The Great Hanoi Rat Massacre: The Capital's Brief Stint With the Plague
France left a diverse legacy in Indochina: colonial buildings, flushing toilets and even the bubonic plague.
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Street Cred: Ly Thai To, the Emperor Who Created Hanoi
Ly Thai To – founder of the Later Ly dynasty, Vietnam’s first stable empire – is one of Vietnam’s most important historical figures, so it’s no surprise that his name appears on one of Saigon’s most v...
[Photos] The Glory of Hue in the Early 20th Century
Dated from 1928 to 1936, these rare black-and-white photos offer a glimpse into the opulence of Hue when it was still the capital of Vietnam and the seat of Nguyen Dynasty emperors.
Street Cred: The Brothers From Tay Son
Flip through the history books and you’ll find a recurring character trait in many national heroes. From the Trung sisters to Ngo Quyen to Vo Thi Sau, Vietnamese history is full of badasses. While sev...
Emperor Bao Dai’s Rolex Just Became the World's Most Expensive Watch
Emperor Bao Dai’s Rolex made history this weekend as the most expensive watch ever sold at auction.
[Photos] The Children of 1967 Vietnam
Some of these kids could be our moms and dads.
Street Cred: Duy Tan, The 8-Year-Old Emperor
When the French first enthroned Duy Tan, the youngest emperor of the Nguyen dynasty, their expectation was that a boy, at the ripe age of eight, would not take much interest in imperial rule.
[Photos] The Serene, Laid-Back Vibe of Hanoi in the Mid-1990s
Hanoi in the mid-1990s was a city of rich traditions and a laid-back lifestyle.
A 100-Year-Old French Villa Was Recently Bulldozed in Hue
You might want to sit down for this: a 100-year-old building in Hue has been bulldozed due to poor maintenance.
[Photos] The Sleepy, Small Town Vibes of Central Vietnam in the Early 1960s
Before it became the modern metropolis it is today, Da Nang used to be a sleepy fishing village.
[Photos] 1970s Vietnam: Lambrettas, Spartan Fields and Renaults Galore
In the 1970s, urban Vietnam was a Lambretta paradise.
[Photos] The Calm Austerity of Vung Tau in the Late 1960s
Whether it's 2017 or the late 1960s, Vung Tau is a sleepy coastal town that exudes charm.
[Photos] Serviceman’s Photos Offer a Glimpse of Sleepy 1967 Phan Thiet
As we’ve seen before, photos taken by American military personnel during the war often help to paint a picture of mid-1960s to early 1970s Vietnam. Such is the case with Bob Kelly’s album of 1967 Phan...
Hanoi Considers Getting Rid of Wartime Loudspeakers
Hanoi residents might have to say goodbye to the city’s wartime loudspeakers, or loa phường.
[Photos] Take a Tour of Da Nang in 1954
A collection of pictures compiled on Flickr shows what life in Da Nang looked like way back in 1954.
Khoi Pham in Vietnam
Street Cred: Phan Boi Chau and Phan Chu Trinh, the Yin and Yang of Vietnam's Insurgency in the 1900s
In today’s Saigon, Ben Thanh Market’s eastern and western entrances are joined by Phan Chu Trinh and Phan Boi Chau Streets, respectively. While the two short, cozy roads never intersect, the fate of t...
[Photos] 1950s Ha Long Bay in Black and White
It will come as a surprise to no one that Ha Long Bay was much quieter in the 1950s than it is today.
[Photos] The Many Faces of 1950s Vietnam
In this collection of black-and-white snapshots, a famed French photographer finds beauty in tumultuous 1950s Vietnam.
[Photos] Early 1980s Hanoi on the Brink of Doi Moi
The early 1980s were a complicated time for Vietnam. Still reeling from the end of a war within the country – not to mention border conflicts with Cambodia and China in the later 1970s – Vietnam was j...
[Photos] On the 1990s Tourist Trail in Hanoi
Packed with traffic, skyscrapers and a growing number of four-wheeled vehicles, today's Hanoi is a world apart from its 1990s incarnation.
