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 Asia

[Photos] Check out Indochina's Colorful 19th-Century Bank Notes

If you ever get bored of looking at the same set of images on Vietnam’s current bank notes, this set of old Indochinese bills will provide a glimpse into what the region's denizens used to spend when ...

in Saigon

[Photos] What's Left Inside Saigon's Iconic Tax Center

The Saigon Tax Center, a historic icon of old Saigon, has been reduced to a metal skeleton and heaps of rubble.

in Saigon

Demolition of Saigon Tax Center Officially Starts Today

As you’re reading this, Saigon’s iconic Tax Center is meeting its ultimate demise, making room for a new, 40-story skyscraper.

in Saigon

Ancient Tombs of Saigon: The Mass Grave Under Dan Chu Roundabout

Saigoneers living in the vicinity of District 10’s Dan Chu Square may be aghast to discover that their homes could be sitting on the city’s largest mass burial site.

Khoi Pham

in Saigon

Street Cred: Bui Vien, the First Vietnamese in America...or Was He?

In today’s Saigon, Bui Vien Street is commonly known as the city’s backpacker paradise, not to mention one of its many nightlife hotspots. It’s unclear whether urban planners in the southern hub had o...

in Heritage

[Map] The Stories Behind Saigon’s French Colonial Street Names

In its relatively young history, Saigon has undergone several makeovers: from quaint colonial town to grand capital of Cochinchina, major metropolis of southern Vietnam and now the buzzing economic hu...

in Saigon

Date With the Wrecking Ball: The Cercle Sportif Saigonnais

Local conservation groups have expressed concern about a plan approved by the Ho Chi Minh City Labor Culture Palace to demolish the much-loved 1925 Cercle Sportif Saigonnais and replace it with a stat...

in Vietnam

[Photos] A Sepia-Toned Glimpse Into China's Last Dynasty

In this rare, 19th-century black-and-white photo collection, China appears surprisingly spartan and somber.

Khoi Pham

in Vietnam

Street Cred: Thoai Ngoc Hau, Dedicated but Misunderstood

For someone whose entire life was dedicated to national progress, Thoai Ngoc Hau really didn’t receive the treatment he deserved for his achievements. Marred by a wrongful conviction, even after his d...

in Saigon

The Story Behind Cho Ba Chieu

Ba Chieu is an old, bustling local market with nostalgic charm. Built in 1942 in what is today’s Binh Thanh District, Ba Chieu Market has remained largely the same despite Saigon's rapid urbanization ...

in Saigon

HCMC Begins $2m Restoration of 200-Year-Old Pagoda

A 200-year-old pagoda in District 11 is getting a long-overdue makeover after Ho Chi Minh City authorities recently greenlit a renovation project.

in Vietnam

[Photos] 1960s An Loc: The Calm Before the Storm

A rare collection of photos shows how residents in the countryside of southern Vietnam lived in the late 1960s.

in Heritage

[Photos] Saigon Then & Now: The Diem Coup (1963)

In September 1963, reporters and journalists began to hear rumblings about a coup that would ultimately topple the increasingly unpopular Ngo Dinh Diem regime.

in Vietnam

[Photos] 1971 Vung Tau Through the Lens of an Australian Serviceman

Today, Vung Tau is well-known throughout southern Vietnam as a quaint coastal town that offers tourists from nearby provinces an affordable, convenient location for a short trip that’s just enough to ...

in Vietnam

80 Years of Vietnam’s North-South Railway Line

September 2, 2016 is an auspicious day in the history of Vietnam's railways, marking the 80th anniversary of the completion of the “Transindochinois” or North-South railway line.

in Saigon

Street Cred: Hai Thuong Lan Ong, the Father of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine

Hai Thuong Lan Ong is one of the most influential figures in the history of traditional Vietnamese medicine.

in Heritage

[Photos] Take a Tour of 1990 Saigon

Coming across photo collections of old Saigon is always fascinating. The city seems to take on a new life in each era, but still somehow manages to retain its distinctive core characteristics: a vibra...

in Vietnam

How a French Adventurer Became King of the Central Highlands

Many will have heard of Englishman James Brooke, the so-called “White Rajah” who in the 1840s established the Kingdom of Sarawak, or indeed of French lawyer Orélie-Antoine de Tounens, who in 1860 foun...

in Vietnam

Historic Nam Dinh Textile Factory, Once Indochina’s Oldest, Meets the Wrecking Ball

One of the largest remnants of France’s colonial legacy in Vietnam will soon meet its end.

in Saigon

[Photos] Saigon’s 81-Year-Old Downtown Mosque, 1958-1979

As high-rises go up and Saigon’s historical buildings come down, more than a few of District 1’s landmarks have disappeared. The Jamia Al-Musulman Mosque, however, remains in the heart of the city, ru...