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.
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...
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?
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.
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.
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?
Live Music, Sports, Art and Activities Fill District VUI with Summer Fun
Vietnam’s south-central coast is blessed with warm sunshine, cool waves, and relaxed vibes all year round, creating a perpetual vacation atmosphere. With school breaks and summer holidays, there is no better time to explore the tropical regions at the nexus of forest and sea.
Dung Ha: Vietnam’s Lesbian Mob Boss
Among the infamous women of Vietnam’s criminal underworld, Dung Ha was one of the most notorious. Though her reign was short, it was characterized by wealth, power and love affairs that still draw cur...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
17 Rare Photos of Vietnam Taken 120 Years Ago
To mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and Vietnam, the National Library of Vietnam has released a collection of more than 200 photos taken by Governor General of Ind...
Street Cred: Phan Xích Long
Like a page straight out of Bizzaro World, fast food franchises have a heightened social status here in Vietnam.
Old Saigon Building of the Week: Maison du Combattant
The project to create a Maison du Combattant (War Veterans Centre) was launched in 1929 by the Amicale Cochinchinoise des Anciens Combattants de la Grande Guerre (Cochinchina Friendly Association of G...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
The Lost History of Germans in Saigon
Though it was a French colony, companies from all over Europe were engaged in trade and production in Indochina, especially in Saigon. Germans in particular played a major role in the city’s turn-of-t...
The Incredible History of Saigon’s Racetracks
Although it closed 3 years ago, for the city’s older citizens, District 11’s Phu Tho Horse Racing Ground represents a bygone era of racing and gambling in Saigon. While an important but fading cultura...
Street Cred: Lý Thường Kiệt
Over mountains and rivers of the South, reigns the Emperor of the South. This fate is written in the Book of Heaven. How dare those barbarians invade our land? Your armies, without pity, will be annih...
[Photos] Women's Fashion in 1960s and 70s Saigon
Before 1975, fashion in Vietnam differed greatly between North (which preferred traditional styles) and South (which put a spin on customary dress and adopted Western attire).
Jean-Baptiste Louis-Pierre: The Father of Saigon's Green Spaces
As traffic congestion and air pollution intensifies, Hồ Chí Minh City’s urban greenbelt has assumed increased significance as the “green lung” which helps to disperse pollutants, check the flow of dus...
Gangsters of Saigon: Dai Cathay - Part 2
In the 1960s, the height of existentialism and hippy ideals in Saigon, many of the city’s wealthy hung out at restaurants, discotheques and drug dens in Districts 1 and 3. Dai became a familiar face i...
Gangsters of Saigon: Dai Cathay - Part 1
"First Dai, second Ty, third Cai, fourth The" was a saying about the 4 'kings' of Saigon's gangs before 1975. This implies that the most badass of the group was Dai, also known as Dai Cathay, who...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Old Pictures of Saigon's Canals
Canals used to serve as the Saigon's main commercial highway, connecting the city to the Saigon river and in turn the web of rivers that traverse Vietnam.
Street Cred: Vo Thi Sau
Life, like the streets and alleys of Saigon, certainly has its fair share of twists and turns. One moment, you’re comfortably cruising down one direction, and suddenly, you encounter a detour. You try...
25 Old Photos of Bicycles in Vietnam
Before motorbikes, bicycles were the main method of transportation for Vietnamese. According to VietNamNet, bikes were once sold for as much as a teal of gold (around $1,600 in present-day value) and ...
The Curious Case of Saigon's Vanishing Revolutionary Monuments
It’s often assumed that it’s only Hồ Chí Minh City’s colonial-era heritage buildings which are under threat. But during the research for his forthcoming book of walking tours, Tim Doling discovered th...
Fun With Old Maps: Cochinchine (1881)
In 1858, the French began their conquest of South Vietnam and, by the time this map was created in 1881, the colonialists had consolidated their concessions in the region which stretched from the Meko...
The Labor Swimming Pool: An Exaltation
With International Labour Day fast approaching, I’d like to take this opportunity to sing the praises of one of my favourite places in the city: Hồ Bơi Lao Động, also known as the Labour Swimming Pool...
26 Incredibly Realistic 3D Renderings of 1930s Hanoi
While there’s little that we love more than photos of old Vietnam, these 3D renderings of 1930s Hanoi are absolutely incredible.
Street Cred: Cách Mạng Tháng 8
Some people find it boring and unimaginative that all the cities in Vietnam share the same street names. Whether it’s an isolated town touching the Chinese border or a tiny strip of road leading to a ...
20 Pictures of Saigon from Before You Were Born
We’re gonna go out on a limb and assume none of readers are more than 100 years old. Based on this assumption, we present 20 pictures of Saigon from before you were born.
