SaigonAn Early View of a Barely Developed Saigon in the 1860sDropping a modern Saigoneer into the 1860s version of the city would be a wildly disorienting experience.By SaigoneerAug 10, 20262 minRead story →
SaigonFrom D4's Village Past to Now, History Keeps Wanting to Widen Nguyễn Tất Thành StreetA century before today's bulldozers, colonial planners were already wrestling with the same congested waterfront corridor — and the same promises of transformation.By Christopher Denis-DelacourJul 26, 20269 minRead story →
SaigonHow Nhà Thờ Đức Bà Narrowly Escaped Being the 'Leaning Cathedral of Saigon'Soon after its completion, Saigon’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral developed an embarrassing tilt.By Tim DolingJun 29, 20264 minRead story →
SaigonHow Bách Tùng Diệp Became a Saigon Park From Earmarked Consulate LandIn 1927, after being abandoned for more than 60 years by its Spanish owners, the “Jardin d’Espagne” — known today as Bách Tùng Diệp or Lý Tự Trọng Park — seemed set to become the new home of the British Consulate General in Saigon… but it was not to be.By Tim DolingMay 29, 20267 minRead story →
SaigonThe History of Saigon General Hospital, the Clinic Funded by a Doctor's GenerosityThe Saigon Hospital at 125 Lê Lợi was originally built in the late 1930s as the Polyclinique Dejean de la Bâtie. The French named it after French doctor Théodose Déjean de la Bâtie, who devoted his life to treating members of the Vietnamese community.By Tim DolingMay 4, 20266 minRead story →
Tàu Cánh Ngầm: The Curious Case of Saigon’s Lost Soviet HydrofoilsNot 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.Aug 7, 20252 min read
Vauban Architecture: The Foundation of Central and Northern Vietnam's CitadelsIn our previous article on Vietnam’s southern citadels , we covered a mix of ancient structures and those constructed just before the dawn of French colonization of Indochina. In particular, we focused on Gia Định Citadel, a hulking structure that once stood in what would become Saigon’s city center. Undertaking a similar exercise for Vietnam’s central and northern regions is less practical, given the sheer quantity and variety of citadels in those regions. So, for the second part of our citadel series, we instead will focus on a unifying feature across such fortifications — Vauban architecture.Jun 11, 20259 min read
Unearthed: Tracing the Past Citadels of Southern VietnamAlthough the forces of modernization encourage constant progress and leaving behind the pre-modern past, the trails of yesterday never fail to leave our presence.Jun 3, 20257 min read
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