The 1990s were a time of significant change in Vietnam.
All around the world, technological developments, including computers and the internet, were causing seismic shifts in cultures, lifestyles and surroundings as the century neared its conclusion. In Vietnam, these changes coincided with economic reorientation, opening to global markets, and a general, nationwide financial boom.
Photographer Hoàng Đình Nam, working for AFP, captured photos in 1997 that articulate the unique moment in Vietnam wherein new technologies, fashions, and ideas were being integrated into local livelihoods. While the photos may now conjure a sense of nostalgia, at the time, they would have represented the height of flashy modernity in all its resplendent potential.
Have a look at some of the photos via RedsVN below to compare what was new at the time contrasted with some enduring scenes of past decades.
High-speed internet arrived in Vietnam on December 1, 1997, and this woman checked her connection in the waning days of dial-up.
The late 1990s saw an increase in efforts to curb drug trafficking. Court officials had ordered the burning of 31.5kg of opium and 8.5kg of heroin at this Hanoi stadium on August 28, 1997.
Condoms being inspected in a Saigon factory underscore efforts to promote and provide for safe sex.
Christmas hats sold in Saigon in late December.
A worker attends to a Toyota Corolla in the Vĩnh Phúc factory.
Amidst all the new equipment, items, and technologies, traditional items thrived, including these bamboo fishing baskets in Hưng Yên.
Hanoi's Opera House was undergoing repairs in 1997, with scaffolding obscuring its facade.
After an unexpected entry into the 1997 SEA Games' semi-finals, Hanoians naturally đi bão.
Pierre Cardin shirts produced in a local garment factory in collaboration with the namesake French designer sold on Hanoi streets for about US$10 a piece.
These star lanterns for the Mid-Autumn festival would be recognizable to people in decades prior as well as today.
Iconic ward loudspeakers on the move.
[Top image: Coca-Cola's “trade bottle caps for bicycles” promotion offered the allure of finding a complete set of caps that could be traded for a bicycle, but criticisms mounted when no one turned up with the cap bearing a seat.]
