Saigon photo montages blend the old with the new

• The old markets that make Hanoi tick
• Rolling back the years: Old Hanoi by bicycle
• Vietnam’s ‘ao dai’: a hit with French photographer
• Retro throwback in the 'waspy waist' ao dai
• Saigon's gentlemen: The man of love letters

Saigon-based photographer Huynh Quoc Thien has come up with the idea of putting together the Saigon of the old days and the Ho Chi Minh City of today.

“I have done a lot of projects on Sai Gon, but this album is my favorite," said Thien, who describes himself as being extremely passionate about street photography. "It’s a blend between the old and the new, the past and the present, which all create the Saigon we know today.”

The photo montages challenge the viewers' perception of time and change. We can see a moped in the 1960s riding right next to a new Honda Air Blade on Tu Do Street (now called Dong Khoi), or how the big billboards in Ben Thanh Market have transformed over the years. In another montage, the Municipal Theatre looks as serene as it did on a cloudy afternoon decades ago.

"I believe everything about Saigon's culture should be respected and preserved,” said Thien. 

A shot in front of Brodard Restaurant on Tu Do (today's Dong Khoi) on the corner of Nguyen Thiep. Photo by Quoc Thien, courtesy of Sai Gon Vi Vu

Sai Gon Central Post Office. Photo by Quoc Thien, courtesy of Sai Gon Vi Vu

Ben Thanh Market. Photo by Quoc Thien, courtesy of Sai Gon Vi Vu

Two layers of time at the French colonial-style Hotel Continental. Photo by Quoc Thien, courtesy of Sai Gon Vi Vu

Independence Palace, formerly known as Norodom Palace. Photo by Quoc Thien, courtesy of Sai Gon Vi Vu

Hotel Majestic. Photo by Quoc Thien, courtesy of Sai Gon Vi Vu

Municipal Theatre. Photo by Quoc Thien, courtesy of Sai Gon Vi Vu

Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica. Photo by Quoc Thien, courtesy of Sai Gon Vi Vu

Ho Chi Minh City Hall or Hôtel de Ville de Saïgon. Photo by Quoc Thien, courtesy of Sai Gon Vi Vu

The Saigon montage will be on display in Ho Chi Minh City at the Sai Gon Vi Vu exhibition starting tomorrow, July 21.

More nostalgia:

> Rolling back the years: Old Hanoi by bicycle

> Retro throwback in the 'waspy waist' ao dai

> Saigon's gentlemen: The man of love letters