(LĐXH) - Journalist and architect Pham Thanh Tung is a prestigious expert who is always passionate about urban architecture.
He always has a correct perspective and criticism, contributing to urban development in the fields of planning, architecture and landscape.
Architect Pham Thanh Tung (born in 1949, from Hung Yen), lives and works in Hanoi. He is the son of poet Xuan Thiem - a founding member of the Vietnam Writers Association. Since childhood, Mr. Tung was fortunate to have met and listened to the stories of many poets and writers of his father's time, such as Thanh Tinh, Nguyen Khai, Vu Cao, Tu Bich Hoang; painters Mai Van Hien, Huy Toan...
Therefore, the artistic nature permeated him and fostered a strong passion for architecture, urbanism, literature and journalism. In 1967, after graduating from the Nguyen Van Troi Military Cultural School - Cadet School, he entered the Urban Faculty - University of Construction, and in 1969, transferred to the University of Architecture (which was newly established at that time).
Thanks to the dedication of the first generation of architects who graduated from the Indochina College of Fine Arts, such as Ta My Duat, Ngo Huy Quynh, Tran Huu Tiem, Khong Toan...
Architect Pham Thanh Tung has a good foundation to have a more thorough and profound view of architecture. After graduating in 1972, he worked hard and devoted himself to the profession, participating in the design and restoration of Ham Rong Power Plant (Thanh Hoa), Ben Thuy Power Plant (Nghe An)... and a number of other architectural works.
During his work, he realized many problems. “I understand that architecture is not simply about drawing houses and buildings, but also a social story. I always keep in mind that no matter what I want to do, architects must respect the values and cultural heritage of the nation,” Mr. Tung stated his opinion.
After many years of working intensively at construction sites, in 1982, Mr. Tung returned to work at the Vietnam Association of Architects, contributing to the establishment of the association's architectural magazine.
In 1987, he was sent to work in the Soviet Union and in 1990 returned to the University of Architecture, working at the Center for Architectural Research. Later, the Ministry of Construction wanted to establish the Vietnam Architecture magazine under the Ministry, and Architect Pham Thanh Tung was called up to take over the construction of the magazine.
From then until 2008, he worked in various positions in the press system of the Ministry of Construction. When he returned to work at the Vietnam Association of Architects, Architect Pham Thanh Tung still participated in many review boards, contributing opinions on planning and construction of a number of ministries and branches...
Architect Pham Thanh Tung believes that architecture is a special field because it is a combination of creative art and engineering in creating architectural works and safe and sustainable living spaces for people. Therefore, those who want to become architects must be trained in specialized universities. The practice of architects is related to society.
It makes the city more beautiful or worse. It changes people's perception, makes people better, happier if they live in houses with beautiful architecture, airy, cool and comfortable, lots of trees, water in harmony with nature. Understanding that, so as the Chief of Office of the Vietnam Association of Architects, Mr. Tung always inspires young architects.
Mr. Tung also devoted a lot of affection and contributions to the capital Hanoi. He shared that, like many countries in the world, in the process of urbanization and development, cities encounter and have to overcome many challenges between conservation and development. That is the rule. Hanoi and other cities in our country are no exception. However, with Hanoi, a megacity ranked among the 17 largest cities in the world.
Through the stages of development, both happy and sad, many architectural relics of the capital have been destroyed and lost... but basically Hanoi still retains its soul. That is something very precious.
We can see that, in addition to hundreds of thousands of cultural architectural relics such as communal houses, pagodas, temples, shrines, etc., there is still the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, a glorious vestige of the time when our ancestors founded the country, an old quarter bearing the bold features of the trading activities of the old streets.
There are still streets of the old quarter with many garden villas, public works, cultural and religious buildings with unique architecture located on spacious, clean streets, shaded by green trees...
Writer Bang Son, famous for his essays about Hanoi, also had respect for Pham Thanh Tung: "Pham Thanh Tung is a street singer about architecture". Also, Architect Pham Thanh Tung always sticks close to life, passionately loves the alleys, roads, trees... of Hanoi.
And he volunteered to be a street singer to tell what he saw and felt about architecture, the profound changes in urban architecture in general, and the thousand-year-old capital in particular. Despite his old age, there was a time when the "architectural street singer" was constantly on business trips.
I still remember, in the 50s and 60s of the 20th century, Mr. Tung's family lived on the second floor of a French-style house at the beginning of Tran Phu Street, right next to the railway. Day and night, this location was rarely without the sound of train whistles.
The streets of Hanoi have created so many memories that when he grew up, Mr. Tung loved them even more and in all his work, he wanted to contribute to building urban culture and architecture.
Mr. Tung confided: “The years passed, I grew up and went to study at the Nguyen Van Troi Military Cultural School - Cadet School. My family also moved house, no longer living on Tran Phu Street. However, the memories of the streets with the fresh scent of dracontomelon flowers, and the night cries, are increasingly deep in my mind.
Now, past the age of knowing destiny, I still often wander the familiar streets of Hanoi in my free time, to find memories of the past.
Over the past 20 years, Architect Pham Thanh Tung has written more articles as he witnessed Hanoi change, becoming larger, the urban architecture also becoming more muscular and modern with countless buildings several dozen stories high springing up close together.
However, he also worried: "Besides the great achievements that the Party Committee, government and people of the Capital have achieved, the architectural planning and urban management of this city still have many shortcomings.
We build a lot but few beautiful architectural works of the era. The streets are wide and modern, but many sections and streets are not neat and tidy because of prolonged land clearance work, encroached sidewalks, and messy illegal and unlicensed construction works…”.
Through the working process, Mr. Tung also pointed out that if planning work is not carefully and scientifically researched, it will greatly affect the urban area, especially planning adjustments.
He said: “The consequences of planning adjustments are clear, but the purpose of planning adjustments and who has the right to adjust planning are questions. I think that whichever level approves the planning, that level will adjust it, but currently, the adjustments are fragmented.
On the other hand, when planning is approved by a council, but when adjusted, this council quietly "disappears". Therefore, tightening must be based on development thinking, that is, still allowing planning adjustments but must be strictly managed.
The result of years of working and thinking are hundreds of analytical articles with a direct view of reality. Recently, he published the book “Architecture, a perspective”, including 61 articles selected from hundreds of articles. It can be said that the book has distilled the 50 years of experience working and operating in the field of architecture of Architect Pham Thanh Tung.
| He was honored to receive the Medal for the Cause of Vietnamese Architecture; Medal for the Cause of Vietnamese Journalism; Medal for the Cause of Protecting National Security. |
Dien Khanh
Labor and Social Newspaper Spring At Ty
Source: https://dansinh.dantri.com.vn/nhan-luc/nguoi-nang-long-voi-kien-truc-do-thi-20250122105513971.htm
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