[Photos] On the Road in 1970s Vietnam

Old photos, like memories, fade over time — corners darken, horizons blur, and colors lose their saturation.

At least that's how Vietnam looks through the latest set of photos presented by Flickr lord manhhai. There is little information available with the images, but they are part of the Soltau Collection, and appear to be taken by a US service member who was in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971.

They cover Saigon, Huế and a few places in between. The photographer is clearly untrained: some frames are out of focus, others are underexposed, and a few are poorly composed, but the images nevertheless add to our collective memory of Vietnam decades ago. 

Take a visual journey over 50 years into the past below:

Somewhere in Saigon.

Muscle cars parked at Bạch Đằng Wharf while their owners enjoy a seafood nhậu session.

A very low-rise Saigon.

Traffic on Trần Hưng Đạo Street.

A bridge over the Perfume River in Hue.

Huế from above.

The streets of Huế.

An Cựu Market in Huế.

The beach in Vũng Tàu.

[Photos via Flickr user manhhai]