A collection of nearly 2,000 black and white photographs illustrating Hanoi in the old days is the proud property of Doan Thinh and his son, Doan Bac. This precious set of works gives viewers a perspective of the country from up to a century ago.
Viewing the old photo, of which many have faded, people see Hanoi during the French occupation, including the French architectural features of the early 20th century.
The photo collection also bears witness to the many changes the city has had over the years. For instance, the photo of Quan Thanh Temple shows that West Lake in the past stretched to the gate of the temple; what is now the bus station near Long Bien Bridge was the place where TEXACO, a well-known petroleum company of the United States, had a station and erected a billboard in the late 19th and early 20th century; in front of the Hanoi Opera House there was a high pillar topped with a statue of crowing Gaulois cock with spread wings; from 1890-1896 on the top of the Tortoise Tower in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake the French placed a statue of a western woman pointing her hand to the sky, which the people called “the statue of the Western lady”.
The photos not only display great changes in the landscape and architectural works over the past century but also provide viewers with images of the culture and lifestyle of Hanoians in the early 20th century. At that time Hanoi still had many houses with terracotta tiled roofs, ambulatory pho concessions on the sidewalks, rickshaws and young Hanoi women dressed in fashionable Ao dai but wearing an old-styled velvet kerchief.
All these images have become beautiful and unfading memories in the mind of Hanoi-lovers. They are an indispensable part in the cultural life of Trang An people.
Story: Thanh Hoa
Photos: Tat Son and file