in Vietnam

French Illustrated Encyclopedia Paints the Slices of Vietnam Life in the 1900s

"To effectively govern colonial peoples, the foremost requirement is a thorough understanding of the very people one rules over," so believed Paul Doumer, the second Governor-General of French Indochina, who spent his career imposing the imperial French government's agenda on studying the culture of their colonized subjects.

in Saigon

Portrait of a Jubilant Saigon on the Precipice of Tết in 1992

Tết in 1992 was an especially fortuitous time to be a foreign arrival to Saigon. 

in Vietnam

In 1992 Vietnam, the Streets Were Brimming With Love and Life

How has your life been transformed in the past 30 years? Changes might materialize overnight, but some tend to creep up on you at a glacial pace. Through this collection of images from 1992, mull over how Vietnam as a country has grown with every 12-month cycle.

in Vietnam

Vintage French Book Illustrations Depict a Quaint Indochina in 1903

In this rare collection of images from 1903 Indochina, life in the peninsula appears as if in a dream, with rows of colonial-style houses in between heritage trees and natural landscapes that weren’t interrupted by concrete.

Paul Christiansen

in Saigon

Did You Know That There's a Mummy on Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm Boulevard?

Why is there a mummy on display in Saigon?

Brian Letwin

in Heritage

Tàu Cánh Ngầm: The Curious Case of Saigon’s Lost Soviet Hydrofoils

Not long ago, hulking “creatures” glided atop the waters between Saigon and Vũng Tàu. Like the dinosaurs that came before them, they slowly disappeared, until all that was left were their skeletons.

in Saigon

Relive Your Memories of Saigon Water Park via These Photos by One of Its Makers

Although water parks involve a combination of two of the most tedious human experiences, standing in lines and prolonged direct sun exposure, the now-demolished Saigon Water Park was an icon of 2000s Saigon that remains a crucial cornerstone of many city dwellers' memories.

in Vietnam

The Vintage Charm of 1995 Vietnam on Kodachrome Film Slides

While editing a retrospective of my recent work from Vietnam in the summer of 2019, I discovered 50 yellow boxes of Kodachrome slides in my basement that were shot in 1995. The images were from my first trip to Vietnam.

Back Heritage

in Vietnam

[Photos] The Mekong Delta on the Brink of a New Decade

Taken by Stewart Jackson, a member of the US Army in 1970, and archived in the gallery of the 6/31st Infantry in Vietnam, these photos depict life in Duong Diem Town, Chau Thanh, Tien Giang Province.

in Saigon

[Photos] A Visual Anthology of Life and Fashion of 1970 Saigoneers

One of Saigon's most compelling attractions has always been the people, and this collection of photos taken from the 1970s shows us just why Saigoneers are a fascinating breed.

in Hanoi

[Photos] On Hanoi’s Streets in 1979: Trams, Bicycles, Buffaloes and Peace

Postwar-era Vietnam was a time of moving forward, regeneration and establishing a new normalcy.

in Saigon

[Photos] Hiding From the Heat at Cong Hoa Swimming Pool in 1965

Saigon’s most famous swimming pool is perhaps that of the Cercle Sportif Saigonnais, a huge sporting facility on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai that was built in the 1900s for the city’s rich to frolic in every...

in Hanoi

Author Michael Vann on Hanoi's Infamous Colonial Rat Hunt

When facing a bubonic plague epidemic, is it wiser to delve into sewers and cull infected rats yourself or offer payment to Vietnamese for deliveries of severed tails instead? For Hanoi’s French colon...

in Vietnam

[Photos] The Life Semi-Aquatic With 1968 Can Tho

When it comes to old photos of Vietnam, Saigon - as one of the country’s leading tourist destinations in the 1960s - always dominates in terms of volume and variety. That makes this set of photos of C...

in Vietnam

[Photos] Take a Ride on Da Lat's Lost Railway

In the early 20th century, although Da Lat was little more than a fledgling hill station, a Swiss-built railway connected the town to the coast. With Thap Cham as its final destination, this 84-kilome...

in Vietnam

Plan to Rebuild 134-Year-Old Nam Dinh Cathedral Sparks Public Outcry

One of the oldest, most impressive cathedrals in Nam Dinh Province is about to be rebuilt due to disrepair.

in Vietnam

[Photos] On the Cusp of a Tourism Boom, a Pristine Sapa of the 1920s

During the last decade of the 19th century, French colonists occupying northern Vietnam (then Tonkin) decided to conduct a census survey on the region’s ethnic minorities. The first convoys reached La...

in Vietnam

[Photos] A Child Wedding of Tay Ethnic Minority in Lao Cai in 1920s

The rare set of photos depict a wedding ceremony in the 1920s between young members of the ethnic minority Tay people in Bac Ha District of Lao Cai Province.

in Vietnam

[Photos] Vintage Tourism Posters Showcase Past Vietnam's Natural Landscapes

If you’ve never been to Vietnam before, would these colorful vintage poster entice you to book a ticket?

in Vietnam

[Photos] Striking Black-and-White Images of Hue's Imperial City in 1896

Just two weeks ago, we published some monochrome photos of Hue taken earlier this year. Yet in this series, we can browse another black-and-white selection of images from the city, this time from ...

in Saigon

[Video] Rare Newsreels From 1930 Show Harsh Realities of Life in Colonial Saigon

In an extremely rare collection of disjointed clips, Saigon in 1930 appears like the setting of a haunting fever dream.

in Vietnam

[Photos] The Small-Town Placidity of Hue in 1966

Neat perpendicular lines of trees that make up the Imperial Palace grounds, the meandering Perfume River hugging central Hue, clusters of red-roofed houses like tiny Lego pieces scattered across a bed...

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

From Botany Institute to Amusement Park: The Evolution of Thao Cam Vien Sai Gon

Local parks such as the Jardin d’Espagne and Jardin de la Ville, now Tao Dan Park, were a focal point of Saigon’s early urban development. But no green space carried such significance as the Jardin Bo...

in Vietnam

[Photos] 16 Rare Images of 1900s Vietnam as Part of French Indochina

In a mishmash of sketches and grainy photographs, Vietnam’s landscapes in the 1900s feels almost surreal.

in Vietnam

[Photos] Old Da Lat's Majestic Charm, Captured in a Series of Timeworn Postcards

In these postcards of early twentieth-century Da Lat, we see a town that’s a far cry from its modern, tourist-packed self: colonial houses line its hills, and barely a soul walks down the narrow footp...

in Saigon

[Photos] 13 Black-and-White Shots of Saigon in 1962

Badass girl power, young love and vintage cars: the streets of Saigon in 1962 seemed much cooler than they are today, when pavements weren't riddled with debris and construction sites.

in Hanoi

[Photos] The Ceremonial Tradition of a 1920s Hanoi Funeral

In Vietnam, there is a powerful sense of importance carried within the belief of life after death. This can be seen in the way family members create shrines and pray for those who have passed away, in...

in Saigon

[Photos] 17 Photos of 2002 Saigon as Seen From Above

2002 might not seem like a long time ago, but Saigon’s urbanscapes have grown so much in the last ten years that these scenes offer some surprising insights into our city 17 years in the past.