Rare images of Vietnamese life over 100 years ago

Women buying jewelry at Hang Bac, children walking around the streets shopping for Mid-Autumn lanterns, people bustling to Buoi market... are rare images of ancient people's daily life appearing in the book 'Outline of Vietnamese Cultural History'.

The book Outline of Vietnamese Cultural History was compiled and first published in 1938, an attempt to resolve the clash between Vietnamese culture inherited from many generations and Western culture that was widely imported in the context of our society in the early 20th century. The publication has many illustrations compiled from contemporary magazines.

Workers in the Cho Dien mineral mine (Ban Thi commune, Cho Don district, Bac Kan province) in the early 20th century.

Mechanical products display booth at the Exhibition House, Hanoi in 1928.

A market street in Hue, illustrated in the magazine 'L'Illustration' in 1883.

A corner of Dong Xuan market, Hanoi in the early 20th century.

A Buoi market session. Every market session, buyers and sellers come to Buoi market to live in the space of a pure rural market. People bring here all kinds of goods, mainly agricultural products, "homegrown" to buy, sell and exchange with each other.

A woman buys jewelry at Chan Hung gold shop on Hang Bac street. Since ancient times, Hang Bac has been a gathering place for skilled craftsmen in the techniques of making gold and silver items of the capital.

Play human chess in Saigon. Human chess is a folk game often held during traditional festivals in Vietnam. In essence, this is a chess game that uses people instead of pieces to move on the board.

Hanoi children buy lanterns for Mid-Autumn Festival.

Scene of a Nam Giao sacrificial ceremony during the Nguyen Dynasty. The Nam Giao Altar was where the Nguyen Dynasty kings held the annual spring sacrificial ceremony to heaven and earth. This is the only sacrificial altar that still exists quite intact in Vietnam, and is also the only one that still exists among many ancient sacrificial altars in Hue.

Nam Dinh examination school's announcement ceremony in the year of Mau Ty 1888.

An outdoor art lesson.

The scholar sells calligraphy during Tet.

Carpenters are carving wooden objects and paintings by artist Thang Tran Phenh. Famous even before entering the Indochina College of Fine Arts, artist Thang Tran Phenh is considered one of the first bricks to lay the foundation for the modern “house of Vietnamese fine arts”. At the same time, he also played the role of “pioneer” and made great contributions to Vietnamese stage arts.

Tinh Le - Vietnamnet

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