The book "Hanoi Architecture - Vietnamese - French Cultural Exchange" was written by Dr. - researcher - Architect Tran Quoc Bao - currently a lecturer at Hanoi University of Construction, translator Tham Yen Linh, photographer Le Hoang, and project manager Tran Hai Anh.
After 2 years of dedicated work, the 364-page book in Vietnamese and French was published by The Gioi In An and Phanbook, along with a short video about the research and implementation process.
Like a history of Hanoi written in architectural art, the book gives readers a panoramic view of the beauty of Hanoi's architecture through the ages, including: Part 1 - Architecture of Thang Long - Old Hanoi; Part 2 - Hanoi's architecture during the French colonial period with typical styles such as Beaux-Arts, Art Deco. Indochina, Early French architecture. Steel architecture, Gothic; Part 3 - Hanoi's architecture after 1954.
Reading “Hanoi Architecture - Vietnamese - French Cultural Exchange” helps readers feel like they are watching a movie about Hanoi's history, or rather, traveling back in time, returning to Hanoi of the 19th - 20th centuries with the authors, going into every corner and detail of 18 typical architectural works of Hanoi through the periods, especially the works of the French colonial period such as: Presidential Palace, Hanoi Opera House, Government Guest House, Supreme People's Court Headquarters, Hoa Lo Prison, Metropole Hanoi Hotel, Chu Van An High School Library...
Going through each part of the book, readers feel both familiar and strange. Familiar because those works are already so familiar in every moment of Hanoi. Strange because there are architectural details, historical values known for the first time. But in the end, lingering in each sentence and image in the book is a love for Hanoi, deep, passionate, portrayed by architectural lines, concise language, and vivid frames, as if history is reliving before our eyes.
Dr. Architect Phan Dang Son - Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Architects wrote in the book's introduction, "With a concise and consistent way of expression, clearly describing the ups and downs of Hanoi's architecture, along with the writer's ability and heart, this book has achieved its purpose: Contributing a precious flower in the cultural garden of a thousand-year-old land of civilization, making a useful contribution to the profound professional perception."
Architect Le Thanh Vinh - former Director of the Vietnam Monuments Conservation Institute commented: "The book once again brings us to the unique works and valuable architectural heritages in the late 19th and early 20th centuries of Hanoi. They not only hold important functions, are factors contributing to the formation of architectural and urban beauty, but also create an eternal shape of memory, a solid foundation for future development...".
Creating a book honoring the beauty of Hanoi's architecture throughout history is the way that the young management and design team and AA Architecture Construction Joint Stock Company and their associates have chosen to spread the love and awareness of preserving the capital's cultural heritage to the younger generation.
The team's extremely serious and creative research and work have created a book about architecture that is not dry as people often think of academic books.
That alone is enough to make anyone want to pick up the book and devote their love to Hanoi in a very different way, as the authors of “Hanoi Architecture – Vietnamese-French Cultural Exchange” have been and are hoping to convey to readers.
