history

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Tales from the Land of Dragons

This series intricately depicts selected nodes of the different threads woven throughout the last century of Vietnamese history, employing narrative elements reminiscent of a compelling tale.

According to ancient Vietnamese mythology, the people of Vietnam are believed to be descendants of a dragon and an Immortal.  The prominent myth of the origins of the Vietnamese people involves Lạc Long Quân, a dragon lord, and Âu Cơ, a fairy, who had 100 children from 100 eggs.

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1954 The Great Migration to the South of Vietnam – Operation Passage to Freedom

Migration and the Geneva Accords

After the 1954 Geneva Accords divided Vietnam into North and South, there was a 300-day period (ending on May 18, 1955) during which Vietnamese people could freely choose their place of residence.

A massive migration occurred, with approximately 1 million people moving from the north to the south and around 50,000 people moving from the south to the north.

The unexpected migration prompted the North Vietnamese government to block roads,

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1954-2024 : General Giap, Dien Bien Phu Battle and Geneva Conference – the end of Indochina war

On 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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Review Exhibition XEM – Meta Far-East

Written by Dr Bridget Tracy Tan
Director, Institute of Southeast Asia Arts – Art Galleries
Academic Advisor (Southeast Asian Arts)
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

“Quang Lam’s style is unquestioningly about play, but also about accountability. He wants the viewer to know how we experience what we experience, through what we enact and the thoughts we think, the ways in which we move. His contribution to the exhibition is a series of installations demonstratng the state of the world.

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Biennale The Wrong 2023 – Project Air Skylen

The Art Project – Air Skylen is participating the Biennale The Wrong 6th Edition, within the Pavilion ANIMA “Directory”, curated by Tam Nguyen, with advisories from Mai Huyen Chi & Xuan Ha and support from Duyen Le and Lien Nguyen

Review of the Art Project Air Skylen

This text has been written by the curator Tam Nguyen for the catalog of the pavilion ANIMA “Directory”

“Air Skylen (2022) embodies Quang Lam’s long-term research into the development of the Vietnamese airline industry.

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Interiors of Steamliner Paul Lecat, Company Messageries Marititimes

The steamliner began his career on September 22, 1912 on the Far East line. In 1914, it was, with its 13,000 gross tonnage, the largest and most luxurious of the Company’s liners, the only one able to offer “luxury” cabins, equivalent to the North Atlantic lines.

Some excerpts of the travel story on Jeanne Marie Méchin aboard the Paul Lecat in November 1923 between Marseille and Saigon. These letters take a month to reach France till the France-Indochina air mail link reduced the time to one week.

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Les Messageries Maritimes – the Far-East Line to Haiphong – Hanoi

Text from the leaflet

HAIPHONG, the port of the French Protectorate of Tongking, is situated at the far end of the Gulf of Tong-king, on the Cua-Cam, 90 minutes from the sea, and is 8229 miles from Marseilles. Its population is about 75.000, of which the French and Chinese number 15.000.

Fine streets and spacious boulevards bordered by brilliant flowering trees and shrubs give the town a most cheerful appearance. Among its most important buildings are the Residency,

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Terra Utopia from the Incognita

At the Art Institute of South-East Asia in Singapore, the Terra Utopia series is currently on display as part of the exhibition XEM – Meta Far-East. This captivating collection explores the evolution of perceptions of the “Far East,” tracing its journey from antiquated geographical views to a more nuanced understanding shaped by the colonial era and the pressing challenges posed by climate change.

The photographs resemble aerial landscapes of uncharted coastal territories, evoking the sense of mystery that surrounded Far East Asia,

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Air Vietnam – History of the airline company creation in 1950

Extracts of the article in Air France Magazine 1950
by MAURICE LEMOINE, general secretary of Air France

It was one of the first commercial enterprises in the young state to associate French interests with those of the government. Vietnamese. The latter holds half of the capital, the other half being distributed among various French shareholders, first and foremost Air France. From multiple points of view, this Air Vietnam creation is worthy of attention.

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Air Vietnam – News in the 70s

Nguyen Tan Trung, president of Air Vietnam, has been named chairman of the Board of Directors of the Republic of Vietnam flag carrier. His nomination by board members to the post, which has traditionally been held by a cabinet minister, has been approved by the Vietnamese Government.

Calling 1974 ‘‘a year of challenge for everyone in the
airline business,” Mr. Nguyen Tan Trung said he was persuaded to accept the
additional responsibility with Air Vietnam in consideration of the national
interest and in view of the prospects of the development of the company.

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Origin of Hue song at the court of Annam

This 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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Air Vietnam – The untold history, 1951-1975

These exclusive documents (text, images) of Air Vietnam are part of our collected archives. They fill the gap in the official narrative of Vietnamese Aviation.
Note by the author NGUYÊN MẠNH CUNG
This article was written according to the documents of Mr. Fery Vital, ITA, DGAC and Air France, with the collaboration of Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Tuyen and Mr. Nguyen Tu Thien, Lam Ngoc Diep, Tran Tho Phuoc ,

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Map Postcard Hanoi

Theses 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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Air Skylen – Airports

For the creative event “Thiet Ke & Cong Nghe” in HaNoi , a whole concept of an airline company, named AIR SKYLEN has been presented

Airlines are the symbols of the technology’s level of a country. It also shares the values also international connections and exchanges.

AIR SKYLEN is derived from the term “Skyline,” which refers to the apparent juncture of earth and sky, often describing the silhouette of city skyscrapers against the sky.

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Balance of Chaos

The Greek etymology of the word
Chaos means a fracture or a gap. In mathematics, Chaos Theory studies the
behavior of systems that are very sensitive to initial conditions, a phenomenon
generally illustrated by “the butterfly effect”.

This term was used Edward Lorenz,
American mathematician and meteorologist to describe the theoretical basis of
weather and climate predictability, which is based on this idea that small
causes may have large effects in general.

Because the photographer Quang Lam assisted to a recent destruction
of colonial villa in Saigon which has survived for one hundred year of turmoil,

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Series – Escape

There are many reasons to want to escape.

This full series develops in the form of fictional narratives, a punctual situation where the protagonist will escape for a new life due to historical circumstances, political, economic or purely personal.

The photos incorporate a narration, signs, clues that make it possible to feel the vital necessity of this decision. Its urgency is reinforced by the title of each scene.

In the scene of “Pattern of thoughts”

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Album – Modernist architecture of villas, Dalat – Vietnam

Dalat 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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