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.
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.
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.
Rare Film Photos by Andrew Holbrooke Showcase an Industrious Vietnam in 1991
Money cannot buy happiness, but it makes happiness easier to attain.
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.
Slices of Life in Saigon, Huế, Hanoi in 1989 on Film
What is it about coming across old photos that tugs on our heartstrings so much, even when they depict a time when some of us weren’t alive yet?
Saigon Demolishes 3 Heritage Villas to Make Room for Covid-19 Memorial Park
As part of a plan to build a dedicated space to commemorate victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, Saigon authorities recently demolished several heritage buildings from the 1950s, sparking concerns about the city’s loss of architectural heritage.
What a Set of Art Homework From Long Xuyên Teaches Us About 1930s Vietnam
Much like their descendants today, schoolchildren of 1930s Vietnam also took art classes as part of their syllabus. In this rare collection of what was essentially our grandparents’ homework, we can surprisingly learn a lot about the daily life of Mekong Delta residents from nearly 100 years ago.
[Photos] Immerse in the Small-Town Charm of 1960s Vinh Long
Thanks to its tangled snarl of canals, estuaries, streams and rivers, one associates the Mekong Delta with boats.
[Photos] The Arduous Pilgrimage to Chùa Hương Over 30 Years Ago
Every year, with the arrival of spring comes a grand journey.
These Rare Paintings Depict Life in Vietnam in the 17th and 18th Centuries
Now we can envision Vietnam well before the advent of photography.
[Photos] 20 Photos of Life in Vietnam in 1966–1967
Motorbikes and buffalo carts, marching bands and xích lô.
Last Surviving Imperial Maid of Nguyen Dynasty Passes Away at 102
An important historical figure of the Nguyen Dynasty has left us this week.
[Photos] A Sepia-Toned Tour of 1902 Saigon
Long before Saigon became a maelstrom of motorbikes zipping past bubble tea shops, convenience stores, and cellphone sellers, it was a sleepy town where sampan boats cluttered placid canals, locals sn...
[Photos] A Glimpse of Turn-of-the-Century Indochina
France didn't colonize Vietnam overnight.
[Photos] Getting Lost in Traffic on Late 1960s Chau Van Liem Boulevard
Old photos of Vietnam and cheese: two things you can never too much of.
[Photos] How Did Hanoians Enjoy Tết in 1955?
With Tết less than a month away, now is probably the time to ramp up shopping trips, cleaning tasks and home decoration efforts.
Cột Cờ Thủ Ngữ: Overlooked Saigon Landmark Gets a Makeover
Flanked by a busy road and overshadowed by an unfinished skyscraper, you'd be forgiven if you rarely noticed the Signal Mast (Cột cờ Thủ Ngữ) where Ton Duc Thang and Vo Van Kiet streets intermingle.&n...
[Photos] Black-and-White Shots Depict Quotidian Details of 19th-Century Vietnam
These black-and-white shots are among the highest-quality documentation attempts of Vietnam at the end of the 19th century.
[Photos] The Saigon Zoo's Enduring Serenity in the 1970s
Over the years, Saigon has changed as drastically as a flounder undergoing a metamorphosis that transfers its eyes from one side of its face to the other.
[Photos] The Maritime Idyll of 1965 Phan Thiet
Before it became a weekend destination for workweek-weary Saigoneers, Phan Thiet was an austere fishing town.
[Photos] An Idyllic Slice of 1957 Cambodian Life
Vietnam isn't the only country in the region to change dramatically over the last several decades.
[Photos] The Small-Town Charm of Vung Tau in the 1960s
From remembering fond memories with loved ones to selling products and even gaining clues to a grisly crime, photos have many uses.
[Photos] Views of 1993 Vietnam From Behind the Lens of a Past War Orphan
I have been carrying this film around for over a quarter-century from Hanoi to Saigon to Boston and to New York.
[Photos] Black-and-White Shots of Hanoi Street Scenes From 1940
For thousands of years, streets have served a multitude of purposes.
[Photos] 10 Incredible Shots of 1960s Saigon by William Ruzin
It takes seven to ten years for a human body to replace every cell to the point it consists of entirely different atoms.
[Photos] Exploring Downtown Saigon Via These 10 Snapshots From the 1970s
What are the people in these photos doing today?
[Photos] 13 Film Snapshots of a Sleepy Vung Tau in 1967
Vung Tau is a fitting name for the coastal town that invites people to pause and stay a while.