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.
Revisit the Colorful, Diverse Universe of Multinational Xe Đò in 1990s Saigon
Saigoneers who spent their formative years in the 1990s will remember an era of secondhand products of mixed origins. This unique feature of daily life also extended into the transportation realm.
The Double-Edged Allure of Indochic in Postcolonial Vietnam
Bordering the Temple of Literature in Hanoi is Nguyễn Thái Học Boulevard, where a number of art shops sit side by side. Among them, tourists and visitors can find an endless supply of varying iterations of socialist iconography, gold-plated replicas of Đông Sơn drums, and faux-impressionist paintings of colonial Indochina. In Mũi Né, a 127-room resort unironically called The Anam Mui Ne boasts its Indochine allure with “Indochine Charm. Modern Luxury” on its home page. Throughout the resort are paintings depicting women in traditional áo dài and scenes of tranquil fishing villages, gesturing toward the bucolic past of Vietnam. In Saigon, numerous cafes and eateries are decorated in encaustic cement tiles with intricate floral, pastel designs, while brandishing French names and wrought iron railings on their balconies.
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.
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Colorful Old Map of Saigon
Though we can't pinpoint the exact date for this map, we're sure it's from before 1954. This was the year when the French ceded control of Saigon and south Vietnam in accordance with the Geneva Accord...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Video: Saigon in 1945
1945 was a tumultuous year for Vietnam. After the Japanese were defeated by the Allies in 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnamese independence from France, unaware that Allied leaders had agreed at the ...
The Story of Saigon's Floating Hotel
There was a time, not too long ago, when Saigon wasn’t full of tourists and backpackers. In the late 1980s, Vietnam had just opened its doors to the west and was rushing to renovate its decrepit colon...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Old Saigon Picture of the Day: Cho Lon Opium Den
Have you ever been stuck in Saigon traffic and wished that you were on comfy couch in Cho Lon, chilling with some Chinese guys 'chasing the dragon' instead? Yeah, probably not (but for those who answe...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Old Saigon Picture of the Day: How to Arrive at Your Wedding in Style
The tradition of covering your wedding car with flowers and regalia is not new in Vietnam. Today, most couples who can afford it, opt for a middle-of-the-line Toyota or Kia while those with deep pock...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Old Saigon Picture of the Day: Before Bridges and Tunnels
Think it's inconvenient having a car in present-day Saigon? As many of the French living in Saigon during the first half of the last century were fairly well off, they often brought with them the com...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Old Saigon Picture of the Day: Cho Lon Streetcars
From Cho Lon to Ben Thanh Market, streetcars were once a common sight on Saigon's main thoroughfares. While their tracks have long disappeared, their memory lives on in old photographs like the one a...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
10 Old Pictures of Saigon Cyclo Drivers
Even though Saigon has gone through many changes over the last century, there are certain characteristics of the city that have endured. Before the age of the motorbike, cyclos were one of the most c...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Old Saigon Picture of the Day: Water Delivery!
In the days before indoor plumbing and bottled water were the norm, like most of the world, Saigonese relied on wells to provide water (and in many areas still do). During the early 20th century, wat...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Old Saigon Picture of the Day: Colonial Corner
Just as it is today, Dong Khoi St. (formerly Rue Cantinat under the French and Tu Do from 1954 - 1975) has long been of Saigon's busiest and most important boulevards. Due to it's history, the street...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Old Saigon Picture of the Day: City of Bikes
A slower mode of transportation for a slower time.
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Chợ Bà Chiểu - Past & Present
Chợ Bà Chiểu, located on Bach Dang St., has been the central market for Binh Thanh District since 1942. While it's been upgraded and expanded numerous times, most recently in 1987, you can still...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
How Vietnam Got its Name
Le Minh Khai, a researcher of SE Asian history, found that there was a lot of misinformation on the interwebs relating to the origin of Vietnam’s name, especially in English sources. Khai jumped into ...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Old Saigon Picture of the Day: Gánh Tàu Hủ (1926)
While I'm not the biggest fan of chè (Vietnamese sweet soup) in general, gánh tàu hủ (tofu with ginger, caramel and optional coconut milk) has a special place in my heart (even if it's not technically...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
The Story of Tan Son Nhat Airport
As the plan for Saigon's massive Long Thanh Airport moves forward (despite some objections), we thought we'd take a minute to look back at the long history of old standby, Tan Son Nhat.
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Old Saigon Picture of the Day: The Original Sửa Xe (1890s?)
Before the age of motorbikes, Saigon's streets were characterized by ox-drawn carts and horse-drawn carriages. And, just like motorbikes, everyday wear and tear would take their toll, requiering smal...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
The Story of Saigon’s Opium Refinery
Many of you have probably enjoyed a meal in the courtyard at 74 Hai Ba Trung, which currently houses a number of high-end restaurants such as Vasco’s, Hanayuki, Annz and The Refinery; the latter being...
12 Color Pictures of Saigon from Before WWII
With each passing day, Saigon's future becomes a bit more clear, and its past a bit more distant. But fear not, for we've assembled a slideshow of colorized images from Saigon's colonial past.
Saigon’s Citadel - Part 2
This is part 2 of our series on Saigon's citadel. You can read part 1 here. Nguyen Anh (AKA Gia Long) would never use his citadel for military action as hostilities only resumed after his death in 18...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Old Saigon Picture of the Day: Check Out This Badass
In the time before Ducatis and Yamaha FZ16s were the hottest things on two wheels in Saigon, the Honda Cub 67 reigned supreme with local cool kids. Even though many of the old 67's are still around, ...
