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

With an old building in Hanoi making the news this week, it's as good a time as any to consider previous decades. Redsvn recently shared a set of photos taken by an unidentified photographer from across the northern region around the year 1900. 

Hanoi's Old Quarter is recognizable thanks to its low-slung shophouses, many of which remain today in various stages of disrepair. But other areas are completely unrecognizable.

A street in Hanoi's Old Quarter. The traffic and fashion are certainly different, but the buildings wouldn't look out of place today.

A village on the outskirts of Hanoi.

Buildings along Hoàn Kiếm Lake. 

Hoàn Kiếm Lake looking a bit less crowded than today. Tháp Rùa can be seen in the background.

A water wheel outside of Hanoi.

Hanging out with enormous birds in Hanoi's Botanical Gardens.

A buffalo being bathed in rural Hanoi.

Taking water from a temple well.

A snapshot of Bưởi village, which was famous for its production of dó paper. 

Karsts in Kỳ Lừa, Lạng Sơn Province.

The Bắc Ninh Citadel.

A large French building along the railway in Bắc Ninh.

Fishermen pulling in nets at Hải Phòng's Đồ Sơn beach.

A temple in Hài Phòng.