In 1996, it had been one year since Vietnam officially joined ASEAN, the first legitimate volume of Doraemon was released, and some of us at Saigoneer were actually alive.

Silvery nostalgia aside, one must acknowledge that the country was plagued by numerous developmental issues in the 1990s. Poverty was common, and diseases and nutritional deficiencies were rampant, but for once, many of Vietnam’s natural landscapes were intact — many of those diverse aspects of the country were present in these travel photography shots by Flickr user tobeytravels.

Tobeytravels gave us permission to share some of her shots taken on the road in 1996, spanning Saigon, Hội An, Huế, Đà Nẵng, and more. Have a closer look below.

Central Post Office, Saigon.

Hàm Nghi Boulevard, Saigon.

A shooting range in Củ Chi, Saigon.

The souvenir shop at the War Remnants Museum, Saigon.

Lê Duẩn from the Reunification Palace, Saigon.

Bình Tây Market in District 6.

A couple having their wedding pictures taken on Mỹ Khê Beach, Đà Nẵng.

Ngũ Hành Sơn, Đà Nẵng.

The karsts of Hạ Long.

Cát Bà Harbor in Hải Phòng.

Drinks and vegetables in Cát Bà Market.

Homewares for sale in Cát Bà.

Snacks and bia hơi in Hạ Long.

Tourist boats in Hạ Long.

A bridge over Suối Yến.

Boats crowd the sides of Suối Yến.

At the starting line of a boat trip of a lifetime.

Honda Cub in Hội An.

Freshly caught seafood in Hội An.

Life by the Thu Bồn River, Hội An.

The misty national road from Hội An to Quy Nhơn.

Morning market on the road to Quy Nhơn.

Makeshift market kiosks.

Huey, Dewey, and Louie.

A camion carrying vegetables.

Young Quy Nhơn kids sell bananas to tourists.

A small fishing village in Nha Trang.

A feast on the water in Nha Trang.

A smorgasbord of bananas at Chợ Đà Lạt. 

Fresh flowers in Đà Lạt and Cao Đài worshippers in Tây Ninh.