Productive work has intruded on my blogging for the past week, but I have now snapped out of it. After all, this blog is about the antidote to burnout.
Meanwhile, both noodlepie and The final Word in Saigon posted stories about street advertising this past week. Noodlepie stated "I understand that pre-1990(ish) there was very little in the way of advertising in Vietnam." The final Word photographed two great present day examples of huge billboards on buildings, including one of a real Ford Focus hanging off the side of the billboard about 8-stories up a building.
So I looked back to my photos of Saigon in 1972 to see if I could find some comparisons of street advertising with today's HCMC.
This was one of my favorite "roundabouts" back when I was living in Saigon in 1972, mostly because of the modernist architecture of these corner buildings. Even then, though, there was a large sign towards the top of the building. 
This might be the same corner buildings now in HCMC -- I have not been able to confirm this, but what difference does it make? The whole building has been covered up.
This was Vo Thanh Street in 1972 -- not too much street advertising then.
Here is the same street at about the same point today, now called Nguyễn Trãi Street. There are more signs, but not obtrusively so. The trees have grown up to hide most signs and buildings.
Finally, here is a 1972 shot in front of the Bến Thành Market in downtown Saigon.
And here is the same building today, mostly covered up with advertising.
