VietNamNet Bridge – The following photos taken by the French show us a bustling Saigon in the early 20th century.
In the 1880s, when the French entered Indochina, to serve
colonial exploration, Saigon was established and quickly developed to
become one of the two most important cities in Vietnam. It was named the
Far East Pearl or Eastern Paris. Along with the development of this
city, vendors appeared.
French photographers quickly discovered the mobile trading of
foods in Saigon. This set of postcards about peddlers in Saigon-Cholon
describes a part of social and economic life as well as the culture of
Vietnam in the early 20th century.
Pho (Vietnamese noodles) is the first traditional dish of Vietnam offered by peddlers. This is a vendor selling pho in the old Saigon. The seller carried the stove and boiling water everywhere.
Rice cakes are also peddled on the streets. The cake is made from rice mixed with some other grains, added with adhesive powder, then steamed.
A Chinese Vietnamese vendor selling porridge and soup. With many utensils, they usually stop at a bustling place.
Interesting image of an ice-cream peddling trolley of a Chinese Vietnamese. Ice cream is kept cold by ice in a foam box. The seller “attracts” customers by shaking a small bell on the right handlebar.
This is a soup vendor at Cho Lon.
The community of Chinese Vietnamese is very large in Cholon. Chinese vendors selling noodles, soup, tofu… existed until the 1970s.
A tofu vendor.
A mobile tea-shop.
A vendor sits on the sidewalk to serve passers-by.
A vendor selling conical hats.
There were streets for vendors in old Saigon.
Mobile markets on the street are very popular with the Vietnamese people, even in the past. All kinds of goods are sold by vendors.
A man selling agricultural products.
Zing/VNN