewer cars and motorbikes, and more live pythons.
[Photos] Saigon Then & Now: Chợ Cũ
In today's Saigon, Chợ Cũ on Ton That Dam Street might appear like a derelict wet market, but in its heyday, the street used to be home to a bustling commercial area where merchants from all over...
