The book is 392 pages thick, including 4 chapters: Introduction to Ho Chi Minh City; Saigon - Cho Lon past and present; Typical urban architectures of Saigon and Cho Lon; Architectural, cultural and historical heritage - Overview and conclusion.
The work was introduced to readers with the cooperation of researcher Nguyen Duc Hiep, historian Tim Doling and doctor Vo Chi Mai to introduce images and information about the landscape and urban streets of Saigon - Cho Lon city from the 19th century to the present day, within the scope of Ho Chi Minh City.
The authors have different expertise such as natural sciences, social sciences and arts, so the perspective is a synthesis of the above aspects in the book. Compared to the first edition in 2020, the reprinted book has added more documents and architectural landscapes of French-style street-front houses in District 5 and District 6, which are the remaining places of the above heritage outside the central areas of District 1 and District 3.
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In the book, each street and corner has a story associated with the past. From the old and new images in the same location, we can see the changes over time of the landscapes, architecture along with events, historical information and related stories that create the urban memory and characteristics of Saigon - Cho Lon city. Through that, we will feel the changes and still retain the architecture and landscape of the buildings and streets in the city center in District 1 and surrounding districts such as District 3, Binh Thanh District, Tan Binh District, District 5, District 6, District 8 ...
Places such as Continental Hotel, City Theater, Independence Palace/Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, People's Court, Majestic Hotel, museums, schools, communal houses, Chinese assembly halls and pagodas, company headquarters, Tan Dinh Market, Binh Tay Market, street-front shops, schools, monasteries, churches, Saigon train station, etc.
The roads, buildings, and streetscapes that we see every day, although changing over time, if we do not pay attention, we will not be able to see the whole picture of historical and cultural values. Moreover, we have not yet properly determined the potential that can be applied in cultural, economic or tourism activities.
Researcher Nguyen Duc Hiep shared: "A city has the power to attract tourists and residents not only because of its economic strength and historical depth, but also because of the humane personality of its residents and the landscape that creates impressions, artistic inspiration for the community and diverse cultural and artistic creations of artists. That unique landscape arises and is maintained from the thinking of the people and reflects the style and philosophy of life of the residents there. A large city with attractive stature has all of the above characteristics and immigrants also enrich the economic, social and cultural life of the city in which they were raised, revealing their talents. A mutual benefit for individuals and the community. That humane elegance needs to be maintained and promoted in an organic dynamic ecosystem".
Nowadays, the urban development speed in Ho Chi Minh City is very high, the face of the city has changed a lot. This place has and will continue to attract many tourists to visit if we still preserve the cultural architectural heritage and unique landscape of the "historic" city.
Lessons from other countries in heritage conservation work show that awareness of historical and cultural heritage can only be developed and well preserved or properly assessed for its true value through the participation of the people and the community. It is important that heritages, historical and cultural architecture, places of religious and cultural activities should be preserved and maintained so that they become landscapes of invaluable economic and spiritual value for Ho Chi Minh City and future generations.
Dr. Nguyen Duc Hiep is an environmental scientist working in Australia but was born in Saigon. He came to Australia to study in 1974. He often visits his hometown and is always attached to Ho Chi Minh City. Here, he has many experiences and has researched and published books on history, culture, and art about the most dynamic city in Vietnam with an age of just over 300 years. During his nearly 20 years of research, he had the opportunity to meet Mr. Tim Doling and Ms. Vo Chi Mai.
Historian Tim Doling is a British man working in the field of culture and arts, advising on cultural works for UNESCO. Tim Doling came to Vietnam in the 1990s in Hanoi and then lived in Saigon for many years. He wrote books for foreigners about the cultural history of cities such as Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An, Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh City. Through his Facebook page about Saigon past and present, many Vietnamese and foreigners have learned more about the history, architecture and culture that are little known and paid attention to. Nguyen Duc Hiep and Tim Doling collaborated to research and publish information online. From there, the intention of collecting Tim and Hiep's abundant images and documents was formed to write the book "Landscape architecture and urbanism of Saigon - Cho Lon past and present".
Dr. Vo Chi Mai is a dentist living in Canada, also a talented artist, she is related to a famous businessman in Saigon in the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Mr. Nguyen Van Hao, a businessman selling auto parts and repairing cars at Ben Thanh market on Phan Chu Trinh street, owner of Nguyen Van Hao theater on Gallieni avenue (now Tran Hung Dao avenue). Through the images on the Facebook page Saigon - Cho Lon Heritage Street Shops managed by Mr. Tim and Mr. Hiep, Ms. Mai drew sketches of the landscape and architecture of street shops (commercial townhouses) that were typical from the French colonial period. The three of them collaborated together since then, the book was supplemented with Ms. Mai's paintings.
Source: https://toquoc.vn/kham-pha-van-hoa-qua-kien-truc-do-thi-va-canh-quan-sai-gon-cho-lon-xua-va-nay-20240730193700377.htm
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