Neighborhood Vibes and Modern Comforts Combine at Hotel Indigo Saigon The City
Staying in a local neighborhood means surrounding yourself with the sights, styles, routines, traditions, and history of a locale. Hotel Indigo Saigon The City, a new boutique lifestyle hotel, tells the stories of the iconic Ba Son area via its details, decor, atmosphere, and experiences, so checking in feels like taking part in a celebration of the city.
Uyên Đỗ in Hanoi
A Slice of Life in Coupon-Era Hanoi via Colorful Vintage Lottery Tickets
What can tiny sheets of paper reveal about a whole time period?
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.
Tim Doling in Saigon
The Surprisingly Recent History Behind Bình Thạnh's Lonely 'Gia-Đinh' Gate
It’s claimed by several tourism websites that a gateway from one of the ancient Gia Định citadels has survived and may be viewed on the Lê Văn Duyệt-Phan Đăng Lưu intersection in Bình Thạnh District, close to the Lê Văn Duyệt Mausoleum. However, a little research into the history of that area reveals that the gateway in question has more recent origins.
The Legends of Thăng Long Tứ Trấn, the 4 Guardian Temples Protecting Hanoi
In the edict to move Vietnam’s capital to Hanoi, Emperor Lý Thái Tổ described this land as the middle of heaven and earth, the center of the four directions. Such a place would bring peace and prosperity, he believed, and deserved sacred protection.
Feel the Pulse of a Fast-Changing Vietnam in the 1990s via This Lively Photo Album
By the mid-1990's, Vietnam's astounding economic transformation was well underway.
Street Cred: Dauntless Antiwar Icon Nguyễn Thái Bình and His Tragic Death
If one were to see the streets of Vietnam as a tangled network of people whose names they took, every city would resemble a messy collection of historical fragments.
Linh Phạm in Hanoi
Street Cred: Pháo Đài Láng, Home of Ông Voi and Where the War Began
More often than not, a country’s independence is won with guns. The location where the first shots were fired for Vietnam is memorialized to this day.
[Photos] A Visual Tour of Late 1960s Saigon by Brian Wickham
It seems that every day, we get to uncover yet another old photo collection of Saigon from the 1960s.
The Hanoian Family Tracing 700 Years of Ancestral History
There’s a certain air of intrigue one feels upon entering one of Hanoi’s many labyrinthine alleyways. Anything could be around the corner: a raucous market, a hair salon or a nhà nghỉ. These areas pro...
[Photos] An Idiosyncratic Car Parade in 1920s Hanoi
Street festivals have come a long way since the endearing car parades of early 1900s Indochina.
[Photos] 30 Black-and-White Photos of 1947 Vietnam's Landscapes by Michel Huet
If you enjoyed our previous article on French photographer Michel Huet’s portraits of Vietnam series, then the second batch of his work from 1947 Vietnam will pique your interest as well.
[Photos] An Exploration Into Vietnam's History Through Black-and-White Portraiture
From inside aristocratic mansions to the austere fields of rural Vietnam, black-and-white portraiture has never looked so filled with life and stories.
[Photos] In 1995 Vietnam, a Paradise for Honda Cubs and Xích Lô
How heartening — or rather, disheartening — to discover that flooding isn’t a problem that is unique to 2010s Saigon.
A Rare Look Inside the Hue Imperial Court in 1895 in Watercolor
'La cour de Hue' (The court of Hue) is a series of painting done by Nguyen Van Nhan in 1895, during the reign of Thanh Thai, emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty at the time.
[Photos] 18 Rare Photos of Northern and Central Vietnam in the Late 19th Century
During the 19th century, postcards were one of the most popular forms of media that connected Vietnam with the rest of the world.
Paul Christiansen in Saigon
Street Cred: The Sins and Saving Grace of Dr. Albert Calmette
If you help save hundreds of thousands of lives via medical breakthroughs and establish one of the country’s first and most advanced research institutes, but also assist in the colonial regime’s bruta...
[Photos] The Children of Southern Vietnam in 1967
To see old photos of children is profound because we know, in a way they couldn't when the photos were taken, how their lives have been shaped since.
[Photos] 27 Snapshots of Saigon in 1970 by Carl Nielsen
Almost five decades ago, Saigon didn’t have much in terms of high-rise buildings; however, judging by the amount of people hanging about in public spaces, street life was as much a big part of metropo...
[Photos] Enthralling Black-and-White Aerial Shots of 1950s Ha Long Bay
It will come as a surprise to no one that Ha Long Bay was much quieter in the 1950s than it is today.
[Photos] A Visual Excursion to Past Bac Lieu, Home of Cải Lương Master Cao Van Lau
Tucked just below the Mekong's main aquiferous arteries, Bac Lieu Province serves as an interesting case study of how humans can thrive in swampy, steamy surroundings.
[Photos] On the Sidewalks of 1979 Saigon: Books, Knick-Knacks and a Multitude of Bicycles
Before the motorbikes invaded all aspects of modern Vietnam, Saigon streets were all bicycles, vintage cars and xích lô.
[Photos] 20 Black-and-White Snapshots of 1920 Saigon by Ludovic Crespin
In the early 1920s, central Saigon was an immaculate neighborhood with glamorous shops and clean streets.
[Photos] Walk the Streets of 1965 Da Nang
Given how fast Vietnam's major cities change, and it can be hard to imagine what they looked like in decades past.
[Photos] Saigon Then & Now: Rue Catinat, Tu Do and Dong Khoi Street
While some of Saigon's most extreme changes over the years have occurred in suburban areas like District 7 or Binh Thanh, central District 1 is obviously no stranger to transformations either.
[Photos] 20 Snapshots of Saigon in 1969 by George Lane
With every uncovered archive of old photos, we come closer and closer to reconstructing a complete tapestry of life in past eras.
[Photos] On the Road to Nha Trang in the 1960s, a Medley of Spartan Fields
If downtown Saigon was the epicenter of frenetic energy and urban chaos in the late 60s, you’d have been hard-pressed to find a crowd of more than five people or buildings with more than one floor onc...
[Photos] A Rare Aerial Perspective of Saigon in the 1920s
Thanks to the prevalence of photographic drones, nowadays it’s a cakewalk to source aerial photos of Vietnam with just a simple internet search.
