in Saigon

Portrait of a Jubilant Saigon on the Precipice of Tết in 1992

Tết in 1992 was an especially fortuitous time to be a foreign arrival to Saigon. 

in Vietnam

In 1992 Vietnam, the Streets Were Brimming With Love and Life

How has your life been transformed in the past 30 years? Changes might materialize overnight, but some tend to creep up on you at a glacial pace. Through this collection of images from 1992, mull over how Vietnam as a country has grown with every 12-month cycle.

in Vietnam

Vintage French Book Illustrations Depict a Quaint Indochina in 1903

In this rare collection of images from 1903 Indochina, life in the peninsula appears as if in a dream, with rows of colonial-style houses in between heritage trees and natural landscapes that weren’t interrupted by concrete.

Paul Christiansen

in Saigon

Did You Know That There's a Mummy on Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm Boulevard?

Why is there a mummy on display in Saigon?

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.

in Saigon

Relive Your Memories of Saigon Water Park via These Photos by One of Its Makers

Although water parks involve a combination of two of the most tedious human experiences, standing in lines and prolonged direct sun exposure, the now-demolished Saigon Water Park was an icon of 2000s Saigon that remains a crucial cornerstone of many city dwellers' memories.

in Vietnam

The Vintage Charm of 1995 Vietnam on Kodachrome Film Slides

While editing a retrospective of my recent work from Vietnam in the summer of 2019, I discovered 50 yellow boxes of Kodachrome slides in my basement that were shot in 1995. The images were from my first trip to Vietnam.

in Saigon

The Tumultuous Tale of Three Ga Sài Gòn Locations, From 1885 Until Now

Travelers arriving by train in Hồ Chí Minh City sometimes express surprise that the main Saigon Railway Station is located in Hòa Hưng, some distance from the central business district. In fact, this is the third railway terminus in a city where each successive station has been built further away from the river.

Back Heritage

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Saigon's Airports in Transition

Rendering of Long Thanh Airport. It’s no secret that Saigon aspires to be the commercial and tourist hub of Southeast Asia. Even as the economy has slowed, tourism in Vietnam is growing at a pace of ...

Brian Letwin

in Vietnam

Street Figures: Nguyen Thi Minh Khai

Nguyen Thi Minh Khai. We’re kicking off our Street Figures series with one of the city’s busiest streets which spans Districts 1 and 3 – Nguyen Thi Minh Khai.

Brian Letwin

in Vietnam

Vietnam’s Long Road to High-Speed Rail: Past & Present

While we dream about subway systems in Saigon and Hanoi, another major project is on the minds of engineers and urban planners – high speed rail. Already the standard in Japan, China and Europe, there...

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Old Saigon: Pictures from Life Magazine

When looking at old pictures of big cities, what usually strikes us is how different yet similar things are today. Back in the 50s, Time Magazine ran some great pictures of Saigon, capturing its initi...

Brian Letwin

in Saigon

Abandoned Temple in District 2

Abandoned Temple. Parts of central District 2 are currently a mish-mash of leveled neighborhoods where all that remain are the skeletons of old buildings.

Brian Letwin

in Vietnam

Contrasting Past & Present

Old bridge. Photo by Khánh Hmoong If you love old Vietnam photos as much as we do, you’ll get a kick out of these which contrast the present and past of some of Vietnam’s most famous sites.