in Hanoi

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.

in Vietnam

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.

in Hanoi

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 Vietnam

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.

in Saigon

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.

in Vietnam

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...

in Vietnam

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?

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Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Old Saigon Picture of the Day: The Original Sửa Xe (1890s?)

Before the age of motorbikes, Saigon's streets were characterized by ox-drawn carts and horse-drawn carriages. And, just like motorbikes, everyday wear and tear would take their toll, requiering smal...

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

The Story of Saigon’s Opium Refinery

Many of you have probably enjoyed a meal in the courtyard at 74 Hai Ba Trung, which currently houses a number of high-end restaurants such as Vasco’s, Hanayuki, Annz and The Refinery; the latter being...

in Saigon

12 Color Pictures of Saigon from Before WWII

With each passing day, Saigon's future becomes a bit more clear, and its past a bit more distant. But fear not, for we've assembled a slideshow of colorized images from Saigon's colonial past.

in Saigon

Saigon’s Citadel - Part 2

This is part 2 of our series on Saigon's citadel. You can read part 1 here. Nguyen Anh (AKA Gia Long) would never use his citadel for military action as hostilities only resumed after his death in 18...

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Old Saigon Picture of the Day: Check Out This Badass

In the time before Ducatis and Yamaha FZ16s were the hottest things on two wheels in Saigon, the Honda Cub 67 reigned supreme with local cool kids. Even though many of the old 67's are still around, ...

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Old Saigon Picture of the Day: Saigon Railroad Building

Not too long ago, the park across from Ben Thanh Market was the location of the city's main train station. Even though the station moved to District 3 following the American War, remnants of the old ...

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Old Saigon Picture of the Day: Nước Mía

This old school nước mía cart looks pretty sleek...  

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Old Saigon Picture of the Day: Majestic Hotel (1920s)

The Majestic Hotel has occupied its current location along the Saigon river since 1925. Commissioned by Chinese businessman Hui Bon Hoa, the hotel has undergone a number of major renovations over the...

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Street Signs: Trần Hưng Đạo, Warrior Poet (Part 1)

Trần Hưng Đạo Street is a major thoroughfare, stretching from District 1 to District 5. Let’s take a closer look at the street’s namesake and see why he is one of Vietnam’s most famous historical...

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Old Saigon Picture of the Day: 33 Export

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Old Saigon Picture of the Day: Go Vap (1930)

There's little to be found in English about the development of Saigon's outer districts. Like much of the city's colonial urban history, if records do exist, they're likely buried in some Parisian arc...

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Old Saigon Picture of the Day: Standard Radio (1970)

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Old Saigon Picture of the Day: Crossroads

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Old Saigon Picture of the Day: Art Deco

When the French occupied Vietnam, they brought many elements of their home country with them. Even today, from architecture to food, the colonial footprint can still be seen. At the height of French ...

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Old Saigon Picture of the Day

When Saigon was the city of bikes.

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

12 Old Pictures of Saigon Canals

Canals used to serve as the Saigon's main commercial highway, connecting the city to the Saigon river and in turn the web of rivers that traverse Vietnam. Before the construction of large urban marke...

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Slideshow: Saigon Past and Present in a Single Image

As we've seen in our slideshows of old pictures, while Saigon is rapidly changing, some things and places stay the same. And what better way to illustrate this change than by overlaying the old with t...

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Slideshow: 12 Old Pictures of Advertisements in Saigon

Before 1975, large advertisements were commonplace in Saigon. But after the American War and the fall of capitalism in the South, ads were considered a vestige of the old order and were heavily regula...

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

[Video] What Saigon's Streets Looked Like in 1993

Last week we saw some pictures of Hanoi from the mid-90s. Today, we're treated with a video which shows Saigon street life in 1993 captured by Dung Hua. As with all the old Saigon pictures and videos...

Brian Letwin

in Vietnam

Street Signs - Ton Duc Thang

In our last addition of “Street Signs,” we took a look at Nguyen Thi Minh Khia. Today, we’ll tackle the name of one of Saigon’s oldest streets, Ton Duc Thang. Ton Duc Thang was born in 1888 in An Gia...