in Vietnam

French Illustrated Encyclopedia Paints the Slices of Vietnam Life in the 1900s

"To effectively govern colonial peoples, the foremost requirement is a thorough understanding of the very people one rules over," so believed Paul Doumer, the second Governor-General of French Indochina, who spent his career imposing the imperial French government's agenda on studying the culture of their colonized subjects.

in Saigon

Portrait of a Jubilant Saigon on the Precipice of Tết in 1992

Tết in 1992 was an especially fortuitous time to be a foreign arrival to Saigon. 

in Vietnam

In 1992 Vietnam, the Streets Were Brimming With Love and Life

How has your life been transformed in the past 30 years? Changes might materialize overnight, but some tend to creep up on you at a glacial pace. Through this collection of images from 1992, mull over how Vietnam as a country has grown with every 12-month cycle.

in Vietnam

Vintage French Book Illustrations Depict a Quaint Indochina in 1903

In this rare collection of images from 1903 Indochina, life in the peninsula appears as if in a dream, with rows of colonial-style houses in between heritage trees and natural landscapes that weren’t interrupted by concrete.

Paul Christiansen

in Saigon

Did You Know That There's a Mummy on Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm Boulevard?

Why is there a mummy on display in Saigon?

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.

in Saigon

Relive Your Memories of Saigon Water Park via These Photos by One of Its Makers

Although water parks involve a combination of two of the most tedious human experiences, standing in lines and prolonged direct sun exposure, the now-demolished Saigon Water Park was an icon of 2000s Saigon that remains a crucial cornerstone of many city dwellers' memories.

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.

Back Heritage

in Saigon

Date With the Wrecking Ball: The Catinat-Ciné Mosaics

Over the past 12 months, a great deal of attention has been paid to the fate of the 1924 Moroccan mosaic staircase in the lobby of the Tax Trade Center. Yet that great work of art is not the only mosa...

in Vietnam

[Photos] Nostalgic Images of Daily Life in Old Saigon

During the first half of the 20th century, Saigon earned a reputation as the Paris of the East. With its wide, tree-lined boulevards and grand colonial buildings – not to mention a significantly small...

in Heritage

Pierre Coupeaud and the Great Cyclo Trial of February 1936

Banned from an ever-increasing number of city streets, the cyclo is rapidly becoming an endangered species. But spare a moment to appreciate this much-maligned form of transport, invented by Phnom Pen...

in Heritage

[Video] How 1949 Saigon Rang in the Lunar New Year

It's no secret that the Saigon of today is a world apart from the Saigon of old.

in Heritage

[Photos] 1960s Nha Trang Was the Essence of Cool

While there's a lot of talk about Saigon in the old days, Nha Trang also held its own as an ultra-cool beachside city. The coastal town was home to flashy cars and trendy cafes, hand-painted signs and...

in Saigon

[Photos] Kickin' It at the Country Club in Old Saigon

Plenty of people complain about how hard it is to get a good workout in today's Saigon, but a century ago it was equally challenging to get in a few good laps or work on your tennis game. Colonial Sai...

in Saigon

Icons of Old Saigon: The First Governor's Palace

It’s often assumed that the Norodom Palace (1873) was the first colonial governor's palace to be built in Saigon, but it was in fact preceded by a much humbler structure, the Hôtel des Amiraux-Gouvern...

in Vietnam

[Photos] British Photographer Captures Life in Early 1900s Vietnam

At the turn of the 20th century, Englishwoman Gabrielle Maud Vassal lived in Vietnam with her husband, French military doctor Joseph Jean Vassal. During her three-year stay in the country, Mrs. Vassal...

in Saigon

Street Cred: Phu Dong Roundabout

According to legend, the reign of the sixth Hung Vuong king was an era of fear for Van Lang, the country then occupying northern Vietnam. Dogged by its enemies, the kingdom was often under threat...

in Saigon

Icons of Old Saigon: The Belt Canal (Canal de Ceinture)

Commissioned in 1862 to facilitate French gunboat access around north and west Saigon, the Belt Canal was never completely navigable.

in Vietnam

The Story Behind Hai Phong's Opera House

During the early 20th century, the French were really into building opera houses in Vietnam. Any city with a sizable European population was all but guaranteed to have a theater in its town center, al...

in Saigon

Tax Center Developer Says Facade, Unique Interior to Be Preserved

Last year, Saigon said goodbye to its beloved Tax Center, as the shopping complex closed its doors to prepare for construction of the new 40-story tower to be built in its place.

in Saigon

Travel Through Time With Saigon's Street Names

Before 1975, Saigon took its street-naming pretty seriously. The city went through a French phase, of course, during the early 20th century, when most of its roadways were dedicated to European histor...

in Saigon

Icons of Old Saigon: The Pont Tournant (Swing Bridge)

Many people are familiar with Eiffel's Pont des Messageries Maritimes (Cầu Mống), yet few remember its neighbor, the Pont Tournant (Swing Bridge), which was built by Eiffel's successor company Levallo...

in Saigon

The Lowdown on Chi Hoa, Saigon's Maximum-Security Prison

Chi Hoa Prison, located in the northern half of District 10, is one of Vietnam's most famous high-security facilities. Though it was built over a half-century ago, the seven-hectare prison remains in ...

in Saigon

Saigon’s Famous Streets and Squares: Ham Nghi Boulevard, Part 2

Home to a tramway terminus, a grand hotel and the first United States Embassy in Saigon, Hàm Nghi's 20th-century story mirrors Vietnam's tumultuous journey. This is the second installment of a two-par...

in Saigon

Saigon’s Famous Streets and Squares: Ham Nghi Boulevard, Part 1

Once a downtown canal, a breeding ground for crocodiles and the heart of Saigon’s own Chinatown, Hàm Nghi is one of the city’s three widest boulevards.

in Vietnam

20 Images of Hanoi's Old Quarter in 1896

Even as Hanoi charges into the future with flashy new skyscrapers and brand-new metro lines, the capital manages to hang on to its traditions. Particularly in busy downtown neighborhoods like the Old ...

in Saigon

Icons of Old Saigon: The Artists’ Pagoda and Cemetery in Gò Vấp

The Artists' Pagoda (Chùa Nghệ Sĩ, also known as Nhựt Quang Tự or Phật Quang Tự) and Cemetery in Gò Vấp is the last resting place for practitioners of cải lương ("Reformed Opera"), a popular form of t...

in Vietnam

18 Old Postcards That Capture Da Lat’s Fading Charm

These 18 old postcards of Da Lat provide a flashback to the early twentieth century, a time when healthy pine trees shaded the town’s valleys and streets, while magnificent villas graced its hills.