Neighborhood Vibes and Modern Comforts Combine at Hotel Indigo Saigon The City
Staying in a local neighborhood means surrounding yourself with the sights, styles, routines, traditions, and history of a locale. Hotel Indigo Saigon The City, a new boutique lifestyle hotel, tells the stories of the iconic Ba Son area via its details, decor, atmosphere, and experiences, so checking in feels like taking part in a celebration of the city.
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.
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.
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.
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.
[Photos] Saigon's Charm Through the Lens of an American Air Force Officer
Saigon has always been a muse for artists, musicians, poets and writers, inspiring some of their greatest works of art. However, the southern metropolis seems to be especially lively when seen through...
Khoi Pham in Vietnam
Street Cred: Phan Boi Chau and Phan Chu Trinh, the Yin and Yang of Vietnam's Insurgency in the 1900s
In today’s Saigon, Ben Thanh Market’s eastern and western entrances are joined by Phan Chu Trinh and Phan Boi Chau Streets, respectively. While the two short, cozy roads never intersect, the fate of t...
[Photos] 1950s Ha Long Bay in Black and White
It will come as a surprise to no one that Ha Long Bay was much quieter in the 1950s than it is today.
[Photos] The Many Faces of 1950s Vietnam
In this collection of black-and-white snapshots, a famed French photographer finds beauty in tumultuous 1950s Vietnam.
[Photos] A Guide to Traveling 1910 French Indochina
In the days before every backpacker wandered the streets of Saigon with a guidebook in hand, one turn-of-the-century French travel firm advertised Indochina as an adventure destination for European tr...
[Photos] How Saigoneers Enjoyed Christmas in the 60s and 70s
With Christmas just around the corner, Saigoneer takes a look at how past city dwellers enjoyed the holiday season.
[Photos] Early 1980s Hanoi on the Brink of Doi Moi
The early 1980s were a complicated time for Vietnam. Still reeling from the end of a war within the country – not to mention border conflicts with Cambodia and China in the later 1970s – Vietnam was j...
[Photos] On the 1990s Tourist Trail in Hanoi
Packed with traffic, skyscrapers and a growing number of four-wheeled vehicles, today's Hanoi is a world apart from its 1990s incarnation.
Notre Dame Cathedral to Undergo Major Roof Renovation
With the recent approval of the municipal government, Saigon’s Notre Dame Cathedral will begin a major roof renovation project as early as next year.
[Photos] Saigon's 1955 Cityscapes From Above
Even without photographic evidence, it’s a safe bet that 1955 Saigon was a world apart from the frantic energy of today’s mammoth metropolis.
Khoi Pham in Vietnam
Street Cred: The Tragic Demise of Vietnam's Most Loyal Family
Through several eras of colonization and numerous wars against foreign powers, history has shaped Vietnamese culture in a huge way. In today’s Saigon, much of this rich history is retained in an ...
[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...
Tim Doling 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...
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 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...
[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.
[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...
[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...
[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...
