in Vietnam

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.

in Saigon

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 Vietnam

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.

in Vietnam

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.

in Saigon

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.

in Vietnam

The Vintage Charm of 1995 Vietnam on Kodachrome Film Slides

While editing a retrospective of my recent work from Vietnam in the summer of 2019, I discovered 50 yellow boxes of Kodachrome slides in my basement that were shot in 1995. The images were from my first trip to Vietnam.

Back Heritage

in Vietnam

What a Set of Art Homework From 1930 Long Xuyên Teaches Us About Past Vietnam

Much like their descendants today, schoolchildren of 1930s Vietnam also took art classes as part of their syllabus. In this rare collection of what was essentially our grandparents’ homework, we can s...

in Saigon

Saigon Designates 6 Areas With Architectural Heritage to Be Conserved

Is six enough?

in Vietnam

[Photos] A Journey Back in Time Through Northern Vietnam Around 1900

Vietnam is certainly a country looking to the future, but sometimes it's worth looking back at the past as well.

in Vietnam

Hanoi Demolishes Colonial-Era Factory to Make Room for Office Complex

A French-built factory at 61 Trần Phú, Hanoi is being destroyed to make way for a multi-purpose building.   

in Vietnam

Huế Plans to Relocate 100-Year-Old French Mansion to Make Room for Hotel

To make room for new developments, Huế authorities are mulling options to uproot and relocate a century-old villa.

in Vietnam

[Photos] On the Road in 1970s Vietnam

Old photos, like memories, fade over time — corners darken, horizons blur, and colors lose their saturation.

in Vietnam

[Photos] A Recuperating Vietnam in 1980, as Documented by Philip Jones Griffiths

Released in 1971, Vietnam Inc. by Philip Jones Griffiths was a career-defining work for the Welsh photographer, whose candid, sympathetic images of Vietnam during the American War showed a much differ...

in Vietnam

[Photos] Inside a Vaccination Point in Vietnam Nearly 100 Years Ago

A century ago, the colonial government was active in inoculating Vietnamese citizens against a variety of diseases.

in Vietnam

[Photos] Once Upon a Time in Bát Tràng Ceramic Village

Back in the day, when Emperor Lý Thái Tổ relocated the capital from Ninh Binh to Hanoi, five famous pottery families followed. They settled in a region on the east bank of the Red River where there wa...

in Vietnam

[Photos] Old Film Photos Capture a Serene Huế in 1961

These colorful photos of Huế in the early 1960s provide outsiders an important view of the country at a pivotal time. 

in Vietnam

[Photos] A Look Back at Tết in Hanoi 100 Years Ago

It is easy to remark on how drastically Tết has changed over the years, but have the core elements really evolved that much?

in Hanoi

[Photos] Hanoi's Chùa Một Cột Through the Years

Chùa Một Cột, or the One-Pillar Pagoda, is a distinguished structure of Hanoi.

in Saigon

[Photos] Views of a Saigon in Transit in 1945 by John Florea

1945 was yet another time of drastic change in Saigon overseen by foreign powers. 

in Vietnam

[Photos] On the Road in 1965 Quy Nhơn

Imagine Quy Nhon before the arrival of tourism.

in Hanoi

The Hustle and Bustle of Hanoi Streets in the 1950s

Chaotic streets and bustling markets, Hanoi in the 1950s was not much different than it is now.

in Vietnam

[Photos] Glimpses of Saigon, Dong Ha and Hue in 1967

Time for a trip to 1967 Vietnam.

in Saigon

[Photos] Landmarks of 1966-1967 Saigon in Black and White

Sometimes the backstory behind a photograph is key, while other times simply observing an image is better.

in Saigon

[Photos] A Shopping Trip in Ben Thanh Market in 1938

Dried fish? Pomelo? A chicken? Heels? Plates? Perhaps a fizzy soft drink or simple meal on the street? What is on your shopping list when you go to Ben Thanh Market?

in Saigon

An Early View of a Barely Developed Saigon in the 1860s

Dropping a modern Saigoneer into the 1860s version of the city would be a wildly disorienting experience.

in Saigon

D3 Heritage Mansion to Reopen as Dining Destination in 2022

One of Saigon's great remaining heritage buildings is nearing its public debut.