Tim Doling in Saigon
From WWI Monument to Ancestor Temple: The Story of Saigon's Hùng King Temple
The Hùng King Temple at 2 Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm was originally built in 1927–1929 under the name Temple du Souvenir Annamite (Annamite Temple of remembrance), primarily to honor the memory of Vietnamese soldiers who died while fighting in World War I.
Tim Doling in Saigon
A Brief History of the Saigon-Mỹ Tho Line, Indochina’s First Railway
Inaugurated on July 20, 1885, the Saigon–Mỹ Tho line was the first railway line in French Indochina.
Wilbur's Vietnam: 1960s Saigon Through the Lens of a Famed National Geographic Editor
The 1960s witnessed an unprecedented influx of foreigners into Saigon and Vietnam. From soldiers to teachers to just intrepid shutterbugs, the visits of these camera-clutching characters resulted in a wealth of old photos taken in the city from the early 60s all the way until 1975.
From North to South, a French Photographer's Glimpses of 1992 Vietnam
How much of Vietnam have you explored? For many of us with a busy life and working schedule, one or two trips a year might be as much as our time and money can afford, and even so, at times, visiting a location only involves staying at an all-inclusive resort to recuperate from work stress.
From Quảng Nam to Gwangju: Confronting the Bloody History of South Korea's 'Vietnam'
In her novel Human Acts, the renowned South Korean author and Nobel Prize recipient Han Kang writes about the May 18 Democratization Movement, also known as the Gwangju Uprising. That month, student-led demonstrations broke out in the city of Gwangju following army general Chun Doo-hwan’s coup d'état, and his military government responded with a violent crackdown and an indiscriminate massacre of civilians.
How Did Vietnam Start Celebrating International Women's Day on March 8?
In the hyper-commercialized world we now live in, it might be impossible to associate anything but overpriced flower bouquets and corporate sponsorships with International Women’s Day (IWD), but the widely celebrated occasion actually has a rich history of over 100 years of the women’s rights movement.
Life on the Streets of 1978 Hanoi in Black and White
In August 1978, I visited Hanoi as part of an educational tour organized by a professor from La Trobe University in Melbourne. I was a high school history teacher at the time and an avid photographer. I walked the streets of Hanoi and took many photographs of everyday life in the city, and until now, these photographs have remained unpublished.
A Rare Album by Photographer Bruno Barbey Brings Us Back to Tết in 1994 Hanoi
What do you remember most about the 1990s? Do you remember the fashion, the old-timey technology, or the lack of traffic? And if you were just a wee child, do these memories stay with you?
Tim Doling in Saigon
Old Saigon Building of the Week: Former Nestlé Headquarters
The Swiss company Nestlé, founded in 1905 following the merger of Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé (1866) and the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company (1866), established its first trading office in Saigon in 1912.
Street Cred: Ham Nghi
“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.” This quote from Shakespeare’s Henry IV basically sums up the political climate of Vietnam in 1883. In that year alone, four different men played the part of ...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
When the Japanese Occupied Vietnam: Part 2
Read When the Japanese Occupied Vietnam – Part I here. Japanese occupation breathed new life into a Vietnamese independence movement that had seen little success after the failed Yen Bai Mutiny (1930...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
[Photos] Saigon Past and Present
Saigon is a city in constant flux. One minute a crumbling old building is there and the next week it’s a parking lot. Fortunately, there are a few buildings, such as the Saigon Post Office, the Opera ...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
When the Japanese Occupied Vietnam: Part 1
When foreign occupation is discussed in Vietnam, the bulk of the conversation focuses on the Chinese and the French, rightfully so. However, while short-lived, the Japanese occupation of the country n...
[Photos] Changes Over Time: Saigon's Canals (2002 - 2014) Part II
Due to the popularity of our previous piece which illustrated the physical changes along Saigon’s canals, we’ve managed to cobble together a new set of photos.
Tim Doling in Saigon
Bót Catinat: Saigon's "Gold Land"
Located on a prime site in one of Hồ Chí Minh City’s numerous “đất vàng” (gold land) areas and already earmarked for redevelopment, the headquarters of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism at...
Street Cred: Yersin
If you’ve been following this column, then you’ve probably noticed the pattern of folks getting famous for taking a stance and sticking up for Vietnam. By now, you should know that Vietnamese people a...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Fun With Old Maps: Saigon (1895)
While not the oldest map of Saigon we’ve come across, this 1895 map, “Plan des environs de Saïgon” shows not only downtown, but the surrounding countryside. Even after 36 years of French occupation, t...
Dung Ha: Vietnam’s Lesbian Mob Boss
Among the infamous women of Vietnam’s criminal underworld, Dung Ha was one of the most notorious. Though her reign was short, it was characterized by wealth, power and love affairs that still draw cur...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
17 Rare Photos of Vietnam Taken 120 Years Ago
To mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and Vietnam, the National Library of Vietnam has released a collection of more than 200 photos taken by Governor General of Ind...
Street Cred: Phan Xích Long
Like a page straight out of Bizzaro World, fast food franchises have a heightened social status here in Vietnam.
Tim Doling in Saigon
Old Saigon Building of the Week: Maison du Combattant
The project to create a Maison du Combattant (War Veterans Centre) was launched in 1929 by the Amicale Cochinchinoise des Anciens Combattants de la Grande Guerre (Cochinchina Friendly Association of G...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
The Lost History of Germans in Saigon
Though it was a French colony, companies from all over Europe were engaged in trade and production in Indochina, especially in Saigon. Germans in particular played a major role in the city’s turn-of-t...
The Incredible History of Saigon’s Racetracks
Although it closed 3 years ago, for the city’s older citizens, District 11’s Phu Tho Horse Racing Ground represents a bygone era of racing and gambling in Saigon. While an important but fading cultura...
Street Cred: Lý Thường Kiệt
Over mountains and rivers of the South, reigns the Emperor of the South. This fate is written in the Book of Heaven. How dare those barbarians invade our land? Your armies, without pity, will be annih...
[Photos] Women's Fashion in 1960s and 70s Saigon
Before 1975, fashion in Vietnam differed greatly between North (which preferred traditional styles) and South (which put a spin on customary dress and adopted Western attire).
Tim Doling in Saigon
Jean-Baptiste Louis-Pierre: The Father of Saigon's Green Spaces
As traffic congestion and air pollution intensifies, Hồ Chí Minh City’s urban greenbelt has assumed increased significance as the “green lung” which helps to disperse pollutants, check the flow of dus...
Gangsters of Saigon: Dai Cathay - Part 2
In the 1960s, the height of existentialism and hippy ideals in Saigon, many of the city’s wealthy hung out at restaurants, discotheques and drug dens in Districts 1 and 3. Dai became a familiar face i...
Gangsters of Saigon: Dai Cathay - Part 1
"First Dai, second Ty, third Cai, fourth The" was a saying about the 4 'kings' of Saigon's gangs before 1975. This implies that the most badass of the group was Dai, also known as Dai Cathay, who...
