How Did Vietnam Start Celebrating International Women's Day on March 8?
In the hyper-commercialized world we now live in, it might be impossible to associate anything but overpriced flower bouquets and corporate sponsorships with International Women’s Day (IWD), but the widely celebrated occasion actually has a rich history of over 100 years of the women’s rights movement.
Life on the Streets of 1978 Hanoi, as Seen via Black-and-White Film Photos
In August 1978, I visited Hanoi as part of an educational tour organized by a professor from La Trobe University in Melbourne. I was a high school history teacher at the time and an avid photographer. I walked the streets of Hanoi and took many photographs of everyday life in the city, and until now, these photographs have remained unpublished.
A Rare Album by Photographer Bruno Barbey Brings Us Back to Tết in 1994 Hanoi
What do you remember most about the 1990s? Do you remember the fashion, the old-timey technology, or the lack of traffic? And if you were just a wee child, do these memories stay with you?
Khôi Phạm in Vietnam
The First Asian in Space Was Vietnamese. He’s Still Alive Today.
Most Vietnamese schoolkids grew up learning about Phạm Tuân as the first Vietnamese in space, but few know that he was also the first Asian person to clinch the honor.
The Year of the Horse Gallops into The Grand Ho Tram
Inspired by the spirit of the horse, The Grand Ho Tram encourages you to have a year of success, confidence, and new horizons. Traditional Tết performances and activities alongside special feasts and opportunities for revelry will usher in a year of remarkable achievements and memorable moments.
My Great-Great-Grandfathers Were in Indochina in the 1880s to Build the Railway
We often see archival images of old Hanoi, but these photos are different — they are personal. The following shots, which come from a collection of five photo albums, are the only surviving record of my two great-great-grandfathers’ presence in what was then Indochina.
Paul Christiansen in Vietnam
An Indie Archival Project Dreams of Time Travel. How? Lots and Lots of Vietnam Maps.
Its entrances flanked by ATMs and adverts for international airlines, the Sun Wah Tower on Nguyễn Huệ today appears to be another nondescript testament to the global economy and Vietnam’s enthusiastic place within it. However, on those same grounds only 150 years ago, a guillotine was set up to decapitate people on order of the colonial authorities at the Justice de paix.
Marc Dinh in Vietnam
A Brake Failure and 200 Victims: Remembering Vietnam's Deadliest Rail Accident
About 55 kilometers from Saigon, in the small commune of Tây Hoà rests the 17/03/1982 Railway Cemetery. It currently houses 85 unidentified graves of victims of the Train 183 Disaster, the deadliest railway accident in Vietnamese history.
Tim Doling in Saigon
Old Saigon Building of the Week: The Former Grall Hospital
One of the oldest hospitals in Asia, the Children’s Hospital 2 (Bệnh viện Nhi đồng 2) at 14 Lý Tự Trọng began life as a French military hospital.
These 25 Pictures Show What Life Was Like in 1990 Hanoi
These photos, taken just as the effects of “Đổi Mới” reforms were kicking in, show a Hanoi transitioning from an impoverished capital city into one embarking on a path towards the free market.
Tim Doling in Saigon
Old Saigon Building Of The Week: The Municipal Theatre
Built by the French at the mid-point of historic rue Catinat, the Municipal Theatre is one of Saigon's most iconic landmarks.
[Photos] Inside The Pages Of “Saigon Roundup”
Saigon Roundup was a weekly, English-language digest and advertising magazine published by International Publicity Agent during the 1960s. While its pages may not hold particularly stellar examples of...
Tim Doling in Saigon
Icons Of Old Saigon: The Canal Bonard
Though now little more than a rat-infested sewer, the former canal Bonard was once a busy waterway which made an immense contribution to the economic prosperity of Chợ Lớn. As work begins to restore t...
[Video] Rare Footage Of 1945-1954 Hanoi
This six-minute compilation of footage offers a rare view of life on the streets of Hanoi prior to 1954.
Tim Doling in Saigon
Icons Of Old Saigon: The Église Sainte-Marie-Immaculée
The Sun Wah Tower at 115 Nguyễn Huệ stands on the site of Saigon’s first Roman Catholic cathedral.
Tim Doling in Saigon
Date With the Wrecking Ball: Saigon Hospital
The Saigon Hospital at 125 Lê Lợi was originally built in the late 1930s as the Polyclinique Dejean de la Bâtie. The French named it after French doctor Théodose Déjean de la Bâtie, who devoted his li...
28 Old Pictures of Tet in Saigon
Whether street vendor or office worker in Saigon, Tết traditions, such as gathering with family, praying to the kitchen gods, giving crisp banknotes as lì xì and washing down bánh chưng with beer...
Tim Doling in Saigon
Icons Of Old Saigon: The Electricity Building
The recently-rebuilt EVN Hồ Chí Minh City Power Company building at 72 Hai Bà Trưng stands on the site of Saigon’s very first electricity station.
43 Nostalgic Old Postcards Of Vietnam
Old postcards are telling cultural artifacts that allow us to catch a glimpse of what people in the past deemed worthy of showing to friends and loved ones on their travels.
Tim Doling in Saigon
Old Saigon Building Of The Week: The Grand Hotel
One of the city’s most historic hotels, the Grand is better known as the former Saigon-Palace, one of the leading hotels of the 1930s.
[Video] Take A Motorbike Trip Through The Streets Of 1991 Saigon
What better way to see how Saigon has changed over the past 25 years than on the back of a motorbike?
[Photos] Saigon Then & Now: Part 3
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...
Tim Doling in Saigon
Icons of Old Saigon: The Casino de Saigon
Founded by French businessman Léopold Bernard, the Casino de Saigon was the city’s earliest cinema.
[Video] Travel Back In Time To 1940 Saigon
In 1940, Saigon was at its colonial height. While in May of that year, the Nazis began their invasion of France, the Vichy regime in Saigon retained the status quo in the city, one which would only be...
Tim Doling in Saigon
Icons Of Old Saigon: Établissements Bainier Auto Hall
While foreign visitors still flock to the famous Rex Hotel, few have heard of the Établissements Bainier Auto Hall which preceded it, a building once feted as the greatest automobile dealership in Asi...
Drone Video Reveals The True Epicness Of Hanoi’s Long Biên Bridge
The Long Biên Bridge is one of Vietnam’s most iconic structures for a reason. Not only is it an amazing feat of engineering, but it’s huge, categorically huge.
24 Aerial Photos Of Old Đà Lạt
Blessed with a cool climate and rolling hills flanked with pine trees, Đà Lạt, the brainchild of Alexandre Yersin, was founded as a sleepy French vacation town where development and nature struck a de...
21 Rare Images Of Hanoi’s Street Markets Taken Between 1991 and 1993
From 1990 to 1993, German photographer Hans-Peter Grumpe traveled across Vietnam, taking about 1,600 photos in 20 provinces around the country. One of his stops was in a developing Hanoi whe...
