in Hanoi

The Rickety Last Days of Hanoi's Tramway System in the 1990s

Vietnam residents are rightfully celebrating recent advances in public transit.

in Vietnam

How the National Lottery Reflects Vietnam's Socio-Economic Realities Through Time

For nearly a century, lottery tickets and their strings of lucky numbers have occupied a special role in Vietnamese society: both as a lifeline for dreams of better fortune and as a mirror reflecting the socio-economic realities of the times.

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.

in Saigon

The Forgotten History Behind Saigon's CEE Colonial Substations

Woven into the fabric of modern-day streets, the aging electrical substations of Saigon stand as quiet witnesses to a historical era shaped by the complex legacy of French colonialism.

in Hanoi

Hanoi's Soviet-Style Khu Gia Binh and Life Amid Vietnam's Growing Pains

Hanoi is often known in Vietnam as the land of a millennium-old civilization, a living archive of past Vietnam life. Each tiny alley within the capital can evoke a strong sense of nostalgia in visitors, as those locations encapsulate both wartime memories and charming quotidien moments. There’s one special place in Hanoi that has contributed to the city’s languid pace of life amid the nation’s rapid developments — khu gia binh.

in Vietnam

A Flight Over Đà Lạt in 1968–1971 Before the Tourism Boom

If you’ve taken a trip to Lâm Đồng within the last few years, these scenes seem like a distant dream of a sparsely populated and verdant Đà Lạt that’s engulfed by nature.

in Saigon

The City That Never Sits Still: Traffic in 1994 Saigon via Photos by Ed Kashi

In Saigon on Wheels, American photojournalist Ed Kashi managed to capture the pulse of a simpler Saigon.

in Saigon

With Unchecked Destruction, Saigon's Heritage Shophouse Architecture Is in Danger

The colonial shophouse, one of Saigon’s most iconic forms of architecture, is in imminent danger of extinction.

Back Heritage

in Hanoi

[Photos] Look Back at Hanoi's Nội Bài Airport in 1995

In February, 1995, Yuichi Kobayashi, a Japanese businessman, came to Vietnam with a mission to set up a factory here.

in Vietnam

What a Set of Art Homework From 1930 Long Xuyên Teaches Us About Past 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 s...

in Saigon

Saigon Designates 6 Areas With Architectural Heritage to Be Conserved

Is six enough?

in Vietnam

[Photos] A Journey Back in Time Through Northern Vietnam Around 1900

Vietnam is certainly a country looking to the future, but sometimes it's worth looking back at the past as well.

in Vietnam

Hanoi Demolishes Colonial-Era Factory to Make Room for Office Complex

A French-built factory at 61 Trần Phú, Hanoi is being destroyed to make way for a multi-purpose building.   

in Vietnam

Huế Plans to Relocate 100-Year-Old French Mansion to Make Room for Hotel

To make room for new developments, Huế authorities are mulling options to uproot and relocate a century-old villa.

in Vietnam

[Photos] On the Road in 1970s Vietnam

Old photos, like memories, fade over time — corners darken, horizons blur, and colors lose their saturation.

in Vietnam

[Photos] A Recuperating Vietnam in 1980, as Documented by Philip Jones Griffiths

Released in 1971, Vietnam Inc. by Philip Jones Griffiths was a career-defining work for the Welsh photographer, whose candid, sympathetic images of Vietnam during the American War showed a much differ...

in Vietnam

[Photos] Inside a Vaccination Point in Vietnam Nearly 100 Years Ago

A century ago, the colonial government was active in inoculating Vietnamese citizens against a variety of diseases.

in Vietnam

[Photos] Once Upon a Time in Bát Tràng Ceramic Village

Back in the day, when Emperor Lý Thái Tổ relocated the capital from Ninh Binh to Hanoi, five famous pottery families followed. They settled in a region on the east bank of the Red River where there wa...

in Vietnam

[Photos] Old Film Photos Capture a Serene Huế in 1961

These colorful photos of Huế in the early 1960s provide outsiders an important view of the country at a pivotal time. 

in Vietnam

[Photos] A Look Back at Tết in Hanoi 100 Years Ago

It is easy to remark on how drastically Tết has changed over the years, but have the core elements really evolved that much?

in Hanoi

[Photos] Hanoi's Chùa Một Cột Through the Years

Chùa Một Cột, or the One-Pillar Pagoda, is a distinguished structure of Hanoi.

in Saigon

[Photos] Views of a Saigon in Transit in 1945 by John Florea

1945 was yet another time of drastic change in Saigon overseen by foreign powers. 

in Vietnam

[Photos] On the Road in 1965 Quy Nhơn

Imagine Quy Nhon before the arrival of tourism.

in Hanoi

The Hustle and Bustle of Hanoi Streets in the 1950s

Chaotic streets and bustling markets, Hanoi in the 1950s was not much different than it is now.

in Vietnam

[Photos] Glimpses of Saigon, Dong Ha and Hue in 1967

Time for a trip to 1967 Vietnam.

in Saigon

[Photos] Landmarks of 1966-1967 Saigon in Black and White

Sometimes the backstory behind a photograph is key, while other times simply observing an image is better.

in Saigon

[Photos] A Shopping Trip in Ben Thanh Market in 1938

Dried fish? Pomelo? A chicken? Heels? Plates? Perhaps a fizzy soft drink or simple meal on the street? What is on your shopping list when you go to Ben Thanh Market?

in Saigon

An Early View of a Barely Developed Saigon in the 1860s

Dropping a modern Saigoneer into the 1860s version of the city would be a wildly disorienting experience.