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.

in Hanoi

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.

in Vietnam

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.

in Vietnam

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.

Back Heritage

in Vietnam

38 Beautiful Illustrations Of Hanoi Street Vendors And Their Melodic Cries

These days, the melodic cries of Hanoi’s street vendors are drowned out by the city’s constant buzz of activity. But 85 years ago, these songs, which announced a seller’s goods or services, made up th...

in Saigon

[Video] A Walk Through The Streets Of 1975 Saigon

Earlier this week, we posted a video of 1975 Saigon filmed from a low-flying helicopter. This piece, made in the same year, takes you from the city’s skies to its streets.

in Vietnam

[Photos] This Is What Vietnam Looked Like In 1880

By 1880, when photographers Hippolyte Arnoux and Emile Gsell traveled across Vietnam, the French had just begun to solidify control over their new colony.

in Saigon

[Video] Take A Helicopter Ride Through 1975 Saigon

In 1975, an American news crew boarded what was presumably a military chopper as part of their report on Saigon.

Tim Doling

in Saigon

Old Saigon Building of the Week: St. Paul’s Convent

Occupying a large, leafy compound on Tôn Đức Thắng street in District 1, the Convent of Saint-Paul de Chartres is another rarely-visited haven of peace in busy Hồ Chí Minh City.

in Heritage

[Photos] Inside A 1960s Saigon TV Station

In the mid-1960s, Saigon was one of the most modern cities in Asia and part of this technological prowess was manifested in its telecommunications and TV equipment.

in Saigon

17 Old Photos Of Women In Saigon

Happy Vietnamese Women's Day! Chúc các bạn nữ một ngày 20/10 thật vui!

Brian Letwin

in Vietnam

A Look at Vietnamese Currency Through History

Like Vietnamese history, the country's currency has undergone significant changes over the past century. 

in Vietnam

These 17 Old Photos Show Life in Vietnam 100 Years Ago With Vivid Color

The last century has been one of immense change for Vietnam. It has been one full of occupation, liberation, war and peace. This set of vivid color photos taken between 1914 and 1917 by Leon Busy is t...

Tim Doling

in Saigon

Tạ Dương Minh – Thủ Đức’s Founding Father

Built in 1879-1880 by the French, the historic Thủ Đức Market has in recent years become an increasingly popular destination for Hồ Chí Minh City residents wishing to stock up with the delicious local...

in Vietnam

[Photos] The Children Of 1990 Hanoi

Last month we posted a set of old pictures from 1990 Hanoi taken by Hans-Peter Grumpe. While that set focused on the city’s streets, the German photographer also snapped a number of photos showing the...

Tim Doling

in Saigon

The Lost Inner-City Waterways of Saigon and Cho Lon: Part 2

When the French arrived in 1859, both Saigon and Chợ Lớn were criss-crossed by networks of canals and creeks, making it possible for boatmen to travel right through both city centres without stepping ...

in Vietnam

20 Photos Of 1990 Hội An

Ancient houses, beautiful beaches, great restaurants and plenty of places to take long strolls have given Hội An a reputation for being one of Vietnam’s most charming destinations. But when these pict...

in Heritage

29 Photos of 1989 Vietnam by Magnum Photographer David Alan Harvey

Peaceful 1989 Vietnam is chronicled in the stunning photos of Magnum photographer David Alan Harvey. His images were some of the first to emerge from the country following the 1986 Đổi Mới&n...

Mel Schenck

in Saigon

[Photos] The Amazing Evolution Of Phan Xích Long Street

When we think about the words “new urban area” applied to Ho Chi Minh City, we usually think about Phu My Hung at Saigon South in District 7. Many people do not realize that one of the most successful...

in Saigon

The Lost Inner-City Waterways of Saigon and Cho Lon: Part 1

When the French arrived in 1859, both Saigon and Chợ Lớn were criss-crossed by networks of canals and creeks, making it possible for boatmen to travel right through both city centres without stepping ...

in Vietnam

The Story Of A Famous Photograph

At the end of the American War, two photographs became icons of the Fall Of Saigon. One was the photo of the North Vietnamese tank crashing through the gates of the Presidential Palace (now Independen...

Tim Doling

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.

Tim Doling

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.