Vietnam residents are rightfully celebrating recent advances in public transit.
With Saigon's first metro opening just a few months ago, and Hanoi's second metro line inaugurated in the middle of last year, crowds are embracing the novel thrills of railway public transportation. But traversing a metropolis via public rail is nothing new. At the dawn of last century, the colonial authorities implemented a then state-of-the-art electric tramway in the capital.
Artistic re-imagining of life during the tram's heyday. Image by Behance user Tung Le.
The tramway's first line was inaugurated in 1901 and, by 1943, an extension of the fifth line brought the network's total length to 30 kilometers. At its peak, the tramway was a dreamy symbol of modernity and class which improved the daily lives of those who could afford to use it. Following the war with France, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam took over and continued operations for another 30 years. Unfortunately, by the 1980s, it had largely deteriorated to the point of disuse.
Jennifer Lynas, an Australian, traveled to Vietnam in 1990 with her husband as part of one of the first independent tour groups to visit the nation following reunification. While she reportedly didn't realize the significance of it at the time, she was witness to some of the last days of the tram system which was fully abandoned soon after her trip.
Looking at the photos collected and uploaded by her husband, Ian N. Lynas, may not conjure romantic nostalgia for the tramway, but it does serve as a good reminder of the nation's enduring hunger for innovative public transportation.
Check out the photos below:
[Photos via Flickr account Ian N. Lynas]
