Saigon20 Pictures of Cho Lon From Before You Were BornCho Lon is one of Saigon’s oldest and most interesting neighborhoods. Spanning much of Districts 5 and 6, this predominantly Chinese area has been an integral part of Saigon’s economy since its establishment in 1778. When Cho Lon was incorporated as a city in 1879, it lay 11km from Saigon.By Brian LetwinAug 5, 20141 minRead story →
Saigon16 Old Pictures Of The Saigon Zoo (Thảo Cầm Viên)Established in 1869, the Saigon Zoo (Thảo Cầm Viên) is the 8th oldest in the world .By Brian LetwinAug 4, 20141 minRead story →
SaigonThe Lost History of Germans in SaigonThough it was a French colony, companies from all over Europe were engaged in trade and production in Indochina, especially in Saigon. Germans in particular played a major role in the city’s turn-of-the-twentieth-century economic growth. But as World War I engulfed the Continent, changing geopolitics spread to Saigon and the city’s German population was deported, almost overnight.By Brian LetwinMay 20, 20143 minRead story →
SaigonOld Pictures of Saigon's CanalsCanals used to serve as the Saigon's main commercial highway, connecting the city to the Saigon river and in turn the web of rivers that traverse Vietnam.By Brian LetwinMay 9, 20141 minRead story →
SaigonNguyen Hue Street (1871)Nguyen Hue Street, one of Saigon’s oldest thoroughfares, has undergone numerous transformations over its history. With the craziness of the holidays and accompanying sea of motorbikes, it's hard to imagine Saigon as a sleepy colonial backwater. But this image of Nguyen Hue Street, taken around 1871, less than 10 years after the French formally occupied the city , paints the 'city' as a calm and sparsely populated area.By Brian LetwinJan 2, 20141 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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