[Photos] A Day Trip to 1968 Vung Tau

Time for a trip to the coast.

While old photos of Saigon depict a city that is certainly different from what it is today, there are similarities. Even 60 years ago, the streets were busy, and the layout of central districts was largely the same. Newer, suburban districts hardly existed, of course, but Le Loi is still Le Loi, and the Opera House is still the Opera House.

Vung Tau, on the other hand, was a quiet coastal town, still early in its development, as seen in these photos taken by an American service member named Jeff Lander in 1968. Modern Vung Tau is a bustling place jammed with hotels, traffic and restaurants of all type, a far cry from the rather sleepy streets and undeveloped areas along the water of years past.

Visit Saigon's favorite beach getaway through a time machine below:

A quiet, sun-dappled street.

A group of people enjoying some shade at the Thien Lam pagoda.

Mangrove-encircled Dai An lagoon.

A kiosk on Front Beach near Quang Trung Street.

An abandoned shipwreck on the coast.

A fishing village.

A small dental clinic.

A quiet side street with stylish old cars.

A scene from Vung Tau's main market.

The bustling market, with the US radar base on Nui Lon in the background.

[Photos via RedsVN]