Street Cred: Hai Thuong Lan Ong, the Father of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine
Hai Thuong Lan Ong is one of the most influential figures in the history of traditional Vietnamese medicine.
[Photos] Saigon’s 81-Year-Old Downtown Mosque, 1958-1979
As high-rises go up and Saigon’s historical buildings come down, more than a few of District 1’s landmarks have disappeared. The Jamia Al-Musulman Mosque, however, remains in the heart of the city, ru...
Khoi Pham in Saigon
Street Cred: Ho Xuan Huong, a Woman Ahead of Her Time
Despite being one of Vietnam’s most prominent classical poets, Ho Xuan Huong’s existence remains an enigma to this day.
[Photos] Saigon Then & Now: Ben Thanh Market
The southern hub has seen its fair share of transformations over the years. From French colonialism to the swinging 60s, the early days of Đổi Mới to 21st-century Vietnam, Saigon’s urban lan...
[Photos] A Day at the Saigon Zoo: 1967
For generations of Saigoneers, a visit to the city’s Zoological and Botanical Garden is an important milestone of their childhood. However, in the following collection of photos, we get a glimpse of t...
After Demolition Begins, City Officials Order Renovation of Century-Old Villa
After its owner caught the public's attention by demolishing portions of the building, one of Saigon’s few remaining century-old villas might finally get the renovation it deserves.
[Photos] The City That Never Sits Still: Traffic in 1994 Saigon
In Saigon on Wheels, American photojournalist Ed Kashi managed to capture the pulse of a simpler Saigon.
Khoi Pham in Saigon
Street Cred: The Badass Tale of Co Giang
If there’s one thing you need to know about Vietnamese women in history, it’s that they were badasses. From waging wars to avenge their husbands to throwing a grenade at enemy lines, countless Vi...
[Photos] Inside a 1949 Saigon Opium Detox Clinic
In 1949, LIFE ran a photo essay depicting life in Saigon. The images featured candid, picturesque snapshots of life during the city's bygone cosmopolitan era. But among the lively slice-of-life p...
[Video] Meet Saigon's 'Man of Love Letters'
In the latest installment of Sai Gon Vi Vu’s documentary series Saigon’s Gentlemen, we follow the life story of Duong Van Ngo, the last remaining public letter-writer at Saigon's Central Post Office.
One of Saigon’s Oldest Buildings Demolished to Make Way for Hilton Hotel
Another day, another historic Saigon building wiped off the map. This time, we said goodbye to one of the city’s oldest structures, the first Chambre de Commerce de Saïgon.
Gateway to Nowhere: The Yellow 'Gia Dinh Gate,' 1913
It’s claimed by several tourism websites that a gateway from one of the ancient Gia Dinh citadels has survived and may be viewed on the Dinh Tien Hoang-Phan Dang Luu intersection in Binh Thanh Distric...
Saigon's State Bank Building to Be Named a National Relic
In a rare win for the heritage buildings of Saigon, officials have announced their intention to add the city's State Bank Building to the list of national relics.
Saigon's Earliest Museums
One of the last museums to be set up in French Indochina, the Vietnam History Museum in Ho Chi Minh City was over 60 years in the making.
Street Cred: Ngo Quyen
Northern Vietnam's Bach Dang River may be overshadowed by the buzzing tourist attractions of Ha Long Bay, however this historic river has played an instrumental role in Vietnamese history for centurie...
Date With the Wrecking Ball: Ernst Thälmann Secondary School
In the wake of last week’s announcement in Thanh Nien newspaper that Korean construction company Jimiro will build three 55-story office buildings, a 30-story five-star hotel and a 10-story commercial...
Saigon’s Old French Planter Villas
Despite the ongoing destruction of colonial buildings in Saigon, there’s still a small quarter of District 3 where it’s possible to identify villas which were once occupied by rich French rubber plant...
Saigon’s Favorite Churches: Huyen Sy Church
Widely regarded as one of the most beautiful churches in the city, the Église Huyện Sỹ in District 1 was constructed in 1902-1905 on the corner of Rue Frère Louis (now Nguyễn Trãi Street) and Rue Frèr...
The Saigon-My Tho Line: Indochina’s First Railway
Inaugurated on July 20, 1885, the Saigon–Mỹ Tho line was the first railway line in French Indochina.
Marshal Joffre’s 1921 Visit to Saigon
French government photographers have left us a detailed photographic record of Great War hero Marshal Joffre’s December 1921 visit to Saigon.
