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.
Khôi Phạm in Saigon
1997 Vietnam Through the Lens of Saigon's Former Canadian Consul General
Digging into one’s collection of old mementos can be a thrilling experience. From antique watches to tattered letters, these trinkets serve as a remembrance of a period of time in our past. For Kyle Nunas, Saigon’s former Consul General of Canada (2017–2020), his connection with the bustling metropolis began with this collection of old photos captured during a trip to Vietnam over 20 years ago.
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.
These Rare Photos From 1997 Are a Time Capsule of Vietnam's Transformations
The 1990s were a time of significant change in Vietnam.
Tâm Lê in Saigon
Street Cred: Phan Đình Phùng, My Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather
An unassuming street named Phan Đình Phùng runs through Saigon’s Phú Nhuận District. It is named after a Vietnamese revolutionary who led rebel armies against French colonial forces in the 1880s and 1890s. He is also my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather.
Lycée Marie Curie: The High School That Has Stood the Test of Time
Marie Curie High School, also called Lycée Marie Curie in French or Trường Trung Học Phổ Thông Marie Curie in Vietnamese, is a public high school located in Saigon’s District 3.
Khôi Phạm in Saigon
Old Saigon Building of the Week: The Glitz and Glam of Tự Do Nightclub
While today’s Đồng Khởi Street is peppered with tourist-centric shops and restaurants, just half a century ago, the downtown street was the nightlife hotspot for Saigon’s cool kids to congregate.
Tim Doling 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.
Tim Doling in Saigon
Old Saigon Building Of The Week: St Joseph’s Seminary - Part 1
One of the first Roman Catholic institutions founded by Bishop Dominique Lefèbvre following the French conquest of 1859, the rarely-visited St Joseph’s Seminary offers a unique oasis of calm in a busy...
[Video] Vintage Home Movie Takes You Through The Streets Of 1950s Hanoi
This delightfully grainy home movie was filmed during Tết in the early 1950s. In contrast to many of the other old films from this period, it has a very personal feel to it, letting the viewer feel as...
Brian Letwin in Heritage
[Photos] Saigon And Cho Lon Then And Now
Saigoneer has teamed up with Historic Vietnam to explore changes to Saigon and Cho Lon over time.
45 Photos Of 1961 Saigon From LIFE Magazine
Over the past 53 years, Saigon has undergone tremendous growth. With the addition of gleaming skyscrapers and dense packs of residential buildings, the city has lost much of its colonial luster and is...
Tim Doling in Saigon
Old Saigon Building Of The Week: Former Foyer du Soldat et du Marin
Originally founded in the 1890s by General Théophile Pennequin (1849-1916), Commandant supérieur des troupes de l'Indo-Chine, the Foyer du Soldat et du Marin (Soldiers and Sailors Club) was initially ...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
20 Pictures of Cho Lon From Before You Were Born
Cho Lon is one of Saigon’s oldest and most interesting neighborhoods. Spanning much of Districts 5 and 6, this predominantly Chinese area has been an integral part of Saigon’s economy since its establ...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
16 Old Pictures Of The Saigon Zoo (Thảo Cầm Viên)
Established in 1869, the Saigon Zoo (Thảo Cầm Viên) is the 8th oldest in the world.
Tim Doling in Saigon
Palais Norodom: A Palace Without Purpose
Though now nearly half a century old, the current Reunification Palace was conceived as a modern replacement for the Norodom Palace, a much grander French building which had stood on the same site bef...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
These 11 Wonderful Old Maps Show The Evolution Of Saigon And Cho Lon
Saigon has seen tremendous growth since its humble beginnings as a small Khmer seaport. Vietnamese settlers arrived in the 17th century, eventually solidifying their control over the area with th...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
16 Rare Photos Of Saigon And Cho Lon From 1866
After capturing Saigon in 1859, the French quickly got to work on building structures and infrastructure in the city, especially along the banks of the Saigon River.
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
[Video] Hanoi In April 1975
Shot the same month North Vietnamese troops captured Saigon, this video captures life in Hanoi not long before reunification and years after the last American bombs fell on the city.
18 Stunning Photos Of Vietnam In 1989
Vietnam’s economy began to open up in 1986 with the adoption of Đổi Mới, starting a meteoric rise in quality of life compared to the preceding years of rationing and an inefficient planning. While the...
Tim Doling in Saigon
Old Saigon Building Of The Week: The Second Chambre de Commerce Building
Originally founded on 3 November 1867 in temporary accommodation in the compound of the Direction de l’Intérieur, the Chambre de commerce de Saïgon (Saigon Chamber of Commerce) moved into 11 place Rig...
Lệ Hải: Saigon’s Gangster Queen
Before 1975, Saigon’s underground was controlled by gangs and mob bosses. Yet all those criminal minds were vulnerable to the intoxicating smile of one woman, Lệ Hải, whose name fittingly translates t...
17 Photos Of Royal Life During The Nguyễn Dynasty
It’s been more than two centuries since Gia Long unified Vietnam and became the first emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty. Lasting 143 years, Vietnam’s last dynasty ended in 1945 when Bảo Đại abdicated the ...
The Story Of Saigon’s Soap Millionaire
80 years ago, if you asked a Saigon resident to name a soap brand, you would get only one response - Cô Ba. The brand’s popularity extended throughout Indochina and its success made its owner, Trương ...
5 of Saigon’s Oldest Buildings
As the French began to heavily influence Vietnam, first indirectly with missionaries and later with full-scale colonization, large public buildings began to pop up in the country’s cities, no more so ...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
15 Old Photos Of Hanoi's Streetcars
While the last streetcar disappeared from Saigon’s streets in 1959, Hanoi held on to theirs until 1989. By the time service ended, the city’s light rail system was completely dilapidated after years o...
Tim Doling in Saigon
Saint-Saëns In Saigon
One of the great figures of western classical music, French composer, conductor, organist and pianist Camille Saint-Saëns is remembered for a range of works, including The Carnival of the Animals, Dan...
