Khôi Phạm

in Vietnam

The First Asian in Space Was Vietnamese. He’s Still Alive Today.

Most Vietnamese schoolkids grew up learning about Phạm Tuân as the first Vietnamese in space, but few know that he was also the first Asian person to clinch the honor.

in Vietnam

My Great-Great-Grandfathers Were in Indochina in the 1880s to Build the Railway

We often see archival images of old Hanoi, but these photos are different — they are personal. The following shots, which come from a collection of five photo albums, are the only surviving record of my two great-great-grandfathers’ presence in what was then Indochina.

Paul Christiansen

in Vietnam

An Indie Archival Project Dreams of Time Travel. How? Lots and Lots of Vietnam Maps.

Its entrances flanked by ATMs and adverts for international airlines, the Sun Wah Tower on Nguyễn Huệ today appears to be another nondescript testament to the global economy and Vietnam’s enthusiastic place within it. However, on those same grounds only 150 years ago, a guillotine was set up to decapitate people on order of the colonial authorities at the Justice de paix.

Marc Dinh

in Vietnam

A Brake Failure and 200 Victims: Remembering Vietnam's Deadliest Rail Accident

About 55 kilometers from Saigon, in the small commune of Tây Hoà rests the 17/03/1982 Railway Cemetery. It currently houses 85 unidentified graves of victims of the Train 183 Disaster, the deadliest railway accident in Vietnamese history.

Xuân Phương

in Vietnam

A British Photographer's 30 Years of Forming a Kindred Connection With Vietnam

When he boarded a flight from Bangkok to Hanoi in 1992, Andy Soloman thought he would stay in Vietnam for just one month. Little did he know that what seemed like a brief trip would stretch into seven years — the beginning of a bond that has tied him to Vietnam for three decades and beyond.

in Vietnam

Rare Film Photos by Andrew Holbrooke Showcase an Industrious Vietnam in 1991

Money cannot buy happiness, but it makes happiness easier to attain.

Tim Doling

in Saigon

How Nhà Thờ Tân Định, Saigon's Iconic Pink Church, Came to Be

You just have to mention the “pink church” and everyone knows which one you mean. But few are aware that the building in question — Tân Định Church — is one of Saigon’s oldest and most important Roman Catholic institutions.

Back Heritage

in Vietnam

Mang Thít, Vĩnh Long's 'Kingdom of Brick Kilns,' Is on Its Last Legs

Along the rivers and canals of Mang Thít, clouds of smoke from the Mekong Delta’s last brick kilns languidly stream into the air.

in Saigon

[Photos] Amble in Downtown Saigon via These Street Photography Shots in 1962

In this collection of old film photos from 1962 taken by an unknown photographer, perhaps the most eye-catching feature is the fashion. Saigon men appear in simple attire of white shirts and pants, bu...

in Vietnam

[Video] Vintage VHS Travelogue Takes You to Đà Lạt in 1992

Get ready for a road trip with nostalgia riding shotgun.

in Vietnam

The Splendor of Hát Bội, as Depicted in Vintage Posters for the 1889 Paris World's Fair

From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, hát bội left a major mark on the hearts and minds of many viewers, including French colonizers. The French brought this form of f...

in Hanoi

[Photos] Look Back at Hanoi's Nội Bài Airport in 1995

In February, 1995, Yuichi Kobayashi, a Japanese businessman, came to Vietnam with a mission to set up a factory here.

in Saigon

Saigon Designates 6 Areas With Architectural Heritage to Be Conserved

Is six enough?

in Vietnam

[Photos] A Journey Back in Time Through Northern Vietnam Around 1900

Vietnam is certainly a country looking to the future, but sometimes it's worth looking back at the past as well.

in Vietnam

Hanoi Demolishes Colonial-Era Factory to Make Room for Office Complex

A French-built factory at 61 Trần Phú, Hanoi is being destroyed to make way for a multi-purpose building.   

in Vietnam

Huế Plans to Relocate 100-Year-Old French Mansion to Make Room for Hotel

To make room for new developments, Huế authorities are mulling options to uproot and relocate a century-old villa.

in Vietnam

[Photos] On the Road in 1970s Vietnam

Old photos, like memories, fade over time — corners darken, horizons blur, and colors lose their saturation.

in Vietnam

[Photos] A Recuperating Vietnam in 1980, as Documented by Philip Jones Griffiths

Released in 1971, Vietnam Inc. by Philip Jones Griffiths was a career-defining work for the Welsh photographer, whose candid, sympathetic images of Vietnam during the American War showed a much differ...

in Vietnam

[Photos] Inside a Vaccination Point in Vietnam Nearly 100 Years Ago

A century ago, the colonial government was active in inoculating Vietnamese citizens against a variety of diseases.

in Vietnam

[Photos] Once Upon a Time in Bát Tràng Ceramic Village

Back in the day, when Emperor Lý Thái Tổ relocated the capital from Ninh Binh to Hanoi, five famous pottery families followed. They settled in a region on the east bank of the Red River where there wa...

in Vietnam

[Photos] Old Film Photos Capture a Serene Huế in 1961

These colorful photos of Huế in the early 1960s provide outsiders an important view of the country at a pivotal time. 

in Vietnam

[Photos] A Look Back at Tết in Hanoi 100 Years Ago

It is easy to remark on how drastically Tết has changed over the years, but have the core elements really evolved that much?

in Hanoi

[Photos] Hanoi's Chùa Một Cột Through the Years

Chùa Một Cột, or the One-Pillar Pagoda, is a distinguished structure of Hanoi.

in Saigon

[Photos] Views of a Saigon in Transit in 1945 by John Florea

1945 was yet another time of drastic change in Saigon overseen by foreign powers. 

in Vietnam

[Photos] On the Road in 1965 Quy Nhơn

Imagine Quy Nhon before the arrival of tourism.

in Hanoi

The Hustle and Bustle of Hanoi Streets in the 1950s

Chaotic streets and bustling markets, Hanoi in the 1950s was not much different than it is now.

in Vietnam

[Photos] Glimpses of Saigon, Dong Ha and Hue in 1967

Time for a trip to 1967 Vietnam.