in Hanoi

The Rickety Last Days of Hanoi's Tramway System in the 1990s

Vietnam residents are rightfully celebrating recent advances in public transit.

in Vietnam

How the National Lottery Reflects Vietnam's Socio-Economic Realities Through Time

For nearly a century, lottery tickets and their strings of lucky numbers have occupied a special role in Vietnamese society: both as a lifeline for dreams of better fortune and as a mirror reflecting the socio-economic realities of the times.

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.

in Saigon

The Forgotten History Behind Saigon's CEE Colonial Substations

Woven into the fabric of modern-day streets, the aging electrical substations of Saigon stand as quiet witnesses to a historical era shaped by the complex legacy of French colonialism.

in Hanoi

Hanoi's Soviet-Style Khu Gia Binh and Life Amid Vietnam's Growing Pains

Hanoi is often known in Vietnam as the land of a millennium-old civilization, a living archive of past Vietnam life. Each tiny alley within the capital can evoke a strong sense of nostalgia in visitors, as those locations encapsulate both wartime memories and charming quotidien moments. There’s one special place in Hanoi that has contributed to the city’s languid pace of life amid the nation’s rapid developments — khu gia binh.

in Vietnam

A Flight Over Đà Lạt in 1968–1971 Before the Tourism Boom

If you’ve taken a trip to Lâm Đồng within the last few years, these scenes seem like a distant dream of a sparsely populated and verdant Đà Lạt that’s engulfed by nature.

in Saigon

The City That Never Sits Still: Traffic in 1994 Saigon via Photos by Ed Kashi

In Saigon on Wheels, American photojournalist Ed Kashi managed to capture the pulse of a simpler Saigon.

in Saigon

With Unchecked Destruction, Saigon's Heritage Shophouse Architecture Is in Danger

The colonial shophouse, one of Saigon’s most iconic forms of architecture, is in imminent danger of extinction.

Back Heritage

in Vietnam

[Photos] Funky History: The Traditional Packaging of Nước Mắm

Fish sauce is a touchy subject these days, to say the least. From traditional factories to mass-market producers, makers of the prized Vietnamese elixir have strived to convince the public of their pr...

in Saigon

A Throwback to Saigon's Original Tramway Network

As ever-increasing levels of traffic congestion and air pollution turn many of Ho Chi Minh City’s road junctions into choking bottlenecks, many hopes are pinned on plans to construct a new urban railw...

in Heritage

The Legacy of Hui Bon Hoa

It’s fairly common knowledge that the city’s Fine Arts Museum was once home to old Saigon’s wealthiest family, however few people know that much of the sprawling Hui Bon Hoa complex was not actually b...

in Heritage

In 1910, Indochina’s First Flight Departed From Saigon

Over a century ago, on December 10, 1910, the first-ever flight in Indochina took off from Saigon’s Champs de Courses, the site of which now serves as the Ho Chi Minh City headquarters of the Peo...

in Heritage

[Video] Saigon's Oldest Known Footage Captures Snippets of Life in 1899-1900

On December 28, 1895, Auguste and Louis Lumiere debuted the world’s very first motion picture at a cafe in Paris.

Khoi Pham

in Vietnam

Street Cred: Chu Van An, Vietnam's Educator Extraordinaire

To celebrate Vietnamese Teacher’s Day 2016, this week’s Street Cred brings you the story of one of Vietnam's most beloved educators, Chu Van An.

in Heritage

[Photos] Vintage Postcards Capture the Grand Landmarks of Old Saigon

Today, Saigon’s landmarks are the subject of many an Instagram snapshot – everyone, it seems, has photographed the Notre Dame Cathedral at least once – but in the days before smartphones, Saigon’s gra...

in Heritage

[Video] Roam the Streets of 1984 Saigon

Life in 1984 Saigon was harder than it is now, but the lifestyle of the southern hub's residents remains largely unchanged, from our undying love of street food to the eclectic mix of personalities th...

in Heritage

[Photos] Mac Thi Buoi's Black-and-White Past

Through the ages, District 1’s Mac Thi Buoi Street has gone by many different names. However, if this collection of photos is any indication, one thing about the street hasn’t changed: the bustling la...

in Saigon

Street Cred: Ut Tich, Vietnam's 'Mother With a Gun'

A woman with an indomitable spirit for combatting oppression, Ut Tich’s tenacity lives on in the minds of Vietnamese as “the mother with a gun”.

in Heritage

Lost and Found: A Trip to Saigon’s Antique Market

The second he sees me, rolling down the crumbling concrete path on a dented bicycle, Chien perks up and heads in my direction.

in Saigon

A Brief History of Saigon's Independence Palace

Fifty years ago today, South Vietnam’s then-president Nguyen Van Thieu inaugurated the city’s Independence Palace on October 31, 1966.

in Asia

[Photos] Japan's Eerie 'War Tubas'

In the early 1900s, Japan’s military adopted acoustic location, using iconic “war tubas” in order to locate aircrafts and submarines.

in Vietnam

[Photos] The Rustic Charm of 1990s Vietnam

We could wax lyrical all day about the changes Vietnam has seen since the 1990s. In the past two decades, the country's buildings have gotten taller, its tourist destinations more crowded, its urban s...

in Heritage

[Photos] The Black-and-White Magic of Saigon in the Early 60s

Saigon is developing at such a dizzying rate that it’s hard to picture a time when the southern hub’s streets weren’t jam-packed with vehicles. Therefore, what this collection of black-and-white photo...

in Saigon

Street Cred: Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Gia Dinh's Downtrodden Poet

Many Vietnamese recognize Nguyen Dinh Chieu as one of the country’s greatest poets whose nationalist and anti-colonist works depicted the dream of a society of integrity and benevolence.

in Saigon

[Video] Meet Saigon's Man of Poetic Photography

In the latest episode of Sai Gon Vi Vu’s documentary series Saigon’s Gentlemen, viewers are given a glimpse into the life of Tao Dan Park’s resident photographer.

in Asia

South Koreans Apologize for Country's Role in American War

Last week, the Korean-Vietnamese Peace Foundation sent a statue known as Vietnam Pieta – The Last Lullaby to the Da Nang Museum as an apology for South Korea’s involvement in the American War.&nb...

in Saigon

[Photos] A Final Look at Binh Tay Market Before Its Renovation

Will a major upcoming renovation affect Binh Tay Market’s distinct Chinese-style architecture?

in Vietnam

Archaeologists May Have Found Quang Trung’s Elusive Tomb

Nguyen Dac Xuan is having a good week.