Linh Phạm

in Hanoi

Street Cred: Pháo Đài Láng, Home of Ông Voi and Where the War Began

More often than not, a country’s independence is won with guns. The location where the first shots were fired for Vietnam is memorialized to this day.

in Vietnam

Buôn Ma Thuột's Thriving Elephant Culture in 1957

In the not-too-distant past, elephants were an important part of highland lifestyles, including use in cultural activities, agriculture.

in Vietnam

A Collection of Scenes in 1964 Saigon, Bến Tre, Biên Hòa on Film

In 1964, Saigon’s Phù Đổng Roundabout didn’t feature the towering bronze statue of folk hero Thánh Gióng. Instead of the congestion hot spot the intersection is known as today, it was actually spacious and airy, with nary a shop or bubble tea parlor in sight.

in Vietnam

Vauban Architecture: The Foundation of Central and Northern Vietnam's Citadels

In our  previous article on Vietnam’s southern citadels , we covered a mix of ancient structures and those constructe...

in Vietnam

Unearthed: Tracing the Past Citadels of Southern Vietnam

Although the forces of modernization encourage constant progress and leaving behind the pre-modern past, the trails of yesterday never fail to leave our presence.

in Vietnam

10 Rare Illustrations Offer Glimpses Into Life in Tonkin in 1923

What’s your typical Sunday routine? If your answer includes grabbing some noodles on the street, getting your earwax removed and mustache shaved, and maybe smoking some opium to take the edge off, congratulations, you might be living in 1923 Tonkin.

Tim Doling

in Vietnam

Revisit 1990s Saigon in 'L’Amant,' the Film Adaptation of Marguerite Duras' Famous Novel

When filming the movie adaptation of Marguerite Duras’ 1984 autobiographical novel The Lover, French director Jean-Jacques Annaud made extensive use of Saigon locations. Here’s a run-down of the local landmarks to watch out for when you view the movie.

in Vietnam

Vibrant Watercolor Paintings Take Us Back to Northern Vietnam in 1890

Way before colored photography appeared, generations of our ancestors had to rely on the finesse of painters to create visuals records of their everyday routines. This collection of watercolor paintings from the 1890s is a particularly vivid example of that, depicting lively scenes of Vietnam two centuries ago that are full of humor and personality.

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Tim Doling

in Saigon

Saigon’s Famous Streets And Squares: Trần Hưng Đạo Boulevard

One of Saigon’s youngest major boulevards, Trần Hưng Đạo was built in 1911-1913 over former swamp land to provide a more direct route between the cities of Saigon and Chợ Lớn.

in Vietnam

[Photos] Old Photos Of Dalat’s Lost Railway

In the early 20th century, when Dalat was still a nascent town, the Swiss-built LangBian cog railway was its connection the coast. Joining the Central Highlands town with Ninh Thuan province's Thap Ch...

Tim Doling

in Saigon

Saigon’s Famous Streets And Squares: Hai Bà Trưng Street

One of Saigon’s longest and busiest streets, Hai Bà Trưng is a thoroughfare of great antiquity which dates back more than 200 years.

in Saigon

20 Photos Of 1960s Phu Nhuan

Everyone in Saigon knows the drill: what's a shoe store today might be a phở stall tomorrow. Hairdressers become restaurateurs, office buildings turn into hotels and your favourite bánh mì cart could ...

Tim Doling

in Saigon

Icons Of Old Saigon: The Maison Centrale de Saigon

One of the most hated government buildings in colonial Saigon, the Maison Centrale de Saigon (Khám Lớn Sài Gòn), or Saigon Central Prison, was a truly grim institution where thousands of unfortunates ...

in Saigon

30 Old Pictures Of Thu Duc District: Former Weekend Getaway

Thu Duc isn't exactly a place you'd consider going on holiday. Today, the suburban district is home to industrial centers, dusty roads, busy residential neighborhoods and rumbling transport trucks, un...

in Vietnam

Vintage Photos Capture Hanoi On The Brink Of A New Era

In 1986, Hanoi – much like the rest of Vietnam – was at the start of a new era. Thanks to the government's Doi Moi economic reforms, the country had moved from a centrally planned command economy...

Tim Doling

in Saigon

Saigon’s Famous Streets and Squares: Pasteur Street

Known for most of the colonial period as Rue Pellerin, Pasteur Street has grown from ancient inner-city waterway to one of the city’s most desirable streets.

in Vietnam

[Photos] 20 Photos Of Southern Vietnam In 1974

These images offer a rare glimpse of Saigon and southern Vietnam in the months before the region was “liberated” by the North Vietnamese Army.

Tim Doling

in Saigon

Old Saigon Building Of The Week: 86 Võ Văn Tần

The ornate mansion on the corner of the Bà Huyện Thanh Quan and Võ Văn Tần junction was once the private residence of celebrated photographer Fernand Nadal, whose old sepia postcard images of the city...

in Heritage

[Photos] This Is What Life In Saigon Looked Like In The Late 60s

While many of the old photos we post show sharp contrasts between past and present, those in this set depict scenes that could be found on Saigon’s streets today, with a few glaring exceptions. 

Tim Doling

in Saigon

Saigon’s Famous Streets and Squares: Lê Duẩn Street

When it was first laid out in 1870, the broad avenue we know today as Lê Duản was christened boulevard Norodom, after the Cambodian monarch who in 1863 had entrusted his kingdom to the protection of t...

in Vietnam

30 Retro Images Of 1967 Vung Tau

While we spend most of our time waxing poetic over old photos of Saigon, there are plenty of other places worthy of our nostalgic attention.

Tim Doling

in Saigon

Saigon’s Famous Streets And Squares: Tôn Thất Thiệp Street

One of the oldest streets in Saigon, Tôn Thất Thiệp street was known in the early French colonial period firstly as rue No 9 and then from 1863 as rue de l'Église, after Saigon's ill-fated first Roman...

in Saigon

[Photos] Xe Vélo Solex: A Forgotten Saigon Classic

Both bicycles and motorbikes have long played an important role in the lives of Vietnamese (and at times, its occupiers). Starting in the 1950s, French-made motorized bicycles known as Solex became in...

Tim Doling

in Saigon

Saigon’s Famous Streets and Squares: Quách Thị Trang Square

In this, the first of a new series about the history of the famous streets and squares of Saigon and Chợ Lớn, Tim Doling looks at the history of Quách Thị Trang square.

in Saigon

21 Beautiful Photos Of 1961 Cho Lon

Cho Lon has long been a center of commerce and culture, tracing its history back to 1778 when the Chinese population of Bien Hoa was forced to relocate after being targeted by Tay Son forces in retali...

in Saigon

The Saigon Tax Trade Center Mosaic Staircase: A Forgotten Moroccan Masterpiece

When the Hồ Chí Minh City authorities announced in 2014 that the Saigon Tax Trade Centre was to be demolished and replaced with a 43-storey tower block, many voices were raised in opposition to the de...

Tim Doling

in Saigon

Saving Saigon Tax Trade Center’s Mosaic Staircase, 'A Priceless Work Of Art'

Six months after the Hồ Chí Minh City People’s Committee’s promise that both internal and architectural and design features of the old Saigon Tax Trade Centre would be preserved and incorporated into ...

in Vietnam

[Photos] The Japanese Prostitutes of Colonial Vietnam

Over at her Saigon - Cho Lon blog, Chen Bichun recently explored one of the many rarely discussed layers of history – the thousands of Japanese women who were forced into prostitution across Asia...