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

Icons of Old Saigon: André Pancrazi's Café de la Musique and Grand Hôtel des Nations

One of many French settlers of Corsican descent who made names for themselves in colonial Saigon, André Pancrazi is remembered as the proprietor of two old Saigon icons – the Café de la Musique and th...

in Vietnam

[Photos] The Vietnamese Soldiers Of WWI

Whereas the story of World War I traditionally filters through the lens of the major European powers, colonial ties produced a transcontinental story with the militaries of France and Britain comprise...

in Saigon

Old Saigon Building Of The Week: 93-95 Đồng Khởi

One of the most elegant old colonial buildings in the centre of the city, 93-95 Đồng Khởi – originally 93-95 rue Catinat – is believed to have been constructed in the period 1900-1910.

in Vietnam

24 Late 19th Century Photos Of Vietnam

These 24 photos taken between 1880 and 1898 show Vietnam just as France was settling into their role as colonial occupier.

in Vietnam

20 Beautiful Old Maps of Hanoi

Unlike Saigon, Hanoi has been a major urban center for over a millennia, so while the oldest maps of Saigon date back to around 1790, those of the capital go back far further.

in Vietnam

40 Striking Photos of War Seen From the Perspective of the North

Photos of U.S. troops in rice paddies, anti-war protests and skies full of Iroquois helicopters have become ubiquitous images of the American War, incubated by countless blockbuster films, documentari...

in Saigon

Date With The Wrecking Ball: Cercle des Officiers

Last week it was announced that yet another old French civic building, featured earlier this year in Saigoneer as an “Old Saigon Building of the Week,” will soon be demolished.

in Saigon

20 Photos of Saigon From the Early 1990s

By the early 1990s, Saigon had yet to emerge from its post-war cocoon. Having lost its colonial sheen and cosmopolitan character, it would be another few yeas before the effects of the Doi Moi reforms...

in Saigon

The Mysterious Tunnels That Lie Beneath Saigon

While the tunnels under Independence Palace and the Ho Chi Minh City Museum are open to tourists, new research shows that they are part of a more extensive tunnel network that lies under the streets o...

in Vietnam

[Photos] Abandoned Nam Dinh Church Being Swallowed by the Sea

Nam Định Province is full of beautiful churches, but while many remain in good condition, the Heart Church, located on Xương Điền beach, has seen better times. With each passing day, the now aban...

in Saigon

30 Color Photos Of Peaceful 1956 Saigon

1956 was the calm before the storm of violent conflict that would characterize the next 2 decades and transform Saigon into a militarized city, plagued by bombings and overcrowded by war refugees.

in Saigon

Old Saigon Building Of The Week: 128 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai

In the early 20th century, the colonial villa at 128 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai (the former rue Chasseloup-Laubat) was home to one of Saigon’s best-known Corsican families, the Canavaggios.

in Vietnam

26 Old Photos Of Hanoi’s Majestic Long Biên Bridge

Described by one writer as “a misshapen but essential component of Hà Nội’s heritage,” the Long Biên Bridge has seen better days. These 17 photos show the beloved Bridge during its golden years.

in Saigon

Icons Of Old Saigon: The Hotel de L’univers

Contrary to what many tourist websites would have us believe, the Grand Hôtel Continental was not Saigon’s first up-market hotel.

in Saigon

[Photos] The Streets of 1970 Saigon Captured by Jerry Bosworth

Saigon has come a long way from 1970 when it was truly feeling the effects of war. During this time, much of the government’s funds were going towards military equipment, leaving little for infrastruc...

in Saigon

[Photos] Saigon Then & Now: Part 1

We’re back with a new series of “Then and Now” photos of Saigon featuring the Continental Hotel, the city’s former opium refinery and a few other iconic places you may recognize.

in Saigon

Old Saigon Building Of The Week: 39 Trần Quốc Thảo

One of District 3’s grandest old colonial mansions, the Quận ủy (District council) building at 39 Trần Quốc Thảo (the former rue Eyriaud-des-Vergnes) was once the plush managerial residence of the Lyo...

in Vietnam

[Photos] The People of 1880 Indochina

When French photographers Hippolyte Arnoux and Emile Gssel (who would eventually become the first commercial photographer in Saigon) traveled to Indochina in 1880, they visually documented not only it...

in Vietnam

Hue Citadel’s 'Colosseum': Where Tigers and Elephants Battled to the Death

A unique, yet rarely visited monument in Huế’s ancient citadel is Hổ Quyền Arena, a stadium where tigers and elephants once fought till their last breath for the royal family’s entertainment.

in Vietnam

38 Beautiful Illustrations Of Hanoi Street Vendors And Their Melodic Cries

These days, the melodic cries of Hanoi’s street vendors are drowned out by the city’s constant buzz of activity. But 85 years ago, these songs, which announced a seller’s goods or services, made up th...