Buôn Ma Thuột's Thriving Elephant Culture in 1957
In the not-too-distant past, elephants were an important part of highland lifestyles, including use in cultural activities, agriculture.
A Collection of Scenes in 1964 Saigon, Bến Tre, Biên Hòa on Film
In 1964, Saigon’s Phù Đổng Roundabout didn’t feature the towering bronze statue of folk hero Thánh Gióng. Instead of the congestion hot spot the intersection is known as today, it was actually spacious and airy, with nary a shop or bubble tea parlor in sight.
Vauban Architecture: The Foundation of Central and Northern Vietnam's Citadels
In our previous article on Vietnam’s southern citadels , we covered a mix of ancient structures and those constructe...
Unearthed: Tracing the Past Citadels of Southern Vietnam
Although the forces of modernization encourage constant progress and leaving behind the pre-modern past, the trails of yesterday never fail to leave our presence.
10 Rare Illustrations Offer Glimpses Into Life in Tonkin in 1923
What’s your typical Sunday routine? If your answer includes grabbing some noodles on the street, getting your earwax removed and mustache shaved, and maybe smoking some opium to take the edge off, congratulations, you might be living in 1923 Tonkin.
Tim Doling in Vietnam
Revisit 1990s Saigon in 'L’Amant,' the Film Adaptation of Marguerite Duras' Famous Novel
When filming the movie adaptation of Marguerite Duras’ 1984 autobiographical novel The Lover, French director Jean-Jacques Annaud made extensive use of Saigon locations. Here’s a run-down of the local landmarks to watch out for when you view the movie.
Vibrant Watercolor Paintings Take Us Back to Northern Vietnam in 1890
Way before colored photography appeared, generations of our ancestors had to rely on the finesse of painters to create visuals records of their everyday routines. This collection of watercolor paintings from the 1890s is a particularly vivid example of that, depicting lively scenes of Vietnam two centuries ago that are full of humor and personality.
From North to South: Memories of 1990s Vietnam via the Lens of a French Photographer
What do you miss most about the 1990s?
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...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
11 Old Pictures of People in Saigon
We spend a lot of time writing about old buildings and changes to Saigon's skyline, but today, we take a closer look at the people of past Saigon. The clothing and hair styles may seem a bit antiquat...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
The Oldest House in Saigon
While Saigon houses many wonderful examples of colonial architecture, there are few buildings standing that predate the 1880s. After all, the city isn’t particularly old, having been a fishing village...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
8 Old Pictures of Saigon's Canals
Saigon has long been a city of canals; even Nguyen Hue Street used to be one. But today, as the city's infrastructure continues to prioritize roads, many canals have ceased to function as comme...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
8 Old Pictures of Cars in Saigon
Bentleys, BMWs and Mercedes are all over Saigon these days. Though cars have been present in the country since the turn of the 20th century, decades of war (1941 – 1975) and an economic stagnation (19...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
7 Old Pictures of Saigon Street Vendors
The buildings and streets of Saigon can change in the blink of an eye. Gone are the streetcars, French street names and ox-drawn carts. As the economy continues to develop, the old Saigon is being rep...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Can Saigon Preserve its Historical Architecture?
The Ho Chi Minh City’s People’s Committee has launched a program aimed at preserving the city's architectural gems. Unfortunately, the focus is on the city's famous buildings rather than sites that ar...
Saigon’s Citadel - Part 1
Hue was neither the first nor only Vietnamese city to house a citadel. Built in the late 18th century, a few years before its counterpart in Hue, the citadel in Saigon proved to be the key to Vietname...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
The Remarkable Tale of Ben Thanh Market
Large markets have been the cornerstone of many Vietnamese neighborhoods for over a century. When Saigon was still a collection of small towns, central markets acted as vital commerce centers where lo...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Nifty Old Map of Saigon
For history nerds like us, there's little better than an old map of Saigon. So here's an old map of Saigon, French street names and all. We're guessing it's from the late 1940s. View the fu...
