Blog articles

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Take a look through these articles which have been posted on a weekly basis since November 2013. Some of them were published first in Saigoneer.

Saigon’s American War Vestiges
In Search of Saigon’s American War Vestiges
American War Vestiges in Saigon – 60 Vo Van Tan
American War Vestiges in Saigon – 606 Tran Hung Dao
American War Vestiges in Saigon – 137 Pasteur
American War Vestiges in Saigon – Former “Free World” HQ
American War Vestiges in Saigon – Former USIS Headquarters

Saigon’s Ancient Tombs
Forgotten Nguyen Dynasty Tombs of Phu Nhuan
Ancient Tombs of Saigon – Phan Tan Huynh Tomb, 1824
Ancient Tombs of Saigon – Lam Tam Lang Tomb, 1841
Ta Duong Minh – Thu Duc’s Founding Father 1860s
Notice on Historic Tombs in the Province of Gia-Dinh, 1924

Saigon’s Churches and Chapels
Saigon’s Favourite Churches – Huyen Sy Church
Saigon’s Favourite Churches – Hanh Thong Tay Church
Saigon’s Favourite Churches – Tan Dinh Church
Saigon’s Lost Protestant Chapel

Saigon Before the Arrival of the French
Historical Note on Saigon, 1917
Saigon Through the Eyes of Early Travellers – US Navy Lieutenant John White in 1819, Part 1
Saigon Through the Eyes of Early Travellers – US Navy Lieutenant John White in 1819, Part 2
Saigon Through the Eyes of Early Travellers – George Finlayson in 1822
Petrus Ky – Historical Memories of Saigon and its Environs, 1885, Part 1
Petrus Ky – Historical Memories of Saigon and its Environs, 1885, Part 2
Petrus Ky – Historical Memories of Saigon and its Environs, 1885, Part 3

Saigon During the French Colonial Era
Saigon and its Surroundings in Early 1866
“The Hôtel du Gouvernment in Saigon: Capital of our Cochinchina territories,” from Le Magasin pittoresque, ed. M. Edouard Charton, 1872
King Norodom of Cambodia visits Saigon, 1888
The Conquest and Settlement of Cochinchina in “Les Colonies Francaises,” 1889
Life in Saigon, 1868-1870, by M A Petiton
Saigon-Cholon in 1868, by Charles Lemire
Saigon Through the Eyes of Early Travellers – Dr Albert Morice in 1872, Part 1
Saigon Through the Eyes of Early Travellers – Dr Albert Morice in 1872, Part 2
“Anchorages on the Island of Phu-Quoc” by J Renoud, 1879-1880
Saigon Through the Eyes of Early Travellers – Hugues Krafft in 1882
Saigon Through the Eyes of Early Travellers – Arthur Delteil in 1882, Part 1
Saigon Through the Eyes of Early Travellers – Arthur Delteil in 1882, Part 2
Saigon Through the Eyes of Early Travellers – Arthur Delteil in 1882, Part 3
Saigon and Cho Lon – the Impressions of Magistrate Raoul Postel in 1882, Part 1
Saigon and Cho Lon – the Impressions of Magistrate Raoul Postel in 1882, Part 2
“Saigon Life,” from Société de géographie de Lille, January 1883
“Cochinchina – Principal Centres of Population” from Notices coloniales, Antwerp World Fair, 1885
Saigon Through the Eyes of Early Travellers – Leon Caubert in 1887
Saigon Through the Eyes of Early Travellers – Louise Bourbonnaud in 1888, Part 1
Saigon Through the Eyes of Early Travellers – Louise Bourbonnaud in 1888, Part 2
Saigon Through the Eyes of Early Travellers – Louise Bourbonnaud in 1888, Part 3
Saigon Through the Eyes of Early Travellers – Louise Bourbonnaud in 1888, Part 4
Saigon Through the Eyes of Early Travellers – Louise Bourbonnaud in 1888, Part 5
Saigon Through the Eyes of Early Travellers – Eugene Lagrilliere-Beauclerc in 1899
Saigon Through the Eyes of Early Travellers – Gerrit Verschuur in 1899
Saigon and Cholon in 1899 from Henri Turot’s “Indo-Chine, Philippines, Chine, Japon: d’une gare à l’autre”
“Saigon and Cholon,” from Indo-Chine et Japon, journal de voyage, by Emile Jottrand, 1900
Massenet Première in Saïgon, 1900
Inauguration of the Pigneau de Béhaine statue, 10 March 1902
Saigon Through the Eyes of Early Travellers – C Vray in 1904
Saigon-Souvenir – a 1906 Visitor’s Guide to Saigon
Saigon and Cho Lon – the Impressions of Colonial Lawyer George Durrwell in 1910, Part 1
Saigon and Cho Lon – the Impressions of Colonial Lawyer George Durrwell in 1910, Part 2
Saigon and Cho Lon – the Impressions of Colonial Lawyer George Durrwell in 1910, Part 3
The Economic Future of our Colonies – a 1907 Cochinchina Economic Overview by Eugene Jung
Saigon Through the Eyes of Early Travellers – A Maufroid in 1912
Saigon-Cho Lon in Madrolle’s Tourist Guidebook of 1913
Monograph of Saigon Parish, 1917
What’s Wrong with Saigon Tourism – a Colonial View, 1919
Marshal Joffre’s visit to Saigon, 9-13 December 1921
“Another old Cochinchinois disappears,” L’Éveil économique de l’Indochine, 12
October 1924
Notice on Historic Tombs in the Province of Gia-Dinh, 1924
The Inauguration of the Grands Magasins Charner in 1924
Indochina in Zigzags, by Pierre Billotey, 1928
Tourism in Indochina, 1931
A Short History of Saigon Port
Christmas in Saigon, from La Revue du Pacifique, 15 January 1935
“Forgotten Statues of Cochinchina,” from Le Monde colonial illustré, 1937
“The Bombing of Saigon,” 5-6 May 1944

Saigon’s Famous Streets and Squares
Saigon’s Famous Streets and Squares – Ham Nghi
Saigon’s Famous Streets and Squares – Thai Van Lung Street
Saigon’s Famous Streets and Squares – Tran Hung Dao Boulevard
Saigon’s Famous Streets and Squares – Hai Ba Trung Street
Saigon’s Famous Streets and Squares – Pasteur Street
Saigon’s Famous Streets and Squares – Le Duan Boulevard
Saigon’s Famous Streets and Squares – Ton That Thiep Street
Saigon’s Famous Streets and Squares – Quach Thi Trang Square
Saigon’s Famous Streets and Squares – Me Linh Square

Saigon on the Silver Screen
Saigon on the Silver Screen – The Quiet American, 1958 and 2002
Saigon on the Silver Screen – The Lover, 1992

Saigon Personalities
Dinner with “Tong Doc” Do Huu Phuong
Jean-Baptiste Louis-Pierre – Father of Saigon’s Greenbelt
Quach Dam – Cho Lon’s “King of Commerce”
Wang Tai and the Cochinchina Opium Monopoly

Saigon Tourism
Saigon-Souvenir – a 1906 Visitor’s Guide to Saigon
Phu-Quoc Island by Pierre Rev, 1907
Saigon’s First Tourism Office Opens, 1911
Saigon-Cho Lon in Madrolle’s Tourist Guidebook of 1913
“The Organisation of Tourism in Indochina,” from Maurice Rondet-Saint, Choses de l’Indochine contemporaine, 1916
What’s Wrong with Saigon Tourism – a Colonial View, 1919
Indochina in Zigzags, by Pierre Billotey, 1928
Tourism in Indochina, 1931
Tourism for American Servicemen – a 1963 USO Guide to Saigon
Did Finn Mac Cumhaill visit Viet Nam?

Old Saigon Buildings of the Week
Old Saigon Building of the Week – St Paul’s Convent, 1863
Old Saigon Building of the Week – St Joseph’s Seminary, 1863
Old Saigon Building of the Week – The Signal Mast, 1865
Old Saigon Building of the Week – First Chambre de Commerce Building, 1867
Old Saigon Building of the Week – The Lost Paris Foreign Missions Society Chapel, 1869-1877
Old Saigon Building of the Week – Former Lycee Chasseloup-Laubat, 1877
Old Saigon Building of the Week – Former Grall Hospital, Late 1870s
Old Saigon Building of the Week – Eiffel’s Pont des Messageries Maritimes, 1882
Old Saigon Building of the Week – Former Institution Taberd, 1890
Old Saigon Building of the Week – Former French Masonic Lodge, 17 Le Thanh Ton, 1900
Old Saigon Building of the Week – Saigon Municipal Theatre, 1900
Old Saigon Building of the Week – 93-95 Dong Khoi, 1900-1910
Old Saigon Building of the Week – 128 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, 1900-1910
Old Saigon Building of the Week – 136 Ly Tu Trong, 1900-1910
Old Saigon Building of the Week – 39 Tran Quoc Thao, 1900-1910
Old Saigon Building of the Week – Trinh Khanh Tan Mausoleum, 1914
Old Saigon Building of the Week – Vietnam Railways Building, 1914
Old Saigon Building of the Week – Phuong Nam Mansion at 110-112 Vo Van Tan, 1915-1925
Old Saigon Building of the Week – 48 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, 1920
Old Saigon Building of the Week – Saigon Waterworks Tower, 1921
Old Saigon Building of the Week – Lien Thanh Fish Sauce Company Headquarters, 1922
Old Saigon Building of the Week – Former Cercle Sportif Saigonnais, 1925
Old Saigon Building of the Week – 32 Ham Nghi, 1926
Old Saigon Building of the Week – Tan Dinh Market, 1927
Old Saigon Building of the Week – Second Chambre de Commerce Building, 1928
Old Saigon Building of the Week – Hung King Temple, 1929
Old Saigon Building of the Week – 19-21 Tran Hung Dao, Late 1920s
Old Saigon Building of the Week – 86 Vo Van Tan, Late 1920s
Old Saigon Building of the Week – The Grand Hotel, 1930
Old Saigon Building of the Week – Former Nestle Headquarters, Early 1930s
Old Saigon Building of the Week – Petrus Ky Mausoleum and Memorial House, 1937
Old Saigon Building of the Week – 14 Cach Mang Thang Tam, 1937
Old Saigon Building of the Week – Former Foyer du Soldat et du Marin, 1937
Old Saigon Building of the Week – The “Y” Bridge, 1937
Old Saigon Building of the Week – Former Clinique Saint-Paul, 1938
Old Saigon Building of the Week – Former Saigon Adventist Hospital, 1961
Old Saigon Building of the Week – Ho Chi Minh City General Sciences Library, 1970

Old Saigon Heritage, Past and Present
The Citadels of Gia Dinh
Forgotten Nguyen Dynasty Tombs of Phu Nhuan
Lang Cha Ca – From Mausoleum…. To Roundabout!
Lang Cha Ca – Photographs From 1970
Ancient Tombs of Saigon – Phan Tan Huynh Tomb, 1824
Ancient Tombs of Saigon – Lam Tam Lang Tomb, 1841
Le Van Tam Park – Former Massiges Cemetery, 1859
Mapping the French “Line of Pagodas,” 1859-1860
Icons of Old Saigon – The First Governor’s Palace, 1861
Icons of Old Saigon – The Belt Canal (Canal de Ceinture), 1862
Icons of Old Saigon – The Eglise Sainte-Marie-Immaculee, 1863
Icons of Old Saigon – The Maison Centrale de Saigon, 1866
Jean-Baptiste Louis-Pierre, Father of Saigon’s Greenbelt
The Lost Inner-city Waterways of Saigon and Cho Lon – Part 1: Saigon
The Lost Inner-city Waterways of Saigon and Cho Lon – Part 2: Cho Lon
Ta Duong Minh – Thu Duc’s Founding Father
Saigon’s Palais Norodom – A Palace Without Purpose
Icons of Old Saigon – Shophouse Architecture
Icons of Old Saigon – The Hotel de l’Univers, 1872
The “Leaning Cathedral” of Saigon
Saigon’s Earliest Museums
The Tour de l’Inspection
The Changing Faces of Sai Gon Railway Station, 1885-1983
Foulhoux’s Saigon
Icons of Old Saigon – The Gambetta Monument, 1889
Icons of Old Saigon – The Canal Bonard, 1893
Icons of Old Saigon – Andre Pancrazi’s Cafe de la Musique and Grand Hotel des Nations
Saint-Saens in Saigon, 1894-1895
Icons of Old Saigon – The Electricity Building, 1896
Icons of Old Saigon – The Swing Bridge (Pont Tournant), 1903
The first public motor vehicle in Indochina, 1901
The First American Consul in Saigon, 1907
Icons of Old Saigon – The Casino de Saigon, 1910
Gateway to Nowhere – The “Gia Dinh Gate,” 1913
1915 Book Review: La Pagode de Dakao by A. E. Lelièvre and Ch. A. Clouqueur
Marshal Joffre’s visit to Saigon, 9-13 December 1921
“The Old Annamite Citadels of Cochinchina” by Ung Hoe, 1926
Icons of Old Saigon – Etablissements Bainier Auto Hall, 1920
The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Madame de la Souchere
The Story of Saigon’s “Jardin d’Espagne”
Saigon’s Oil Buildings – 15 and 7 Le Duan
Truong Van Ben and the Story of Co Ba Soap
Pierre Coupeaud and the Great Cyclo Trial of February 1936
Saigon’s Old French Planter Villas
House of Horrors – Bot Day Thep
“Cu Chi Lite” – The Secret Tunnels of Phu Tho Hoa
Saigon’s Subterranean Secrets
Graham Greene’s Saigon
Ngo Dinh Diem’s Secret Tunnels
Icons of Old Saigon – The Artists’ Pagoda and Cemetery in Go Vap
Sinister Goings-on by the River – The CIO Building
Derailing Saigon’s 1966 Monorail Dream

Date with the Wrecking Ball
Date With the Wrecking Ball – Thu Thiem Parish Church and Lovers of the Holy Cross Convent
Date with the Wrecking Ball – Ba Son Shipyard, 1790
“Saigon’s New Dry Dock,” from La Science illustree journal, 21 April 1888
Date with the Wrecking Ball – Former Cercle des Officiers, 47 Le Duan, 1876
Date with the Wrecking Ball – Customs Directorate Building, 2 Ham Nghi, 1887
Date with the Wrecking Ball – Former Secretariat du Gouvernement Building, 59-61 Ly Tu Trong, 1888
Date with the Wrecking Ball – Vietnam Railways Building, 136 Ham Nghi, 1914
Date with the Wrecking Ball – Former Imprimerie de l’Union Building, 49-57 Nguyen Du, c 1920
Date with the Wrecking Ball – Saigon Tax Trade Centre, 1924
Date with the Wrecking Ball – Former College de Can-Tho, 1924
Saving the Saigon Tax Trade Centre’s Mosaic Staircase – “A Priceless Work of Art”
The Saigon Tax Trade Centre Mosaic Staircase – A Forgotten Moroccan Masterpiece
Date with the Wrecking Ball – Catinat Building, 26 Ly Tu Trong, 1927
Date with the Wrecking Ball – 213 Dong Khoi, 1930
Date With the Wrecking Ball – Ernst Thälmann Secondary School, 1931
Date with the Wrecking Ball – 606 Tran Hung Dao, 1932
Date with the Wrecking Ball – Former Maison du Combattant, 23 Le Duan, 1932
Date with the Wrecking Ball – Former Bot Catinat, 164 Dong Khoi, 1933
Date with the Wrecking Ball – Saigon Hospital, 125 Le Loi, Late 1930s
Date with the Wrecking Ball – The Catinat-Cine Mosaics
What Future for Petrus Ky’s Mausoleum and Memorial House?
The Curious Case of the Vanishing Revolutionary Monuments
A Second Chance for Tan An Communal House
Icons of Old Saigon – Shophouse Architecture
2014 – A Watershed Year for Saigon’s Built Heritage?
The People Vote on the New City Administration Building
Saigon’s Five Most Endangered Heritage Buildings, December 2014
Saigon’s Endangered Heritage Buildings – the Top 10, July 2015

Off the Tourist Trail in Saigon
Off the Tourist Trail in Saigon – The People’s Army Delegation HQ
Off the Tourist Trail in Saigon – Tran Phu Memorial Museum

French Indochina Newspaper Articles
“Another old Cochinchinois disappears,” L’Éveil économique de l’Indochine, 12 October 1924
“A Tasty Stroll in Saigon,” L’Écho annamite newspaper, 18 April 1924
“Annamite woman abused by tramway conductors”, 18 April 1926

The Royal Court in Huế
“Excursion to Hue: Court, Palace and Tombs,” published for the Hanoï Exposition, 1902
“Assassination of a King: Details of the Latest Annamite Intrigues” from Le Matin, 4 August 1883
“King Dong-Khanh,” from Saïgon Républicain, 5 February 1889
“The Illness and Death of King Dong-Khanh – Proclamation and Coronation of King Thanh-Thai – Organisation of the Council of Regency,” Le Temps, 26 March 1889
The Emperor of Annam – The Investiture Ceremony at the Court of Hue, from Saïgon Républicain, 6 March 1889
“The Little King,” Le Petit Parisien: journal quotidien du soir, 25 October 1895
“The Royal Court,” from Les Annamites by Frédéric Baille, 1898
“Monsieur Doumer, his Emperor and his King,” Figaro (Paris), 21 January 1898
“Excursion to Hue: Court, Palace and Tombs,” published for the Hanoï Exposition, 1902
The “Affair of the Tombs,” 1912-1913
“The Court of Annam modernises,” Les Annales coloniales: organe de la “France coloniale modern,” 14 December 1912
The Madness of Emperor Thanh Thai
An Emperor of Annam in La Réunion, 1927
At the House of the “Chinese King,” 1927
Emperor Ham Nghi in Exile
“The Emperor Khai-Dinh” by François Tessan, 1922
Emperor Khai Dinh in France: A Victory for French Cuisine, Le Monde illustré 8 July 1922
“Emperor Bao-Daï returns to Annam,” Le Petit Parisien, 3 August 1932
“The Renovation of Annam” by Frédéric Brévili, Revue du Pacifique, 15 January
1933

Hoi An and Da Nang
A Relic of the Steam Railway Age in Da Nang
By Tram to Hoi An
Dien Hai – Da Nang’s Forgotten Vauban Citadel
K20 Resistance Base in Da Nang

Việt Nam, Cambodia and Laos railways
The Phu Lang Thuong-Lang Son railway line, from Autour du Tonkin (“Around Tonkin”) by Henri-Philippe d’Orléans, 1894
The Hanoi-Dong-Dang Railway, from Alfred Cunningham, The French in Tonkin and South China, 1902
A Relic of the Steam Railway Age in Da Nang
By Tram to Hoi An
Date with the Wrecking Ball – Vietnam Railways Building
Derailing Saigon’s 1966 Monorail Dream
Dong Nai Forestry Tramway
Full Steam Ahead on Cambodia’s Toll Royal Railway
Goodbye to Steam at Thai Nguyen Steel Works
Ha Noi Tramway Network
How Vietnam’s Railways Looked in 1927
Inauguration of the First Section of the Langbian Cog Railway, 1927
Indochina Railways in 1928
“La Compagnie française des Tramways de l’Indochine,” from Le Courrier colonial illustré, December 1928
“It Seems that One Network is being Stripped to Re-equip Another” – The Controversial CFI Locomotive Exchange of 1935-1936
“Pacific Type Locomotives Built for Indochina,” 1939
Phu Ninh Giang-Cam Giang Tramway
Saigon Tramway Network
Saigon’s Rubber Line
Some Features of the Viet-Nam Railway System, February 1973
The Changing Faces of Sai Gon Railway Station, 1885-1983
The Langbian Cog Railway
Inauguration of the First Section of the Langbian Cog Railway, 1927
The Long Bien Bridge – “A Misshapen but Essential Component of Ha Noi’s Heritage”
The Future of Viet-Nam Railways, August 1954
The Lippmann Affair
The Lost Railway Works of Truong Thi
The Mysterious Khon Island Portage Railway
The Railway which Became an Aerial Tramway
The Saigon-My Tho Railway Line
80 Years of Viet Nam’s North-South railway line 
Rails Through Viet Nam 1 – “The Conveyance which Runs by Fire”
Rails Through Viet Nam 2 – “Railroading where the competition is a war”

Other topics
King Marie I of the Sedang

 

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