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.
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?
[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.
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.  ...
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 ...
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.
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...
[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...
[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.
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...
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 ...
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...
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.
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...
These 11 Wonderful Old Maps Show The Evolution Of Saigon And Cho Lon
Saigon has seen tremendous growth since its humble beginnings as a small Khmer seaport. Vietnamese settlers arrived in the 17th century, eventually solidifying their control over the area with th...
16 Rare Photos Of Saigon And Cho Lon From 1866
After capturing Saigon in 1859, the French quickly got to work on building structures and infrastructure in the city, especially along the banks of the Saigon River.
[Video] Hanoi In April 1975
Shot the same month North Vietnamese troops captured Saigon, this video captures life in Hanoi not long before reunification and years after the last American bombs fell on the city.
18 Stunning Photos Of Vietnam In 1989
Vietnam’s economy began to open up in 1986 with the adoption of Đổi Mới, starting a meteoric rise in quality of life compared to the preceding years of rationing and an inefficient planning. While the...
Old Saigon Building Of The Week: The Second Chambre de Commerce Building
Originally founded on 3 November 1867 in temporary accommodation in the compound of the Direction de l’Intérieur, the Chambre de commerce de Saïgon (Saigon Chamber of Commerce) moved into 11 place Rig...
Lệ Hải: Saigon’s Gangster Queen
Before 1975, Saigon’s underground was controlled by gangs and mob bosses. Yet all those criminal minds were vulnerable to the intoxicating smile of one woman, Lệ Hải, whose name fittingly translates t...
17 Photos Of Royal Life During The Nguyễn Dynasty
It’s been more than two centuries since Gia Long unified Vietnam and became the first emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty. Lasting 143 years, Vietnam’s last dynasty ended in 1945 when Bảo Đại abdicated the ...
The Story Of Saigon’s Soap Millionaire
80 years ago, if you asked a Saigon resident to name a soap brand, you would get only one response - Cô Ba. The brand’s popularity extended throughout Indochina and its success made its owner, Trương ...