When past and present collide: Snapshots of old Vietnam superimposed on modern-day scenes show how much country has changed


If a picture paints a thousand words, these clever hybrid images tell the story of an entire culture.



By carefully positioning a photograph from the past over the same modern-day scene, Vietnamese photographer Khánh Hmoong cleverly brings history to life in the very spot where it once occurred years earlier.

The effect allows the viewer to distinctly see the changes that have taken place between the two periods in time in his native country.

Blast from the past: Khánh Hmoong carefully positions the famous picture of a tank of the North Vietnamese People's Army bursting through the gates of the Independence palace on April 30, 1975, signalling the end of the Vietnam war

Ghosts from the past: Soldiers stride triumphantly through the gate to the Imperial city of Hue, home to the emperors of the Nguyen dynasty until 1945, now a UNESCO world heritage site

Reliving history: The photographer allows the viewer to distinctly see the changes that have taken place between the two periods in time in his native country

The pictures stretch back to the 1920s, although many were taken during the Vietnam War era between 1955 and 1975.

Some point to subtle changes in the environment and architecture or the evolving modes of transport, such as the shift from horses to motor cars.

Others are far more dramatic. One shows the famous image of a tank of the North Vietnamese People's Army bursting through the gates of the Independence Palace on April 30, 1975, signalling the end of the Vietnam war.

A bygone era: Mr Hmoong cleverly brings history to life in the very spot where it once occurred years earlier in his native country of Vietnam

Past times: The photos stretch back to the 1920s and many were taken during the Vietnam War era between 1955 and 1975 Shedding light on an entire culture: Mr Hmoong's pictures have been compiled for a series called Vietnam: Looking into the Past

Another features flag-bearing soldiers striding triumphantly through the gate to the Imperial city of Hue, home to the emperors of the Nguyen dynasty until 1945, which is now a UNESCO world heritage site.

All, however, offer a fascinating insight into the complicated and often brutal history of Vietnam that words cannot always achieve.

Mr Hmoong's pictures have been compiled for a series called Vietnam – Looking into the Past and have been published on his Flickr page.