Rare Black-and-White Album Depicts a Historic Flooding in 1952 Hanoi
The extreme weather patterns in recent years might make you worry that Vietnam’s drainage network is buckling under the pressure of rapid urbanization, but looking at these rare photos taken of a flood in Hanoi over half a century ago provides strange comfort that our soggy reality today might not be all that bizarre.
Back in Time to the 1990s, When Vintage Renault Goélette Roamed Vietnam
A sturdy, stately vehicle roamed Vietnam's city streets and rural roads not too long ago.
How Hanoi's Infectious Rats and Impish Locals Bamboozled the French in 1902
When facing a bubonic plague epidemic, is it wiser to delve into sewers and cull infected rats yourself or offer payment to Vietnamese for deliveries of severed tails instead? For Hanoi’s French colonial rulers, the answer to this question was never in doubt, yet the consequences led to one of most humiliating periods of their rule.
Paul Christiansen in Saigon
The Saigon Post Office, Benjamin Franklin, and a Source of Unexpected Pride
It’s not hard to find snippets of America in Saigon.
In 1965, Life in Cần Thơ Was Tightly Interwoven With the Mekong River
With more than 1.5 million citizens and many indicators of a modern metropolis, from the international airport to several Vincom malls, Cần Thơ is firmly established as the Mekong Delta's largest city. But before it was the most important regional hub for business, education and culture, it was a relatively small port dedicated to fishing and trading. Wooden boats gather to offload people and products. In 1965, Cần Thơ carried an unmistakable vibe of agricultural commerce. Its position on the Hậu River, a distributary of the Mekong not too far upstream from the fertile coast, brought boats from all directions carrying fruit, vegetables, and seafood. Away from the waterways, bicycles were a predominant mode of transportation, ferrying locals to markets, homes, and shops. The camera captures local commotion. This collection of images taken by an unknown photographer and gathered by Flickr archivist extraordinaire manhhai reveals a more austere version of Cần Thơ that exists mostly in memory and stories. Clothing without a single name brand long, nón lá covering nearly every head in the markets and rows of storefronts absent of any neon bulbs: it's a very different Cần Thơ. Have a look and consider how much has changed in six decades: Spokes, chains, peddles and thighs powered locomotion. Local children who would be elderly by now. The cause of this dour expression in front of the river will never be known. Comings and going via all variety of wooden boats. Was this the first time some of these children ever had their photo taken? While less common than bicycles, trucks, vans and cars rumbled through town. A panoply of daily life and rustic routines. Not enough glory is reserved for the day laborers. Even the sweet potatoes get covered during a downpour. A simple fishing boat pushes out to fill its net. These photos are all, really, a matter of perspective. Scenes of an informal economy. Selling fruits to feed the baby. What is the average age at which one graduates from baby cap to nón lá? Bananas were a popular fruit and they still are. Typical activity on an unpaved road. Not a single plastic stool in sight during lunchtime. Trudging barefoot with heavy baskets. It's not too hard to imagine the cacophony of orderly chaos. Routine daily commute via boat. The doors are open so the activity spills onto the streets. Thats a lot of children. Imagine what your Grab app would look like here. Moments of happiness abound in the simple experiences.
Reminiscing About the Last Days of Downtown Saigon’s Pigeon Coop
The first time I pay a visit to the Pasteur pigeon coop, Lê Văn Âu assures me the place is probably not going anywhere.
A Visual Timeline of Hội An's Historic Chùa Cầu Through the Eras
With the recent makeover of Hội An's Chùa Cầu sparking divisive chatter , it's a great time to gaze at the iconi...
There's a Dark Context Behind These Seemingly Random 1930 French Sketches
Can visual representations of colonial activities produced with immoral intent become works of art?
29 Photos of 1989 Vietnam by Magnum Photographer David Alan Harvey
Peaceful 1989 Vietnam is chronicled in the stunning photos of Magnum photographer David Alan Harvey. His images were some of the first to emerge from the country following the 1986 Đổi Mới&n...
[Photos] The Amazing Evolution Of Phan Xích Long Street
When we think about the words “new urban area” applied to Ho Chi Minh City, we usually think about Phu My Hung at Saigon South in District 7. Many people do not realize that one of the most successful...
The Lost Inner-City Waterways of Saigon and Cho Lon: Part 1
When the French arrived in 1859, both Saigon and Chợ Lớn were criss-crossed by networks of canals and creeks, making it possible for boatmen to travel right through both city centres without stepping ...
The Story Of A Famous Photograph
At the end of the American War, two photographs became icons of the Fall Of Saigon. One was the photo of the North Vietnamese tank crashing through the gates of the Presidential Palace (now Independen...
Saigon’s Tour de l’Inspection - Part II
An essential feature of life in early colonial Saigon, the Tour de l'Inspection was not so much a sunset promenade as an event designed to showcase wealth and power.
Saigon’s Tour de l’Inspection - Part 1
An essential feature of life in early colonial Saigon, the Tour de l'Inspection was not so much a sunset promenade as an event designed to showcase wealth and power.
22 Photos Of 1994 Cần Thơ
The rustic beauty of Cần Thơ was captured through the lens of a Belgian photographer, Harry Gruyaert, on his visit to Vietnam in 1994.
New Book Highlights HCMC’s History And Architecture Through Walking Tours
Resident Saigoneer historian and the brains behind Historic Vietnam, Tim Doling, has just released a new book, "Exploring Hồ Chí Minh City" featuring a great set of walking tours around our fair city....
13 Rare Photos Of Old Huế (1919)
While most of the old photos we show here are from Saigon and Hanoi, we wanted to give a shout-out to the Hue, Vietnam’s capital until 1945.
[Video] 1993 Saigon From The Back Of A Honda Cub
Mark Bowyer, who runs the great travel blog, Rusty Compass, has been living and traveling in Vietnam for over 2 decades. Early into his Saigon tenure, he hopped on the back of a Honda Cub with a video...
16 Beautiful Photos of Old Hanoi
They may not be quite as old as the set of 19th century photos of Saigon that we posted earlier this week, but these images of old Hanoi from Flickr user, Manhhai, are plenty nostalgic in their o...
34 Of The Oldest Known Photos Of Saigon
Hanoi architect, Đoàn Bắc, and his father, Đoàn Thịnh, are known for their collections of old Vietnam photos. Among them is a set taken in Saigon, some of which date back to 1860 (the newest are from ...
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...
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...
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 ...
[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...
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.
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...
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.
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.
