The book "Hanoi Architecture - Vietnamese - French Cultural Exchange" is printed by The Gioi Publishing House and published by Phanbook in hardcover format, 364 pages thick, bilingual in Vietnamese - French, accompanied by a short video about the implementation and research process.
Conceived and produced in Vietnam, by Vietnamese people, with the support of some French friends, the book is the result of a close collaboration between experienced architectural experts, and a team of young people in their 30s, who together created the design, images and ideas for the book.
Commenting on this special book, journalist Le Xuan Thanh - Editor-in-Chief of Sports & Culture Newspaper (Vietnam News Agency) said: "For those who are interested in Vietnam, love Vietnam and come to Hanoi, the book can be considered a great guideline, helping foreign tourists have a comprehensive and in-depth view of Vietnam and Hanoi".
According to him, the book not only helps visitors discover the unique beauty of Hanoi but also understand why Hanoi is a very special city, because perhaps in Asia there is no city with architecture that is so unique and has the Indochinese style.
“I believe that this book will contribute to attracting more international tourists to Vietnam. Through each page of the book, the beauty of Hanoi is vividly, methodically and professionally recreated, worthy of being a publication of high value in both content and form. In particular, this book, with its outstanding cultural and artistic value…”, Mr. Thanh affirmed.
Sharing the same view, architect Nguyen Quoc Khanh - Chairman of AA Corporation, who is also a senior advisor of the book, said that the team hopes that a wide range of readers, including young readers, will understand Hanoi's cultural heritage through architectural art; at the same time, promote the value of that heritage in contemporary life.
“10 years ago, when I first visited Florence, Italy - the cradle of Renaissance architecture, I was amazed by the talent of Italian architects and workers. But what impressed me more was the number of tourists who visit Florence every year - people who have contributed greatly to the Florence economy, through food and accommodation services.
More than 60% of the city's economy comes from tourism, thanks to the architectural, sculptural and artistic heritage of the Renaissance and earlier periods. This heritage will continue to contribute to the economy of Florence and Italy in general in the future.
Compared to other Southeast Asian countries, Hanoi has such a valuable heritage. Despite two wars, Hanoi still retains most of the architectural heritage built from the feudal period to the French colonial period. These are talented works designed and implemented by French and Vietnamese architects, artisans and workers," said Mr. Nguyen Quoc Khanh.
Mr. Nguyen Quoc Khanh also affirmed that the heritages need to be preserved, to serve as inspiration for many future generations of creators. To contribute to the capital's tourism economy, and more, to preserve the elegant culture of Hanoi.
“In my personal opinion, for a place to become attractive, there needs to be a harmonious combination of many factors. However, from the perspective of Thang Long - Hanoi's heritage, I still enjoy Hanoi's Old Quarter. Hanoi's 36 streets always have their own beauty, even in late Autumn or early Winter.
However, the main challenge is to preserve the ancient, mossy beauty of the Old Quarter. That is a unique beauty that young cities like Bangkok or Singapore cannot have.
Therefore, I hope that young people will have love for Hanoi's culture and architectural heritage, thereby being aware of preserving and promoting its value in the future," Mr. Nguyen Quoc Khanh emphasized.
Mr. Nguyen Quoc Khanh said that the content of the book is purely academic, to say it is interesting is not. But the form is presented eye-catching.
The book will appeal to young readers because the illustrator is a very young person with an interesting perspective on Hanoi.
“Hanoi Architecture - Vietnamese - French Cultural Exchange” gives readers a panoramic view of the beauty of Hanoi architecture through the ages, including: Part 1 - Thang Long Architecture - Old Hanoi; Part 2 - Hanoi Architecture during the French colonial period with typical styles such as Beaux-Arts, Art Deco, Indochina, Early French Architecture, Steel Architecture, Gothic and Part 3 - Hanoi Architecture after 1954.
The book is likened to a movie about Hanoi's history, taking readers back in time to Hanoi in the 19th and 20th centuries with the authors to go into every corner and detail of 18 typical architectural works of Hanoi through the ages, especially those from the French colonial period such as: Presidential Palace, Hanoi Opera House, Government Guest House, Hoa Lo Prison...
The book took nearly 2 years to complete with many difficulties, including finding original documents that took a lot of time. Another challenge was that there were many books written about Hanoi architecture, so when the team started to work on a work with the same topic, they had to make it new and better than the books that had been published.
“Architecture is the pinnacle of creativity through the synthesis of visual arts and construction science. The architecture of a country is a part of its culture and history. With the desire to preserve the extremely valuable architectural heritage brought to Hanoi by history, we were determined to make this book with a completely new approach and method compared to previous books on architecture…
The biggest goal of the book is to spread the love for Hanoi, raise people's awareness of preserving the cultural and architectural heritage of the capital, especially the young generation. They are the future generation, the ones who have, are and will continue to play the role of preserving and promoting the heritage value for future generations" - Mr. Nguyen Quoc Khanh shared.
