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

Lê Văn Tám Park – The Former Massiges Cemetery - Part II

Cleared in 1983 to create the Lê Văn Tám Park, the former Massiges or European Cemetery (Cimetière Européen) was the most famous French cemetery in Saigon. To coincide with the release of hitherto uns...

in Saigon

Lê Văn Tám Park - The Former Massiges Cemetery - Part I

Cleared in 1983 to create the Lê Văn Tám Park, the former Massiges or European Cemetery (Cimetière Européen) was the most famous French cemetery in Saigon. To coincide with the release of hitherto uns...

in Vietnam

23 Rare Photos of 1990 Hanoi

Between 1990 and 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 where he ...

in Saigon

[Photos] An Inside Look At 3 Of Saigon’s Most Intriguing Tombs

Saigon is home to plenty of old structures, some which house the living, and others the dead. Many of the former are tombs of important scholars who profoundly shaped the country’s culture, language a...

in Saigon

Old Saigon Building of the Week: Ho Chi Minh City General Sciences Library

Housed in one of the city’s most outstanding modernist buildings, the former South Vietnamese National Library was the culmination of over 100 years of library development in the southern metropolis.

in Saigon

The Cinemas Of Old Saigon

Formerly known as “Pearl of the Orient,” Saigon once shone with elegance and prosperity, reflected in sun-soaked cafes, shiny cars parked on clean streets and crowded entertainment spots like discos a...

in Saigon

Old Saigon Building of the Week: The Former Lycée Chasseloup-Laubat

The Lê Quý Đôn Secondary School (Trường Trung học Phổ thông Lê Quý Đôn, www.lequydon.edu.vn) at 110 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai street is the city’s oldest surviving educational establishment.

in Saigon

12 Old Photos Of Saigon Street Vendors

No matter if you’re a local or a foreigner, one image from Saigon will always stay with you - street vendors - an integral weave in the city’s urban fabric, both culturally and economically.

in Vietnam

[Photos] The Hiệp Hoà Sugar Refinery (1927)

Covering 200 hectares of land, the Hiệp Hoà Sugar Refinery was one of the first of its kind in Vietnam when it was constructed.

Brian Letwin

in Vietnam

14 Beautiful Old Photos (And A Short History) Of Da Nang

Da Nang’s history can be traced back to 192AD when it was part of the Champa Kingdom, only becoming part of Vietnam after the culmination of Đại Việt Southern expansion in the 15th century.  ...

in Saigon

The Story Of Saigon’s "Graveyard Of Traitors"

Under a windy dusk towards Mả Ngụy. Clouds and clouds of souls reign on. These words are from an old poem that depicts the ghostly atmosphere of a graveyard which was located in the area of present ...

in Saigon

Old Saigon Building Of The Week: St Joseph’s Seminary - Part 2

This is Part 2 of Old Saigon Building Of The Week: St Joseph’s Seminary. For Part 1, click here.

in Saigon

Old Saigon Building Of The Week: St Joseph’s Seminary - Part 1

One of the first Roman Catholic institutions founded by Bishop Dominique Lefèbvre following the French conquest of 1859, the rarely-visited St Joseph’s Seminary offers a unique oasis of calm in a busy...

in Vietnam

[Video] Vintage Home Movie Takes You Through The Streets Of 1950s Hanoi

This delightfully grainy home movie was filmed during Tết in the early 1950s. In contrast to many of the other old films from this period, it has a very personal feel to it, letting the viewer feel as...

Brian Letwin

in Heritage

[Photos] Saigon And Cho Lon Then And Now

Saigoneer has teamed up with Historic Vietnam to explore changes to Saigon and Cho Lon over time.

in Saigon

45 Photos Of 1961 Saigon From LIFE Magazine

Over the past 53 years, Saigon has undergone tremendous growth. With the addition of gleaming skyscrapers and dense packs of residential buildings, the city has lost much of its colonial luster and is...

in Saigon

Old Saigon Building Of The Week: Former Foyer du Soldat et du Marin

Originally founded in the 1890s by General Théophile Pennequin (1849-1916), Commandant supérieur des troupes de l'Indo-Chine, the Foyer du Soldat et du Marin (Soldiers and Sailors Club) was initially ...

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

20 Pictures of Cho Lon From Before You Were Born

Cho Lon is one of Saigon’s oldest and most interesting neighborhoods. Spanning much of Districts 5 and 6, this predominantly Chinese area has been an integral part of Saigon’s economy since its establ...

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

16 Old Pictures Of The Saigon Zoo (Thảo Cầm Viên)

Established in 1869, the Saigon Zoo (Thảo Cầm Viên) is the 8th oldest in the world.

in Saigon

Palais Norodom: A Palace Without Purpose

Though now nearly half a century old, the current Reunification Palace was conceived as a modern replacement for the Norodom Palace, a much grander French building which had stood on the same site bef...