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.
Revisit the Colorful, Diverse Universe of Multinational Xe Đò in 1990s Saigon
Saigoneers who spent their formative years in the 1990s will remember an era of secondhand products of mixed origins. This unique feature of daily life also extended into the transportation realm.
The Double-Edged Allure of Indochic in Postcolonial Vietnam
Bordering the Temple of Literature in Hanoi is Nguyễn Thái Học Boulevard, where a number of art shops sit side by side. Among them, tourists and visitors can find an endless supply of varying iterations of socialist iconography, gold-plated replicas of Đông Sơn drums, and faux-impressionist paintings of colonial Indochina. In Mũi Né, a 127-room resort unironically called The Anam Mui Ne boasts its Indochine allure with “Indochine Charm. Modern Luxury” on its home page. Throughout the resort are paintings depicting women in traditional áo dài and scenes of tranquil fishing villages, gesturing toward the bucolic past of Vietnam. In Saigon, numerous cafes and eateries are decorated in encaustic cement tiles with intricate floral, pastel designs, while brandishing French names and wrought iron railings on their balconies.
Uyên Đỗ in Hanoi
A Slice of Life in Coupon-Era Hanoi via Colorful Vintage Lottery Tickets
What can tiny sheets of paper reveal about a whole time period?
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.
Tim Doling in Saigon
The Surprisingly Recent History Behind Bình Thạnh's Lonely 'Gia-Đinh' Gate
It’s claimed by several tourism websites that a gateway from one of the ancient Gia Định citadels has survived and may be viewed on the Lê Văn Duyệt-Phan Đăng Lưu intersection in Bình Thạnh District, close to the Lê Văn Duyệt Mausoleum. However, a little research into the history of that area reveals that the gateway in question has more recent origins.
The Legends of Thăng Long Tứ Trấn, the 4 Guardian Temples Protecting Hanoi
In the edict to move Vietnam’s capital to Hanoi, Emperor Lý Thái Tổ described this land as the middle of heaven and earth, the center of the four directions. Such a place would bring peace and prosperity, he believed, and deserved sacred protection.
Feel the Pulse of a Fast-Changing Vietnam in the 1990s via This Lively Photo Album
By the mid-1990's, Vietnam's astounding economic transformation was well underway.
[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...
[Video] Take A Road Trip Across 1945 Vietnam
While road trips have become an extremely popular activity for foreigners living in or visiting Vietnam in recent years, it was also a common activity for these demographics in the period preceding th...
Tim Doling in Saigon
Old Saigon Building Of The Week: The “Y” Bridge
Built by the French during the latter years of the colonial era, Chợ Lớn’s “Y” Bridge became the focus of several important battles during the two Indochina Wars.
Tim Doling in Saigon
2014: A Turning Point For Conserving Saigon's Historical Buildings?
In the future, 2014 may be remembered as a watershed year in which a popular urban conservation movement emerged to champion the cause of Hồ Chí Minh City’s fast-disappearing built heritage.
40 Nostalgic Photos Of 1961 Saigon From Life Magazine
When Life Magazine photographer, John Dominis, traveled to Saigon in 1961, he spent most of his trip photographing daily life in the city. With his camera, he captured downtown Saigon’s busy streets, ...
12 Old Pictures of Christmas in Saigon
The brightly lit Christmas decorations of downtown Saigon seem to getting more elaborate each year. In the 1960s, though still a popular holiday in the South, Christmas was decidedly analog. The diffe...
Tim Doling in Saigon
Date With The Wrecking Ball: The Vietnam Railways Building
Featured earlier this year as a Saigoneer "Building of the Week," the 100-year-old Vietnam Railways Building at 136 Hàm Nghi is the latest of Hồ Chí Minh City's historic buildings to be threatened wit...
Travel Back In Time With These 15 Photos Of 1929 Saigon
1929 could be referred to as the beginning of Saigon’s Golden Age. Built on the backs of exploited Vietnamese laborers, the French had carved out what was then called the Pearl of the Orient, a Europe...
17 Sky-High Photos Of 2002 Saigon
These images, taken in 2002, provide not only a wonderful bird's eye view of Saigon, but also capture its transition into a modern city.
Tim Doling in Saigon
Date With The Wrecking Ball: The Nguyen Van Cua Imprimerie de l'Union Building
Located close to the Saigon Post Office, the unassuming two-storey white shophouse building at 49-57 Nguyễn Du was once the headquarters of one of the most successful colonial-era printing companies.
[Photos] Saigon Then & Now: Part 2
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 Then & N...
50 Old Photos of Cần Thơ
Now the 4th largest city in Vietnam with 1.2 million people, Cần Thơ is the “capital of the West” and the central of hub of commerce in the Mekong Delta.
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...
Lee Starnes 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...
Tim Doling 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.
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.
