Saigoneer in Saigon
[Photos] The Frenetic Energy of 1960s Chợ Lớn
Comic books and bread, cigarettes and rickshaw rides: Saigon has always reveled in the exchange of goods and services for money.
Saigoneer in Vietnam
[Photos] Fly Over Vietnam in the 1930s via These Rare Black-and-White Shots
What if you had a time machine and traveled 90 years into the past with a drone?
Saigoneer in Vietnam
[Photos] Immerse in the Small-Town Charm of 1960s Vinh Long
Thanks to its tangled snarl of canals, estuaries, streams and rivers, one associates the Mekong Delta with boats.
Saigoneer in Vietnam
[Photos] The Arduous Pilgrimage to Chùa Hương Over 30 Years Ago
Every year, with the arrival of spring comes a grand journey.
Saigoneer in Vietnam
These Rare Paintings Depict Life in Vietnam in the 17th and 18th Centuries
Now we can envision Vietnam well before the advent of photography.
Saigoneer in Vietnam
Last Surviving Imperial Maid of Nguyen Dynasty Passes Away at 102
An important historical figure of the Nguyen Dynasty has left us this week.
Saigoneer in Saigon
[Photos] Getting Lost in Traffic on Late 1960s Chau Van Liem Boulevard
Old photos of Vietnam and cheese: two things you can never too much of.
Saigoneer in Saigon
Cột Cờ Thủ Ngữ: Overlooked Saigon Landmark Gets a Makeover
Flanked by a busy road and overshadowed by an unfinished skyscraper , you'd be forgiven if you rarely noticed the Signal M...
Tim Doling in Saigon
Old Saigon Building of the Week: Former Institution Tabert (1890)
With its prime location in one of Hồ Chí Minh City’s numerous “đất vàng” (gold land) areas, many wonder how long the former Institution Tabert, now the Trần Đại Nghĩa Specialist High School at 53 Nguy...
Vinh in Vietnam
Street Cred: Path of Poets
If Saigon was a battlefront and its street signs served as territorial markers, then it’s clear that the revolutionaries and martyrs have won. Everywhere you look, the names of fallen heroes lead the ...
Saigoneer in Vietnam
13 Old Photos of Hue
While most of the old photos we show here are from Saigon and Hanoi, we wanted to give a shout-out to the Hue, Vietnam’s capital until 1945.
Saigoneer in Vietnam
27 Rare Photos Of Hanoi From 120 Years Ago
To mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and Vietnam, the National Library of Vietnam has released a collection of more than 200 photos taken by Governor General of Ind...
Tim Doling in Saigon
Old Saigon Building of the Week: Former Nestlé Headquarters
The Swiss company Nestlé, founded in 1905 following the merger of Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé (1866) and the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company (1866), established its first trading office in Saigon in 1912.
Vinh in Saigon
Street Cred: Ham Nghi
“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.” This quote from Shakespeare’s Henry IV basically sums up the political climate of Vietnam in 1883. In that year alone, four different men played the part of ...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
When the Japanese Occupied Vietnam: Part 2
Read When the Japanese Occupied Vietnam – Part I here. Japanese occupation breathed new life into a Vietnamese independence movement that had seen little success after the failed Yen Bai Mutiny (1930...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
[Photos] Saigon Past and Present
Saigon is a city in constant flux. One minute a crumbling old building is there and the next week it’s a parking lot. Fortunately, there are a few buildings, such as the Saigon Post Office, the Opera ...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
When the Japanese Occupied Vietnam: Part 1
When foreign occupation is discussed in Vietnam, the bulk of the conversation focuses on the Chinese and the French, rightfully so. However, while short-lived, the Japanese occupation of the country n...
Saigoneer in Saigon
[Photos] Changes Over Time: Saigon's Canals (2002 - 2014) Part II
Due to the popularity of our previous piece which illustrated the physical changes along Saigon’s canals, we’ve managed to cobble together a new set of photos.
Tim Doling in Saigon
Bót Catinat: Saigon's "Gold Land"
Located on a prime site in one of Hồ Chí Minh City’s numerous “đất vàng” (gold land) areas and already earmarked for redevelopment, the headquarters of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism at...
Vinh in Saigon
Street Cred: Yersin
If you’ve been following this column, then you’ve probably noticed the pattern of folks getting famous for taking a stance and sticking up for Vietnam. By now, you should know that Vietnamese people a...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Fun With Old Maps: Saigon (1895)
While not the oldest map of Saigon we’ve come across, this 1895 map, “Plan des environs de Saïgon” shows not only downtown, but the surrounding countryside. Even after 36 years of French occupation, t...
Dang Bui in Vietnam
Dung Ha: Vietnam’s Lesbian Mob Boss
Among the infamous women of Vietnam’s criminal underworld, Dung Ha was one of the most notorious. Though her reign was short, it was characterized by wealth, power and love affairs that still draw cur...
Tim Doling in Saigon
Old Saigon Building of the Week: The Vietnam Railways Building
The iconic Bến Thành Market is not the only Saigon landmark currently celebrating its 100th birthday – this week we take a look at the history of the Vietnam Railways building at 138 Hàm Nghi, which a...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
17 Rare Photos of Vietnam Taken 120 Years Ago
To mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and Vietnam, the National Library of Vietnam has released a collection of more than 200 photos taken by Governor General of Ind...
Vinh in Saigon
Street Cred: Phan Xích Long
Like a page straight out of Bizzaro World, fast food franchises have a heightened social status here in Vietnam.
Tim Doling in Saigon
Old Saigon Building of the Week: Maison du Combattant
The project to create a Maison du Combattant (War Veterans Centre) was launched in 1929 by the Amicale Cochinchinoise des Anciens Combattants de la Grande Guerre (Cochinchina Friendly Association of G...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
The Lost History of Germans in Saigon
Though it was a French colony, companies from all over Europe were engaged in trade and production in Indochina, especially in Saigon. Germans in particular played a major role in the city’s turn-of-t...
Dang Bui in Saigon
The Incredible History of Saigon’s Racetracks
Although it closed 3 years ago, for the city’s older citizens, District 11’s Phu Tho Horse Racing Ground represents a bygone era of racing and gambling in Saigon. While an important but fading cultura...
