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 in Black and White
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streets of Hanoi and took many photographs of everyday life in the city, and until now, these photographs have remained unpublished.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.
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...
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”.
Dana Filek-Gibson 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.
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.
[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.
[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...
[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...
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.
[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.
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...
[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?
