Saigon Demolishes 3 Heritage Villas to Make Room for Covid-19 Memorial Park
As part of a plan to build a dedicated space to commemorate victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, Saigon authorities recently demolished several heritage buildings from the 1950s, sparking concerns about the city’s loss of architectural heritage.
What a Set of Art Homework From Long Xuyên Teaches Us About 1930s Vietnam
Much like their descendants today, schoolchildren of 1930s Vietnam also took art classes as part of their syllabus. In this rare collection of what was essentially our grandparents’ homework, we can surprisingly learn a lot about the daily life of Mekong Delta residents from nearly 100 years ago.
Khôi Phạm in Saigon
1997 Vietnam Through the Lens of Saigon's Former Canadian Consul General
Digging into one’s collection of old mementos can be a thrilling experience. From antique watches to tattered letters, these trinkets serve as a remembrance of a period of time in our past. For Kyle Nunas, Saigon’s former Consul General of Canada (2017–2020), his connection with the bustling metropolis began with this collection of old photos captured during a trip to Vietnam over 20 years ago.
On the Sidewalks of 1979 Saigon: Books, Knick-Knacks and a Multitude of Bicycles
Before the motorbikes invaded all aspects of modern Vietnam, Saigon streets were all bicycles, vintage cars and xích lô.
These Rare Photos From 1997 Are a Time Capsule of Vietnam's Transformations
The 1990s were a time of significant change in Vietnam.
Tâm Lê in Saigon
Street Cred: Phan Đình Phùng, My Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather
An unassuming street named Phan Đình Phùng runs through Saigon’s Phú Nhuận District. It is named after a Vietnamese revolutionary who led rebel armies against French colonial forces in the 1880s and 1890s. He is also my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather.
Lycée Marie Curie: The High School That Has Stood the Test of Time
Marie Curie High School, also called Lycée Marie Curie in French or Trường Trung Học Phổ Thông Marie Curie in Vietnamese, is a public high school located in Saigon’s District 3.
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.
[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.
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...
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 ...
[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...
Tim Doling in Saigon
Date With The Wrecking Ball: Maison du Combattant
Yet another piece of old Saigon heritage faces the wrecking ball following the recent public auction and sale of the former Maison du Combattant “gold land” site at 23 Lê Duẩn.
20 Captivating Photos Take You Back To 1960s Saigon
Despite Saigon’s rapid modernization over the past two decades, old photos of the city from the 1960s reveal a number of persisting characteristics – from sleeping xe om drivers and seas of motorbikes...
Tim Doling in Saigon
Date With The Wrecking Ball: The Former Collège de Can-Tho
Over the past week, Facebook has been awash with articles about the planned demolition of a much-loved Cần Thơ institution, the Châu Văn Liêm High School (Trường Trung Học Phổ Thông Châu Văn Liêm).
Tim Doling in Saigon
Saigon's Endangered Heritage Buildings: The Top 10
We’re now over half way through 2015, and what better time to update that depressing list of Saigon built heritage in imminent danger of destruction.
This Saigon Art Deco Gem Will Shine Once Again
The area around Ben Thanh Market is quickly becoming an epicenter for development. As new buildings rise, such as The One Ho Chi Minh City and the Eximbank Tower, old colonial structures are seemingly...
Tim Doling in Saigon
Old Saigon Building Of The Week: The Hùng King Temple
The Hùng King Temple at 2 Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm was originally built in 1927-1929 under the name Temple du Souvenir Annamite (“Annamite Temple of remembrance”), primarily to honour the memory of Vietnames...
[Photos] Take A Walk Through The Streets Of Old Hanoi
At the turn of the 20th century, people often referred to the Vietnamese capital as “the 36 streets of Hanoi.” Most of these 36 streets lie in today’s Old Quarter and still retain names that reflect t...
Brian Letwin in Heritage
[Photos] Saigon Then & Now: Part 4
We’re back with another set of our “Then and Now” photos which contrast old images of Saigon with their present day counterparts. For a much larger collection, head over to the Saïgon-Chợ Lớn The...
Take A Walk Through Saigon’s 150-Year-Old Sewers
Before Saigon begins to demolish the 150-year-old French-built sewers that lie under the streets of District 1, it looks like the city is allowing select camera crews into the leaky, cockroach-infeste...
Tim Doling in Saigon
A Second Chance For Tân An Communal House
With so many old buildings being destroyed in the name of development, it's encouraging to learn that one of the city's oldest communal houses, the Đình Tân An at 26 Bis Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm in Đa Kao, h...
[Photos] How Saigonese Flew In 1965
These photos taken by American photographer, Bill Eppridge, in 1965 capture a day in the life at Tan Son Nhat Airport’s civilian terminal. The original airport, little more than a landing strip, was b...
Tim Doling in Saigon
The 'Leaning Cathedral' Of Saigon
Soon after its completion, Saigon’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral developed an embarrassing tilt.
Tim Doling in Saigon
Old Saigon Building of the Week: 136 Ly Tu Trong
Owned during the colonial era by the Roman Catholic Church, the two-storey French villa at 136 Lý Tự Trọng in District 1 is one of just a handful of surviving French villas on that busy street.
[Photos] This Is What Saigon Looked Like 150 Years Ago
These rare photographs are the work of Émile Gsell, the first commercial photographer based in Saigon.
