GallerySome cities once experienced a so-called golden age. Their legends originate either from their rich history or from something uniquely special that sets them apart from others. Cholon, founded in the late 18th century, was never part of Saigon—the city now known as Ho Chi Minh City. Its name means “big market,” reflecting its role as a vibrant Chinese trading community and serving as the commercial and cultural hub for Chinese immigrants settling in Saigon.
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Gallery(updated with new postcards)
Trần Hưng Đạo Street in Cholon is a bustling commercial hub, known for its vibrant street markets, diverse shops, and numerous eateries. It stands as the longest entrance road and the primary thoroughfare of Ho Chi Minh City, traversing numerous neighborhoods and extending for approximately 6 kilometers. Its history is deeply intertwined with the city’s own evolution.
Originally, Saigon and Cholon existed as separate entities. In 1865,
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GalleryTravel Journal: From Hue to the DMZ by photographer Quang Lam
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the end of the war, I decided to venture to the DMZ, located approximately 100 km from the former imperial city of Huế. It wasn’t my first time in this region, but a psychological barrier had certainly been holding back my curiosity to take this road heading north, without really encountering more cultural or seaside tourist spots.
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Gallery“I’m contemplating the mountains crossed by the stripes in geometric pattern similar to the locals clothing fabrics. These people have found refuge here, among the heights that scare both Hans and Kinh people from the lowlands. To grow rice, they patiently engraved the land into embroideries of laces that are stretched as far my eyes can see. These strata are marks of time like the concentric circles of a tree.
After this stop, my guide Nam and I get back on our bike to reach Dong Van before nightfall.
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GalleryPhotographer Quang Lam delves into the profound context behind his latest series.
“It all began with my exploration of my family’s ancestral tombs in Bac Lieu. According to family records, our ancestral vault is situated in the tranquil village of Hoa Binh, in the sub-prefecture of Vinh Loi, Bac Lieu province. My father was born in this village, which is home to around 2,000 residents and lies just 5 kilometers from the coast.
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Gallery“The bridge was built in 1899–1902 by the architects Daydé & Pillé of Paris, and opened in 1903. Before North Vietnam’s independence in 1954, it was called Paul-Doumer Bridge, named after Paul Doumer – the governor-general of French Indochina and then French president. At 2.4 kilometres in length,it was, at that time, one of the longest bridges in Asia.
Some parts of the original structure remain intact, while large sections have been built later to repair the holes.
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GalleryBefore the bridges were built to span the various arms of the Mekong river, traveling through the Delta meant to wait for the ferries. The most famous one was replaced by the Cần Thơ Bridge, constructed over an arm of the Mekong, the Bassac (or Hau Giang), near the city of Cần Thơ.
“It’s the crossing of a ferry on the Mekong. The elegant man has stepped out of the limousine. He smokes an English cigarette.
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GalleryBy Prof. Steve Bisson, Paris College of Art
Chief editor Urbanautica Institute
THE WEIGHT OF REMEMBRANCE AND TIME SCLEROSIS
“Strips of land emerging from the sea of amnesia, that\’s memory. Sooner or later, they will sink. So, sailing in time to explore their internal geography may be fruitful.”
“[…]Quang Lam’s work offers an excellent visual viaduct to its understanding by depicting the iconic history of the so-called Independence Palace of Vietnam.
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GalleryThis series captures the raw sequence by the photographer Quang Lam of events from October 5th to 12th, 2014. Organized in the style of black and white contact sheets, this presentation immerses viewers in the days when Hong Kong’s youth sought to take control of their future. Led by the 18-year-old Joshua Wong (visible in contact sheet number #5), the students occupied for two months the heart of Hong Kong in the Admiralty zone, where government buildings are located.
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GalleryOn May 7th of this year 2024, we commemorate the 70th anniversary of the battle of Dien Bien Phu. This article highlights the military events and the Geneva conference that opens at the same time as the final days of a battle taking place thousands of kilometers away, the outcome of which is eagerly followed by the French media.
The Geneva Conference of 1954 was a conference that took place in Geneva, Switzerland,
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GalleryThe historical aftermath of the Qing Dynasty’s overthrow of the Ming Dynasty in 17th-century China led to Ming loyalists seeking refuge in Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, these Chinese immigrants played a pioneering role during the “March to the South.” They settled in Bien Hoa. By the late 18th century, to escape the massacres perpetrated by Tay-son troops, the community regrouped in the present-day location of Cholon, situated 11 kilometers away from the center of Saigon,
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GalleryBETWEEN THE CAVE AND THE SUN
by Steve Bisson
«True rebellion is what calls into question the preconstituted order, not that it neglects it in favor of a permanently anarchic or hedonistic immaturity.»
In Quang Lam’s recent series ‘Hong Kong 2047’ the photographer alternates some vertical portraits of grotesque skyscrapers, depicted almost as if they were totems, with close-up images of remote control and surveillance systems. The cold linear,
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GalleryThe texte has been written by Blanche CARDONER (Ecole du Louvre)
in her study – Contemporary photography Vietnamese and memory, Selection of works by contemporary Vietnamese artists or the diaspora working on their History
Manifestations and reminiscences of History: Quang Lam, R Like (2012 – 2015)
Quang Lam, on the contrary, is interested in a space highly representative of Vietnamese history in R Like… (2012 – 2015). The series may also be titled Reunification’s Reminiscence.
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GalleryThis text comes from the book Mémoires de Son Excellence Huynh Con dit Đan Tường by Jean-Jacnal written 1924.
This biography of a former Minister of Rites at the Court of Annam contains historical details of his life and has an interesting description of music at the Court.
“Every night, we brought in singers. So little has been written about this category of people that no doubt I will be allowed to give some details about their life,
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GalleryTheses postcards written in early 20th century are unique archive sent from Ha Noi to different capitals of the world (Paris, Beijing, New York, Bruxelles, Hong Khong) give an historical value to the artworks
These conceptual maps are related to the colonialism epoch of Viet Nam in the early 20th century.
Hanoi is drawn in transparency over the foreign city meaning the lost of sovereignty of Hanoi at the expense of the external powers.
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GalleryA series of sit-in street protests, often called the Umbrella Revolution and sometimes used interchangeably with Umbrella Movement, or Occupy Movement, occurred in Hong Kong from 26 September to 15 December 2014.
The protests began after a decision regarding restrictive reforms to the electoral system. Key areas in Admiralty, Causeway Bay and Mong Kok were occupied and remained closed to traffic for 77 days.
This series of photos has been taken in Admiralty district where the headquarters of the government,
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Gallery The Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement, also known as the 2019 Hong Kong protests are a series of demonstrations since 15 March 2019 in response to the introduction by the Hong Kong government of the Fugitive Offenders amendment bill on extradition. Large-scale demonstrations took place gradually to a peak of 2 million people participating. Clashes between protesters and the police became the norms.
At the 12th week of protestation The Hong Kong protest movement reached a peak during the march in the Kwun Tong district in Kowloon.
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GalleryThe Saigon’s historic main street goes from the Cathedral to the river. Its name changed three times following Saigon’s history, known as Rue Catinat, then Tu Do (Freedom) and now Dong Khoi (Total Revolution).
Consulates, prestigious companies, wealthy families business set their offices and apartments on that street where to be seen was the must.
213 Dong Khoi St. Block at the corner of Le Thanh Ton St was built in 1930s by Brossard et Mopin,
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GalleryStudy on light as a physical form or constraint form in urbanscape.
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GalleryReunification – this is the same aspiration for all people who shared the same history whose destiny has diverged suddenly. The fate of the Vietnamese contemporary history can be read through the different names given to this place: Governor’s Palace, Independence Palace, and Reunification Palace.
GalleryThe abandonment and decay for over 30 years have transformed these villas in blockhouses. The interior burned, blackened facade, only their structures remain like the skeletons of dead bodies on a battlefield. The windows are black holes letting ghosts lurking freely when night falls.
GalleryDalat was created during the French colonial period to be a mountain resort in the south of Vietnam. In 1907, the first hotel was built and the urban development was supervised by Ernest Hébrard. The city became rapidly the touristic spot, especially for the Saigonese bourgeoisie eager to escape the stifling heat of his city.
After the end of the American War in 1975, owners of the villas fled and currently, more than 200 villas are under management of the DaLat People’s Committee,
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