EU: Saigon, Cochin China [Vietnam]. Photograph by John Thomson (1866) A

1866 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam

This view of Saigon dates to 1866, when Scottish photographer John Thomson was travelling through Cochinchina documenting the region for a Western audience largely unfamiliar with Southeast Asia. Saigon was then the young capital of the French colonial territory.

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Ho Chi Minh City Hall through time — all 23 photos taken here (1866–2023) →