in Hanoi

The Rickety Last Days of Hanoi's Tramway System in the 1990s

Vietnam residents are rightfully celebrating recent advances in public transit.

in Vietnam

How the National Lottery Reflects Vietnam's Socio-Economic Realities Through Time

For nearly a century, lottery tickets and their strings of lucky numbers have occupied a special role in Vietnamese society: both as a lifeline for dreams of better fortune and as a mirror reflecting the socio-economic realities of the times.

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.

in Saigon

The Forgotten History Behind Saigon's CEE Colonial Substations

Woven into the fabric of modern-day streets, the aging electrical substations of Saigon stand as quiet witnesses to a historical era shaped by the complex legacy of French colonialism.

in Hanoi

Hanoi's Soviet-Style Khu Gia Binh and Life Amid Vietnam's Growing Pains

Hanoi is often known in Vietnam as the land of a millennium-old civilization, a living archive of past Vietnam life. Each tiny alley within the capital can evoke a strong sense of nostalgia in visitors, as those locations encapsulate both wartime memories and charming quotidien moments. There’s one special place in Hanoi that has contributed to the city’s languid pace of life amid the nation’s rapid developments — khu gia binh.

in Vietnam

A Flight Over Đà Lạt in 1968–1971 Before the Tourism Boom

If you’ve taken a trip to Lâm Đồng within the last few years, these scenes seem like a distant dream of a sparsely populated and verdant Đà Lạt that’s engulfed by nature.

in Saigon

The City That Never Sits Still: Traffic in 1994 Saigon via Photos by Ed Kashi

In Saigon on Wheels, American photojournalist Ed Kashi managed to capture the pulse of a simpler Saigon.

in Saigon

With Unchecked Destruction, Saigon's Heritage Shophouse Architecture Is in Danger

The colonial shophouse, one of Saigon’s most iconic forms of architecture, is in imminent danger of extinction.

Back Heritage

in Saigon

Street Cred: Vo Thi Sau

Life, like the streets and alleys of Saigon, certainly has its fair share of twists and turns. One moment, you’re comfortably cruising down one direction, and suddenly, you encounter a detour. You try...

in Vietnam

25 Old Photos of Bicycles in Vietnam

Before motorbikes, bicycles were the main method of transportation for Vietnamese. According to VietNamNet, bikes were once sold for as much as a teal of gold (around $1,600 in present-day value) and ...

in Saigon

The Curious Case of Saigon's Vanishing Revolutionary Monuments

It’s often assumed that it’s only Hồ Chí Minh City’s colonial-era heritage buildings which are under threat. But during the research for his forthcoming book of walking tours, Tim Doling discovered th...

in Vietnam

Fun With Old Maps: Cochinchine (1881)

In 1858, the French began their conquest of South Vietnam and, by the time this map was created in 1881, the colonialists had consolidated their concessions in the region which stretched from the Meko...

in Vietnam

The Labor Swimming Pool: An Exaltation

With International Labour Day fast approaching, I’d like to take this opportunity to sing the praises of one of my favourite places in the city: Hồ Bơi Lao Động, also known as the Labour Swimming Pool...

in Vietnam

26 Incredibly Realistic 3D Renderings of 1930s Hanoi

While there’s little that we love more than photos of old Vietnam, these 3D renderings of 1930s Hanoi are absolutely incredible. 

in Saigon

Street Cred: Cách Mạng Tháng 8

Some people find it boring and unimaginative that all the cities in Vietnam share the same street names. Whether it’s an isolated town touching the Chinese border or a tiny strip of road leading to a ...

in Saigon

20 Pictures of Saigon from Before You Were Born

We’re gonna go out on a limb and assume none of readers are more than 100 years old. Based on this assumption, we present 20 pictures of Saigon from before you were born.

in Saigon

Old Saigon Building of the Week: The Signal Mast

A time-honoured landmark on the Saigon riverfront, the Signal Mast (mât des signaux in French, Cột cờ thủ ngữ in Vietnamese) was recently refurbished as the centrepiece of the Saigon riverside park.

in Saigon

Fun with Old Maps: Cho Lon (1923)

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...

in Heritage

Blasts From the Past: 10 Things That No Longer Exist in Saigon - Part 2

Due to the popularity of of our previous edition of "Blasts From the Past: 10 Things That No Longer Exist in Saigon," we've put together a fresh set of photos for your reflective pleasure.

in Vietnam

Street Cred: Lac Long Quan and Au Co

Street Cred is the rearview mirror by which we’ll explore the meaning behind the signs. Look for it every Friday. Enjoy!

in Saigon

Street Cred: Nguyễn Văn Trỗi

Hey folks! Saigoneer is resurrecting its short-lived series on the street signs of Saigon with a weekly column called Street Cred. Saigon is filled with history and we see signs of it everywhere. Stre...

in Saigon

Saigon’s Hung Vuong Temple

Every year on the 10th day of the Hung Vuong Celebration (which just happens to be today), thousands of Vietnamese gather at the Hung Temple in Phu Tho Province to honor the country’s ancient and...

in Saigon

“Củ Chi Lite” – The Secret Tunnels of Phú Thọ Hòa

Very few foreign tourists ever set foot there and it seems that only those living in the area know of their existence. But the pioneering Phú Thọ Hòa Tunnels in Hồ Chí Minh City’s Tân Phú District pla...

in Heritage

Blasts From the Past: 10 Things That No Longer Exist in Saigon

Saigon is a city of turnover; colonial buildings have given way to skyscrapers, canals to streets and train stations to parks. As the city enters a period of modernization, on it’s way to becoming an...

in Saigon

Street Cred: Phạm Ngũ Lão

Hey folks! Saigoneer is resurrecting its short-lived series on the street signs of Saigon with a weekly column called Street Cred. Saigon is filled with history and we see signs of it everywhere. Stre...

in Saigon

[Slideshow] 15 Old Photos of Markets in Saigon

Supermarkets are becoming increasingly popular in Saigon but traditional markets still reign supreme. They act as the lifeblood of neighborhoods, where farmers from all over Southern Vietnam bring the...

in Asia

Full Steam Ahead on Cambodia’s Toll Royal Railway

Việt Nam railway historian Tim Doling recently joined a group of British steam enthusiasts visiting Phnom Penh as part of a PTG rail tour http://www.ptg.co.uk/ to travel behind Toll Royal Railway’s pr...

in Saigon

Old Saigon Building of the Week: 48 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu

As demolition of 213 Đồng Khởi gets underway in earnest this week, we take a look at the crumling old Đa Kao headquarters of the company which built it.