in Saigon

Reminiscing About the Last Days of Downtown Saigon’s Pigeon Coop

The first time I pay a visit to the Pasteur pigeon coop, Lê Văn Âu assures me the place is probably not going anywhere.

in Vietnam

A Visual Timeline of Hội An's Historic Chùa Cầu Through the Eras

With the recent makeover of Hội An's Chùa Cầu sparking divisive chatter , it's a great time to gaze at the iconi...

in Vietnam

There's a Dark Context Behind These Seemingly Random 1930 French Sketches

Can visual representations of colonial activities produced with immoral intent become works of art?

in Vietnam

Chùa Cầu's Makeover Draws Ire of Netizens for Looking 'Too New'

Hội An's 400-year-old bridge, best known as Chùa Cầu, was finally uncovered recently after more than a year and a half of renovations, leaving many unimpressed.

in Vietnam

Journeying Through Đà Lạt and the Central Highlands in 1992

Đà Lạt has always been a highly sought-after traveling destination, like how it was originally designed as a resort town for French officials. These days, however, the hilly Lâm Đồng town has urbanized so quickly that at times it’s hard to believe that here once lived a tree-carpeted enclave.

in Saigon

Rare Film Shots Depict a Fast-Growing Saigon in 1996

Change was in the air in 1996, and the streets purred with development.

Paul Christiansen

in Vietnam

Revisiting the Coats of Arms of Vietnam's Major Cities Under French Rule

Did you know that several Vietnamese cities have coats of arms?

Back Heritage

in Heritage

Saigon’s Tour de l’Inspection - Part II

An essential feature of life in early colonial Saigon, the Tour de l'Inspection was not so much a sunset promenade as an event designed to showcase wealth and power.

in Saigon

Saigon’s Tour de l’Inspection - Part 1

An essential feature of life in early colonial Saigon, the Tour de l'Inspection was not so much a sunset promenade as an event designed to showcase wealth and power.

in Vietnam

22 Photos Of 1994 Cần Thơ

The rustic beauty of Cần Thơ was captured through the lens of a Belgian photographer, Harry Gruyaert, on his visit to Vietnam in 1994.

in Heritage

New Book Highlights HCMC’s History And Architecture Through Walking Tours

Resident Saigoneer historian and the brains behind Historic Vietnam, Tim Doling, has just released a new book, "Exploring Hồ Chí Minh City" featuring a great set of walking tours around our fair city....

in Vietnam

13 Rare Photos Of Old Huế (1919)

While most of the old photos we show here are from Saigon and Hanoi, we wanted to give a shout-out to the Hue, Vietnam’s capital until 1945.

in Saigon

[Video] 1993 Saigon From The Back Of A Honda Cub

Mark Bowyer, who runs the great travel blog, Rusty Compass, has been living and traveling in Vietnam for over 2 decades. Early into his Saigon tenure, he hopped on the back of a Honda Cub with a video...

in Vietnam

16 Beautiful Photos of Old Hanoi

They may not be quite as old as the set of 19th century photos of Saigon that we posted earlier this week, but these images of old Hanoi from Flickr user, Manhhai, are plenty nostalgic in their o...

in Saigon

34 Of The Oldest Known Photos Of Saigon

Hanoi architect, Đoàn Bắc, and his father, Đoàn Thịnh, are known for their collections of old Vietnam photos. Among them is a set taken in Saigon, some of which date back to 1860 (the newest are from ...

in Saigon

Lê Văn Tám Park – The Former Massiges Cemetery - Part II

Cleared in 1983 to create the Lê Văn Tám Park, the former Massiges or European Cemetery (Cimetière Européen) was the most famous French cemetery in Saigon. To coincide with the release of hitherto uns...

in Saigon

Lê Văn Tám Park - The Former Massiges Cemetery - Part I

Cleared in 1983 to create the Lê Văn Tám Park, the former Massiges or European Cemetery (Cimetière Européen) was the most famous French cemetery in Saigon. To coincide with the release of hitherto uns...

in Vietnam

23 Rare Photos of 1990 Hanoi

Between 1990 and 1993, German photographer Hans-Peter Grumpe traveled across Vietnam, taking about 1,600 photos in 20 provinces around the country. One of his stops was in a developing Hanoi where he ...

in Saigon

[Photos] An Inside Look At 3 Of Saigon’s Most Intriguing Tombs

Saigon is home to plenty of old structures, some which house the living, and others the dead. Many of the former are tombs of important scholars who profoundly shaped the country’s culture, language a...

in Saigon

Old Saigon Building of the Week: Ho Chi Minh City General Sciences Library

Housed in one of the city’s most outstanding modernist buildings, the former South Vietnamese National Library was the culmination of over 100 years of library development in the southern metropolis.

in Saigon

The Cinemas Of Old Saigon

Formerly known as “Pearl of the Orient,” Saigon once shone with elegance and prosperity, reflected in sun-soaked cafes, shiny cars parked on clean streets and crowded entertainment spots like discos a...

in Saigon

Old Saigon Building of the Week: The Former Lycée Chasseloup-Laubat

The Lê Quý Đôn Secondary School (Trường Trung học Phổ thông Lê Quý Đôn, www.lequydon.edu.vn) at 110 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai street is the city’s oldest surviving educational establishment.

in Saigon

12 Old Photos Of Saigon Street Vendors

No matter if you’re a local or a foreigner, one image from Saigon will always stay with you - street vendors - an integral weave in the city’s urban fabric, both culturally and economically.

in Vietnam

[Photos] The Hiệp Hoà Sugar Refinery (1927)

Covering 200 hectares of land, the Hiệp Hoà Sugar Refinery was one of the first of its kind in Vietnam when it was constructed.

Brian Letwin

in Vietnam

14 Beautiful Old Photos (And A Short History) Of Da Nang

Da Nang’s history can be traced back to 192AD when it was part of the Champa Kingdom, only becoming part of Vietnam after the culmination of Đại Việt Southern expansion in the 15th century.  ...

in Saigon

The Story Of Saigon’s "Graveyard Of Traitors"

Under a windy dusk towards Mả Ngụy. Clouds and clouds of souls reign on. These words are from an old poem that depicts the ghostly atmosphere of a graveyard which was located in the area of present ...

in Saigon

Old Saigon Building Of The Week: St Joseph’s Seminary - Part 2

This is Part 2 of Old Saigon Building Of The Week: St Joseph’s Seminary. For Part 1, click here.