How Did Vietnam Start Celebrating International Women's Day on March 8?
In the hyper-commercialized world we now live in, it might be impossible to associate anything but overpriced flower bouquets and corporate sponsorships with International Women’s Day (IWD), but the widely celebrated occasion actually has a rich history of over 100 years of the women’s rights movement.
Life on the Streets of 1978 Hanoi in Black and White
In August 1978, I visited Hanoi as part of an educational tour organized by a professor from La Trobe University in Melbourne. I was a high school history teacher at the time and an avid photographer. I walked the streets of Hanoi and took many photographs of everyday life in the city, and until now, these photographs have remained unpublished.
A Rare Album by Photographer Bruno Barbey Brings Us Back to Tết in 1994 Hanoi
What do you remember most about the 1990s? Do you remember the fashion, the old-timey technology, or the lack of traffic? And if you were just a wee child, do these memories stay with you?
Khôi Phạm in Vietnam
The First Asian in Space Was Vietnamese. He’s Still Alive Today.
Most Vietnamese schoolkids grew up learning about Phạm Tuân as the first Vietnamese in space, but few know that he was also the first Asian person to clinch the honor.
The Year of the Horse Gallops into The Grand Ho Tram
Inspired by the spirit of the horse, The Grand Ho Tram encourages you to have a year of success, confidence, and new horizons. Traditional Tết performances and activities alongside special feasts and opportunities for revelry will usher in a year of remarkable achievements and memorable moments.
My Great-Great-Grandfathers Were in Indochina in the 1880s to Build the Railway
We often see archival images of old Hanoi, but these photos are different — they are personal. The following shots, which come from a collection of five photo albums, are the only surviving record of my two great-great-grandfathers’ presence in what was then Indochina.
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.
[Video] 1960s Phnom Penh: Pearl of Asia
While we spend a great deal of time at Saigoneer posting photos and writing stories about old Saigon, formerly known as the “Pearl of the Orient”, Cambodia’s capital once shared a similar moniker...
Tim Doling in Saigon
The Saigon-My Tho Line: Indochina’s First Railway
Inaugurated on July 20, 1885, the Saigon–Mỹ Tho line was the first railway line in French Indochina.
Tim Doling in Saigon
Marshal Joffre’s 1921 Visit to Saigon
French government photographers have left us a detailed photographic record of Great War hero Marshal Joffre’s December 1921 visit to Saigon.
1969 My Tho Through the Eyes of an American Serviceman
In 1968, American soldier Lance Nix arrived in Vietnam on his first tour with the US military. While the country was torn apart elsewhere, Nix and his fellow soldiers in the MACV Team 66 stationed in ...
The Story of Saigon's First Supermarket
Way back in 1967, Saigon opened the doors of its first-ever modern supermarket.
30 Photos of 1980s-1990s Saigon
In full swing just after the country’s 1986 đổi mới economic reform, Saigon's lively, optimistic energy shines through in these images from Japanese photographer Doi Kuro, who visi...
Hoi An's Great Flood of 1964
Every year, Hoi An's annual floods blanket the riverside streets of the Old Town in a murky, blue-green water, making for plenty of tourist photo opportunities. By this point, local residents are used...
Tim Doling in Heritage
The Story of Saigon’s 'Jardin d’Espagne'
In 1927, after being abandoned for more than 60 years by its Spanish owners, the “Jardin d’Espagne” (today’s Lý Tự Trọng Park) seemed set to become the new home of the British Consulate General in Sai...
[Photos] 25 Incredible Colorized Photos of 1950s Vietnam by Photographer Vo Anh Ninh
While black-and-white photos tap into their viewers' nostalgic side, a flash of color can add a bit of extra depth when done correctly, like in these vivid photos from award-winning Vietnamese photogr...
Tim Doling in Vietnam
Mapping the French 'Line of Pagodas'
At the start of the French conquest in 1859-1860, colonial forces converted four ancient temples into fortresses with the aim of protecting Saigon and Chợ Lớn from attack by Vietnamese royal troops. A...
[Photos] A Day at the Races: Phu Tho Racetrack in the 1960s
During the heyday of old Saigon, District 11's Phu Tho Racetrack was packed on a daily basis.
Tim Doling in Saigon
Date With the Wrecking Ball: The Catinat-Ciné Mosaics
Over the past 12 months, a great deal of attention has been paid to the fate of the 1924 Moroccan mosaic staircase in the lobby of the Tax Trade Center. Yet that great work of art is not the only mosa...
[Photos] Nostalgic Images of Daily Life in Old Saigon
During the first half of the 20th century, Saigon earned a reputation as the Paris of the East. With its wide, tree-lined boulevards and grand colonial buildings – not to mention a significantly small...
Tim Doling in Heritage
Pierre Coupeaud and the Great Cyclo Trial of February 1936
Banned from an ever-increasing number of city streets, the cyclo is rapidly becoming an endangered species. But spare a moment to appreciate this much-maligned form of transport, invented by Phnom Pen...
[Video] How 1949 Saigon Rang in the Lunar New Year
It's no secret that the Saigon of today is a world apart from the Saigon of old.
[Photos] 1960s Nha Trang Was the Essence of Cool
While there's a lot of talk about Saigon in the old days, Nha Trang also held its own as an ultra-cool beachside city. The coastal town was home to flashy cars and trendy cafes, hand-painted signs and...
[Photos] Kickin' It at the Country Club in Old Saigon
Plenty of people complain about how hard it is to get a good workout in today's Saigon, but a century ago it was equally challenging to get in a few good laps or work on your tennis game. Colonial Sai...
Tim Doling in Saigon
Icons of Old Saigon: The First Governor's Palace
It’s often assumed that the Norodom Palace (1873) was the first colonial governor's palace to be built in Saigon, but it was in fact preceded by a much humbler structure, the Hôtel des Amiraux-Gouvern...
[Photos] British Photographer Captures Life in Early 1900s Vietnam
At the turn of the 20th century, Englishwoman Gabrielle Maud Vassal lived in Vietnam with her husband, French military doctor Joseph Jean Vassal. During her three-year stay in the country, Mrs. Vassal...
Street Cred: Phu Dong Roundabout
According to legend, the reign of the sixth Hung Vuong king was an era of fear for Van Lang, the country then occupying northern Vietnam. Dogged by its enemies, the kingdom was often under threat...
