Related to Saigon

- Page 1 -

Hand-painted Postcards of Saigon from the 1850's to 1900's (?)

August 2017

[Received from Jim Anderson]


Video of Saigon Streets in 1964

One interesting scene about 2:50 into the video is of an American MP checking  basket of pineapples

for any "fragmentation pineapples" or whatever.   He is wearing khakis and holding a M-1 carbine (?).

Received from Rick Fredericksen in May 2016.


Bombing of the Metropole BEQ in December 1965

Goes to a Stars & Stripes article on the bombing.


Bombing of the Metropole BEQ in December 1969

October to December 2015

Was the Metropole bombed twice?


(The) Fall of Saigon: April 29-30, 1975

November 2015

A 53-minute video on the events as captured by an NBC News team on the scene.

Little of it is new to most of us but it is still interesting (Jim W)

[Submitted by Rick Fredericksen.]


Fall of Saigon ~ The Saddest Day, April 30, 1975

For my Brothers in Arms, my sisters in uniform and all those that thought we did a great job...all of us gave some,

some of us gave it all.  For What?  For each other, that's what.   I was interviewed by  the local paper

when it all ended...in all my "cop in uniform" splendor...my comment at the time ... "We were sold down the

river by Washington."  Not much has changed since 1975, has it.

Semper Fi, Republic of Vietnam Senior Class of 1966, 1967 & 1968.

We served our time in Hell.  Lord Bless us All...

[Written by a friend of and received from Joe Ciokon.] This was also received from Mike McNally on September 21, 2013.  His comments were as follows: Mostly raw footage (probably by Neil Davis) with a few brief news pieces by Jim Lauri (27minutes).

Early in the film, you will see the last helicopter leaving the roof of the

US Embassy on the morning of April 30, 1975.


Fall of Saigon

-- The Remains of the Last Two US Military Killed in Saigon are Returned --

This is the story of recovering the bodies of the two marines who were killed at Tan Son Nhut Air Base

on April 29th, 1975 during the US withdrawal from South Vietnam

[Found on Facebook by Jim White, June 6th, 2019.]


Saigon in 1899

As seen through the eyes of an early visitor - Gerrit Verschuur.

Some of the buildings we knew in Saigon already existed or were being built at this time.

[Received from Rick Fredericksen on August 5th, 2014.]


Saigon Map, 1937

[Received from Mike McNally on August 5th, 2014.]

Mike's comments: You should be able to read the Legende [if you read French], which lists 61 locations in Saigon.

It's a little harder to read the numbers on the map, since the ink bled a little wide in 1937.  But you can make out

some numbers clearly, and guess at some others. You can see the Post Office at #55 and the Cathedral across

the street at #9. Just below these two is the Surete Office, #57. Below the Surete is the Tourist Office which

produced the map. It's #52.  Next door to the Tourist Office is the American Consulate, #25.  The street the

Tourist Office and American Consulate are on is Rue de la Grandiere.  The Tourist Office is listed as 22 Rue

de la Grandiere. On 29 April 1975, an Air America helicopter was photographed loading evacuees atop

the Pittman Apartment Building at 22 Gia Long, formerly Rue de la Grandiere.  Some descriptions mistakenly

gave the location as the American Embassy.  I think the Pittman Apartments may have been located at the

former Tourist Office building, next door to the former American Consulate.

Saigon Diary

by Mme. Germaine Krull (former French War Correspondent)

Covers the period September 12 to 24, 1945 when everything

was still very much in a state of flux following Japan's defeat.

[Received from Mike McNally in May 2014.]

From Mike's accompanying message:

The PDF starts with a 1947 transmittal note from a US government agency.  Here's what it says: "The underlying

diary by a former French war correspondent (Germaine Krull) describes the Allied occupation of Saigon,

September 12 to 24, 1945.  The report is by far the most graphic, vivid, and absorbing account of this critical

period, which witnessed the beginning of the war in Indochina. which has reached SEA.  Highlights have been

marked in blue pencil, but the report is well worth reading in its entirety."

Germaine Krull's account of the events in Saigon from 12 Sep 45 to 24 Sep 45 is not dry history.  It's very

personal and detailed. Three of the main locations mentioned are Tan Son Nhut, the Continental Hotel,

and the Saigon City Hall.  Krull herself becomes a participant in the events.

In a second transmittal slip, an American mentions that Krull had been known to be "very left-wing".

Wikipedia says she was once a communist.  But this account mentions enough real people that it seems

that if it were invented history, the Americans could have easily discredited it.  Instead, they seem to

have endorsed it as true. Thirty years is a drop-in-the-bucket of human history. In September 1945, Viet Minh

forces occupied Saigon City Hall.  They awaited further instructions from Hanoi.  On 30 April 1975, the PRG

re-occupied Saigon City Hall, aided by the forces from Hanoi. In between 1945 and 1975, all of us participated

in the history of Vietnam, a history which will be discussed and debated as long as historical records exist.

Saigon - Aerial Views, 1955
Three aerial views of Saigon from 1955, some 10 to 15 years before most of us got there.

[Received from Mike McNally on September 21, 2013.]

Sight-Seeing in Saigon in 1955
Suppose you were stationed in Saigon in 1955 and you had a day off. What could you do? 

How about taking a little tour of the city.

[Received from Mike McNally]

AVFN Group Member Comments


[Steve Sevits]  Pretty much the same city as I remember it 1963, except by that time I don't recall any old Citroen automobiles and by 1963 the streets were clogged with lots of Renault taxis, blue on the bottom and cream colored on top.  Still a beautiful city.  Other people who were there by November 1963 say the city had changed measurably but I prefer to remember it as it was when I was there.

[Nancy Smoyer]  What a nice looking city.  Certainly not the way I remember it!

[Home movies by Steve Wiltsie]  For an idea of what traffic in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) was like in 1970,
click here.

[Bob Nelson]  Then to see what it looks like today,
click here.


[Jim White]  Or, to go back again, this was taken from the roof of the Ky Son Annex in May 1970:

​​The Vietnamese TV Station next to the AFVN Saigon Main Station as of 2015

[Posted by Jim White on April 28, 2015.]


Saigon Subway Design
First line to open in 2020.
[Submitted by Mike McNally on May 30, 2015]


Saigon Round Up

February 14, 1964

Contains a number of articles and advertisements related to Saigon and/or Vietnam. 

Well worth looking at for lots of little tidbits of history. 

For example, check out page 18 to see what many of us knew as the 218th Dispensary (near the KySon Annex) was in 1964.

[Scanned at the 2014 Reunion by Jim White.]


Radio Saigon, the Voice of France in the Pacific

The history of French Radio in the Far East from from 1939 to 1956.

Narration is in Vietnamese but the text is in English and a number of photos are included.

[Lead to the site received from Rick Fredericksen on November 7, 2015.]


Saigon Souvenir -- A 1906 Visitor's Guide to Saigon

Saigon-Souvenir - A 1906 Visitor’s Guide to Saigon In 1906, an unknown writer using the

pen name L. I.  published a small brochure in English entitled Saigon-Souvenir.

[Received from Mike McNally.]

Saigon: 1955, 1946, 1940

YouTube Video of the Saigon of the past.

[Posted November 11, 2017.]

Saigon Guide - 1958 
Prepared by the American Women's Association of Saigon. 
[Received from Mike McNally] 

Even if you have looked at it before, it's worth a second glance. It's not too long, and it's filled with facts. 
In 1958, Saigon was in the eye of the storm. Vietnam had been divided.  Diem was in charge of Free Vietnam. 
Thousands of refugees had relocated to South Vietnam from the North.  There was the anticipation of "problems", 
but things were still fairly quiet.  Americans had brought their children to Saigon.  The kids could attend the 
American Community School located at the corner of Thong Nhut and Mac Dinh Chi, the future site of the new 
American Embassy which would open in 1967.  In the meantime, the Americans working at the American 
Embassy at 39 Ham Nghi could cross over to nearby Khanh Hoi Island for lunch at Guillaume Tell's. 
Chateaubriand cost 95 piastres.  There's a small map at the end of the file, and a page listing numbered locations. 
The map is useful in that it sometimes give both the current street names and the former names under French rule. 

Saigon Map, 1960 
The date is approximate.   The map was printed with north pointed at around 2100. 
The link on the right is the same map, but with north pointed at approximately 1200 hours. 

Map as Printed                           Rotated Map 

Saigon Travel Brouchure Fascinating Saigon, 1961 [Received from Mike McNally, September 2014]

La Semaine a Saigon
For the week of November 9th to 15th, 1963 A WEEK IN SAIGON
Information and Touristic action weekly issue, together with its Announceurs offers it Best WELCOME wishes.

This booklet: containing every available information together with a selection of the best Establishments, will help

you to spend the most agreeable and advantageous stay.  [Sic., from page 3.]

[Received from Mike McNally in May 2014.  He found it in the William Colby Collection at the Texas Tech Vietnam Archive.]


Saigon Map, 1966 or 1967   Index

Terrorists Hit Twice in South Vietnam
Chicago Tribune Archive File
October 17, 1966

Includes news about a bomb going off at the Ky Son Annex Bus Stop.
Was anyone with with AFVN there at the time?
[Received from Mike McNally]


Saigon Photos from 1966 by Tom Biggs

This link goes to Tom Bigg's collection of photos related to his tour in Vietnam.

A number of them have some rather interesting comments from others who have visited his page.
(Posted with permission.)

(This is) Saigon, ABC News, 1967

This is one of an ABC News series on the Vietnam War. SP4 Cramer Haas, USA,

hosting the "Dawn Buster" program is at about 2:00 minutes into the program.

[Received from Mike McNally on September 21, 2013.]
If you look carefully you'll notice that the AFVN clip was not shot in the AM studio at #9 Hong Thap Tu. As a short-timer Austin Cramer

was no longer doing the show and had little to do but hang around the station with Ron Nottleson and Dirty Dan Doherty,

so when the ABC crew wanted to do the segment Dirty Dan arranged for him simulate the GMV segment in the FM studio.

[Posted on Facebook by Don Fox in April 2019.]


Saigon 1968 - Vietnam War Photos

[Link received from Jim Anderson.]

Saigon Map, 1969 or 1970
This PDF file is from Jim White's Diary files and there is somewhat specific to Jim's experiences while with AFVN.
Some of the pages are marked with red lines and numbers or names to make find the finding various places a little easier.
The ​ PDF file consists of 11 pages as follows:
Page  1   Overview of Entire Map
Page  2  List of Major Places in Saigon Mentioned in Jim's Diary
(I.E.:  Those places that are most likely familiar to those with AFVN in 1969/1970.
Page  3  Closeup of Northwest Quadrant (Tan Son Nhut area).
Page  4  Closeup of Northeast Quadrant (with map of MACV Compound).
Page  5  Closeup of Southwest quadrant (Cholon area).
Page  6  Closeup of Southeast quadrant (Downtown area).
Page  7  More detailed closeup of downtown area.
Page  8  List of BOQs and BEQs.
Page  9  List of Other Facilities
Pages 10 & 11  List of Streets

Saigon Photos from 1969 to 1986 ?

[Received from Mike McNally on September 13th, 2013.]

Saigon - A Drone's Eye View
[Received from Rick Fredericksen in April 2014.]
Taken from a drone as it wandered above Saigon. If you look closely, you can get a glimpse of the AFVN tower.
[NB: I think I see it at 1:41, 2:05, 2:32, 3:16 and again at 3:21 into the video--
but if it is the AFVN tower it is not in its original location.

The tower shown in this video is located downtown and right behind the old Post Office.


Saigon - A Short History This is an 18-page PDF file showing some of the sights around Saigon as well as explaining little of its history.

[Received from Mike McNally in June 2014.]

Saigon BOQs and BEQs

[Received from Mike McNally in September 2013.]
These scans are from Ray Bows' book, "Vietnam Military Lore."  Please note that some of the street names

have changed over the years as well as some of the addresses in this list appear to be in error.

Even so, they might jar a memory or two and/or help you find where you lived when in Saigon.

Forty Years on from the Fall of Saigon:

Witnessing the End of the Vietnam War

When North Vietnamese troops marched into the capital on 30 April 1975, it marked the most crushing defeat

in US military history.  Four decades after he reported on these events for the Guardian, Martin Woollacott

reflects upon what it meant for the future of both nations.

[Received from Rick Fredericksen]

My Saigon Summer, Before the Fall
A short story by a college student who returned to Saigon to be with her parents during the summer of 1974.
She also visited Nha Trang.
October 2015
[Received from Mike McNally.]


Graham Greene and the Continental Hotel

[Posted by Jim White on December 2, 2014.]


Graham Greene Lied About My Mom

by Danielle Flood

[Received from RIck Fredericksen in July 2016.]


Saigon Skyline -- 2014

The latest skyline of downtown HCM City, as seen from the Saigon River

courtesy of an Australian jounralist who visits often.

[Received from RIck Fredericksen on November 22, 2014.]