Paul Christiansen in Vietnam
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.
Marc Dinh in Vietnam
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.
Xuân Phương in Vietnam
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.
Tim Doling in Saigon
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.
Demolition of Saigon Tax Center Officially Starts Today
As you’re reading this, Saigon’s iconic Tax Center is meeting its ultimate demise, making room for a new, 40-story skyscraper.
Ancient Tombs of Saigon: The Mass Grave Under Dan Chu Roundabout
Saigoneers living in the vicinity of District 10’s Dan Chu Square may be aghast to discover that their homes could be sitting on the city’s largest mass burial site.
Khoi Pham in Saigon
Street Cred: Bui Vien, the First Vietnamese in America...or Was He?
In today’s Saigon, Bui Vien Street is commonly known as the city’s backpacker paradise, not to mention one of its many nightlife hotspots. It’s unclear whether urban planners in the southern hub had o...
[Map] The Stories Behind Saigon’s French Colonial Street Names
In its relatively young history, Saigon has undergone several makeovers: from quaint colonial town to grand capital of Cochinchina, major metropolis of southern Vietnam and now the buzzing economic hu...
Tim Doling in Saigon
Date With the Wrecking Ball: The Cercle Sportif Saigonnais
Local conservation groups have expressed concern about a plan approved by the Ho Chi Minh City Labor Culture Palace to demolish the much-loved 1925 Cercle Sportif Saigonnais and replace it with a stat...
[Photos] A Sepia-Toned Glimpse Into China's Last Dynasty
In this rare, 19th-century black-and-white photo collection, China appears surprisingly spartan and somber.
Khoi Pham in Vietnam
Street Cred: Thoai Ngoc Hau, Dedicated but Misunderstood
For someone whose entire life was dedicated to national progress, Thoai Ngoc Hau really didn’t receive the treatment he deserved for his achievements. Marred by a wrongful conviction, even after his d...
The Story Behind Cho Ba Chieu
Ba Chieu is an old, bustling local market with nostalgic charm. Built in 1942 in what is today’s Binh Thanh District, Ba Chieu Market has remained largely the same despite Saigon's rapid urbanization ...
HCMC Begins $2m Restoration of 200-Year-Old Pagoda
A 200-year-old pagoda in District 11 is getting a long-overdue makeover after Ho Chi Minh City authorities recently greenlit a renovation project.
[Photos] 1960s An Loc: The Calm Before the Storm
A rare collection of photos shows how residents in the countryside of southern Vietnam lived in the late 1960s.
[Photos] Saigon Then & Now: The Diem Coup (1963)
In September 1963, reporters and journalists began to hear rumblings about a coup that would ultimately topple the increasingly unpopular Ngo Dinh Diem regime.
[Photos] 1971 Vung Tau Through the Lens of an Australian Serviceman
Today, Vung Tau is well-known throughout southern Vietnam as a quaint coastal town that offers tourists from nearby provinces an affordable, convenient location for a short trip that’s just enough to ...
Tim Doling in Vietnam
80 Years of Vietnam’s North-South Railway Line
September 2, 2016 is an auspicious day in the history of Vietnam's railways, marking the 80th anniversary of the completion of the “Transindochinois” or North-South railway line.
Dana Filek-Gibson in Saigon
Street Cred: Hai Thuong Lan Ong, the Father of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine
Hai Thuong Lan Ong is one of the most influential figures in the history of traditional Vietnamese medicine.
[Photos] Take a Tour of 1990 Saigon
Coming across photo collections of old Saigon is always fascinating. The city seems to take on a new life in each era, but still somehow manages to retain its distinctive core characteristics: a vibra...
Tim Doling in Vietnam
How a French Adventurer Became King of the Central Highlands
Many will have heard of Englishman James Brooke, the so-called “White Rajah” who in the 1840s established the Kingdom of Sarawak, or indeed of French lawyer Orélie-Antoine de Tounens, who in 1860 foun...
Historic Nam Dinh Textile Factory, Once Indochina’s Oldest, Meets the Wrecking Ball
One of the largest remnants of France’s colonial legacy in Vietnam will soon meet its end.
[Photos] Saigon’s 81-Year-Old Downtown Mosque, 1958-1979
As high-rises go up and Saigon’s historical buildings come down, more than a few of District 1’s landmarks have disappeared. The Jamia Al-Musulman Mosque, however, remains in the heart of the city, ru...
Khoi Pham in Saigon
Street Cred: Ho Xuan Huong, a Woman Ahead of Her Time
Despite being one of Vietnam’s most prominent classical poets, Ho Xuan Huong’s existence remains an enigma to this day.
[Photos] Saigon Then & Now: Ben Thanh Market
The southern hub has seen its fair share of transformations over the years. From French colonialism to the swinging 60s, the early days of Đổi Mới to 21st-century Vietnam, Saigon’s urban lan...
