Hanoi past and present

A French doctor named Hocquard took some pictures of Hanoi between 1884-1885. There are many photos of old Hanoi also taken by the French during the period 1890-1915.

Author Nguyen Quoc Dung was inspired by these photos to make the Hanoi photo series today: “At first glance, the landscape of Hanoi still has the same shape, but it’s different, different in soul, here and there are different from the other. ostensibly. Perhaps because of the time, because of the war and countless reasons for Hanoi to change, make us feel nostalgic for the old images.

I, like many Hanoians, don’t want Hanoi to be forever a country girl with messy hair and sleepy ears, with a stray oil lamp… I don’t want to keep that slow and brooding rhythm forever but still reproach, get angry, miss a little bit, then love again, because Hanoi is where I was born, so no matter what, I can’t help but love Hanoi.”