[Photos] The Wilderness of Suburban Saigon in 1904
In 1904, the entirety of Saigon was confined to the area we know as District 1 today. Apart from the neatly planned city center and Cho Lon’s bustling trade town, the city’s peripheral regions were ov...
[Photos] Aerial Shots of a Past Saigon Without Towering High-Rises
Saigon represents constant transition.
[Photos] 17 Photos of Quiet Moments in 1963 Saigon by Pete Komada
In piecing together our collective memory of a Saigon past, old photos play an insurmountable role in providing visual evidence that the human mind might miss after decades.
[Photos] Black-and-White Photos Capture the Life and Labor in 1991 Cho Lon
Famous Japanese photographer Doi Kuro once said: "Vietnamese people’s lives are exposed on every street. That’s fascinating." Perhaps that is why photographers visiting Vietnam usually focus on the ci...
Street Cred: Phan Đình Phùng, My Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather
An unassuming street named Phan Dinh Phung runs through Saigon’s Phu Nhuan District. It is named after a Vietnamese revolutionary who led rebel armies against French colonial forces in the 1880s ...
[Photos] Memories of 1966 Saigon in 11 Film Photos
Have you ever wondered why a fascination about old images is encoded in our blood? Tattered family albums, tiny Polaroid shots, a roll of undeveloped film — these have great potential to surprise us w...
[Photos] 23 Photos of Saigon Street Life in 1969-1970
Free of international-style skyscrapers, Saigon’s urban quarters used to be all red roofs and modernist tube houses in the late 1960s.
[Photos] The Streets of Cho Lon, as Seen Through Old Postcards
From downtown Saigon, take Tran Hung Dao Boulevard, drive past rows of towering dipterocarp trees, and one will arrive in the colorful quarters of Cho Lon.
[Photos] Saigon Street Life in 1965 by Bruce Baumler – Part 2
Continuing the visual spectacle of Saigon from part 1 of the collection, here are more candid shots of the city’s street life in 1965.
[Photos] Saigon Street Life in 1965 by Bruce Baumler – Part 1
Identifying streets and neighborhoods of Saigon based on old pictures might seem like a skill exclusively reserved for those who have lived through the eras, but at times it’s like a fascinating game ...
Saigon's Built Heritage Is Under Threat. How Do We Protect What's Left?
In an exclusive excerpt from his latest book, Exploring Saigon-Chợ Lớn: Vanishing Heritage of Hồ Chí Minh City, historian Tim Doling discusses the city's threatened heritage architecture and what the ...
[Photos] A Visual Anthology of Life and Fashion of 1970 Saigoneers
One of Saigon's most compelling attractions has always been the people, and this collection of photos taken from the 1970s shows us just why Saigoneers are a fascinating breed.
[Photos] Hiding From the Heat at Cong Hoa Swimming Pool in 1965
Saigon’s most famous swimming pool is perhaps that of the Cercle Sportif Saigonnais, a huge sporting facility on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai that was built in the 1900s for the city’s rich to frolic in every...
[Video] Rare Newsreels From 1930 Show Harsh Realities of Life in Colonial Saigon
In an extremely rare collection of disjointed clips, Saigon in 1930 appears like the setting of a haunting fever dream.
Brian Letwin in Saigon
From Botany Institute to Amusement Park: The Evolution of Thao Cam Vien Sai Gon
Local parks such as the Jardin d’Espagne and Jardin de la Ville, now Tao Dan Park, were a focal point of Saigon’s early urban development. But no green space carried such significance as the Jardin Bo...
[Photos] 13 Black-and-White Shots of Saigon in 1962
Badass girl power, young love and vintage cars: the streets of Saigon in 1962 seemed much cooler than they are today, when pavements weren't riddled with debris and construction sites.
[Photos] 17 Photos of 2002 Saigon as Seen From Above
2002 might not seem like a long time ago, but Saigon’s urbanscapes have grown so much in the last ten years that these scenes offer some surprising insights into our city 17 years in the past.
[Photos] Out and About on Nguyen Hue Boulevard in the Late 1960s
Horse-drawn carriages, flower shops with white-tiled basins and a multitude of parked bikes: these were what used to occupy the length of Nguyen Hue Boulevard in the 1960s before it became the walking...
[Photos] 10 Remarkable Black-and-White Shots of Saigon in 1967
Lush bunches of fresh bananas at a market, a street-side merchant selling embroidered artworks to tourists, and Buddhist worshipers praying at a local temple — these Saigon scenes are rather mundane b...
[Photos] From Bach Dang to An Dong: 25 Photos of 1965 Saigon
A stroll along Ham Nghi, basking in the breeze of the Bach Dang Wharf and unwinding at the Saigon Zoo: George P. Morgan, Jr. followed the typical tourist trail in the city for a day during his time in...
