Mang Savages in the Red River Delta
I have long wondered about place names like Phù Đổng. This is the name of a village in the Red River delta. Many of the place names there are in…
A Remedy for Fugu Poisoning in 1895 Sarawak
I came across and article in the Sarawak Gazette from 1895 entitled “Poisoned by the Buntal Fish.” In Sarawak there is a fish, the buntal fish, which is like the…
Business Success Under Colonial Rule in the Philippines
So one of the first things which popped into my mind when I saw the picture for this adverstisement was that it was a symbol of American economic and cultural…
Happy Women and Determined Men in Late 1970s Vietnam
There was something about building Socialism which brought out the best in people. . . at least when they were photographed for official publications. These are some great period images…
Jane Palomar on Marriage and the Filipino Race
I came across this article about the Filipino actress, Jane Palomar, from the early 1960s in a magazine called Graphic. The article is called “Girl With a Mind of Her…
A Friendly Visit to Democratic Kampuchea
Yes, you read that title correctly. . . I'm posting here the text of an article which I found in the Vietnamese magazine "Vietnam" from 1976. It is an article…
Drinking Bovril in 1930s Siam
“A pleasing welcome after a day’s work. When a day’s work is done we feel really tired and fatigued. Just having a single cup of Bovril will bring back a…
“Kampuchea, Splendid Victory”
"Kampuchea, Splendid Victory" is the name of an article which I came across from 1979 in the magazine "Vietnam." In fact, articles and pictures about post-invasion Cambodia appear in a…
Representing Minorities in Late-1970s Vietnam
I was looking at a pictorial magazine called "Vietnam." Has anyone studied these types of magazines before? I think people have studied magazines like "Life," but in the Socialist world there…
A Thai Beauty Queen and the Blood of Her Soldiers
I was looking at a Thai newspaper from the 1930s called the Siam Rashdra Daily News. The front page for April 24, 1935 had an image and a notice right…