Khôi Phạm in Saigon
Old Saigon Building of the Week: The Glitz and Glam of Tự Do Nightclub
While today’s Đồng Khởi Street is peppered with tourist-centric shops and restaurants, just half a century ago, the downtown street was the nightlife hotspot for Saigon’s cool kids to congregate.
Revisit the Colorful, Diverse Universe of Multinational Xe Đò in 1990s Saigon
Saigoneers who spent their formative years in the 1990s will remember an era of secondhand products of mixed origins. This unique feature of daily life also extended into the transportation realm.
The Double-Edged Allure of Indochic in Postcolonial Vietnam
Bordering the Temple of Literature in Hanoi is Nguyễn Thái Học Boulevard, where a number of art shops sit side by side. Among them, tourists and visitors can find an endless supply of varying iterations of socialist iconography, gold-plated replicas of Đông Sơn drums, and faux-impressionist paintings of colonial Indochina. In Mũi Né, a 127-room resort unironically called The Anam Mui Ne boasts its Indochine allure with “Indochine Charm. Modern Luxury” on its home page. Throughout the resort are paintings depicting women in traditional áo dài and scenes of tranquil fishing villages, gesturing toward the bucolic past of Vietnam. In Saigon, numerous cafes and eateries are decorated in encaustic cement tiles with intricate floral, pastel designs, while brandishing French names and wrought iron railings on their balconies.
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.
[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...
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 ...
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.
[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.
[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.
[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 ...
Tim Doling 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.
Dana Filek-Gibson 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.
[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...
Tim Doling 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...
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.
[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...
Khoi Pham in Saigon
Street Cred: Ho Xuan Huong, a Woman Ahead of Her Time
Despite being one of Vietnam’s most prominent classical poets, Ho Xuan Huong’s existence remains an enigma to this day.
[Photos] Saigon Then & Now: Ben Thanh Market
The southern hub has seen its fair share of transformations over the years. From French colonialism to the swinging 60s, the early days of Đổi Mới to 21st-century Vietnam, Saigon’s urban lan...
[Photos] A Day at the Saigon Zoo: 1967
For generations of Saigoneers, a visit to the city’s Zoological and Botanical Garden is an important milestone of their childhood. However, in the following collection of photos, we get a glimpse of t...
[Photos] The Transformation of Le Lai Street, 1950-1975
The best way to measure Saigon’s 20th-century evolution is by honing in on the changes of a single street.
Dana Filek-Gibson in Vietnam
Street Cred: Princess Huyen Tran's Historic Hanky Panky
Arguably Vietnam’s most famous princess, Huyen Tran was born in 1287 to King Tran Nhan Tong and Queen Thien Cam, rulers of the Dai Viet kingdom. Throughout her childhood, Huyen Tran was your standard,...
[Video] Take a Tour of 1930s Angkor Wat
During the 1970s, Cambodia suffered greatly at the hands of Pol Pot, whose Khmer Rouge erased not only the lives of as many as two million people but also scores of the country’s cultural and historic...
After Demolition Begins, City Officials Order Renovation of Century-Old Villa
After its owner caught the public's attention by demolishing portions of the building, one of Saigon’s few remaining century-old villas might finally get the renovation it deserves.
