Before it became a weekend destination for workweek-weary Saigoneers, Phan Thiet was an austere fishing town.

John Hansen, an American veteran, snapped these shots of the sleepy coastal area during a visit in 1965. The pastel-toned photographs reveal a town and economy focused on fishing. Boats make daily pilgrimages to the sea to gather sea creatures, while a fish sauce factory churns out the golden-hued godsend of a sauce. People's intimate relationship with the sea is perhaps best exemplified by the stilt homes with special docks for one to arrive via boat. It's a nice reminder that if humans could fly, we would probably have doors on our roofs.

Take a look at the photos below and try and tell us you can't smell a briny breeze:

Floating houses on the banks of the Cà Ty River.

Fish sauce factories.

The main road in Phan Thiet.

Beasts of burden bustling along.

Decca Navigator signaling station of an American employee building.

Downtime at the market.

Phan Thiet central square.

Traditional fishing techniques in action.

The Cà Ty River runs through the city.

Fish from the Cà Ty River are tasty — there is no denying that!

Old houses along the banks of the Cà Ty River.

Phan Thiet's watertower.

Locals going off to somewhere...

A ship with its sail raised, ready for action.

Boats traversing the Cà Ty River.

A coracle boat used to traverse to bigger boats.

Boats on the Cà Ty River.

Service shop on the sand.

Boats on the sand.

[Photos via RedsVN]