VietNamNet Bridge – Forty black-and-white photos by Nguyen Thanh Tung record daily moments in the past 20 years in HCM City. The photos are being displayed at Workshop Cafe, 27 Ngo Duc Ke, District 1, until April 3.
Tung chose 40 black and white photos from the scores he has taken since he was a student in 1995 The exhibition is titled Hello Sai Gon to mark the 40th year of the city’s liberation.
The photos trace HCM City’s rapid development. Some of the markets, bus stations, buildings, and vehicles from the 1990s remain only in people’s memory.
The oldest photo on show is one he took in 1995 of a driver of a xe lam (three-wheel motor vehicle) reading a book.
Tung said in the last 20 years he had witnessed rapid changes everywhere in the city. “In several places, I saw nothing years ago. Now there are a lot of high-rise buildings at the same locations.”
The photographer was born in Kien Giang Province in the Mekong Delta when the war had just ended. He moved to HCM City in the 1990s and began taking photos. He held his first exhibition in 2013 with photos he took during trips to the north.
Earlier, the exhibition was held at TajmaSago Castle, 6 Phan Van Chuong, on March 26-29.
This photo was taken at 10am on October 8, 2002 at a market that was built in 1874, selling vegetables and seafood. The market was removed in 2003 but this place still has unforgettable memories for many Saigonese.
Eden Tax Trading Center is a typical work in HCM City. This photo was taken on March 27, 2003.
A cyclo is Vietnam’s rudimentary transport vehicle. This photo was taken on Le Loi Street in April 2005.
This picture was taken at Chua Ba (Lady Pagoda) of the Chinese-Vietnamese in District 5.
A race at Phu Tho Racecourse in 2006. This work was built by the French in 1932. It was closed in May 2011.
American actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie unexpectedly appeared in the city on November 23, 2006.
Saigon is the biggest city in Vietnam. Urban traffic is an extremely complex issue in the city. The photo was taken on 19/12/2007.
This photo was captured in July 2009 from the Caravelle Hotel.
Saigon is surrounded by a system of canals. The photo was taken on the evening of January 18, 2012 at Binh Dong wharf, District 8.
The Chinese community in Saigon is mainly located in districts 5, 6 and 11, making a living from many different jobs. Scissormaking is one of the featured occupations in Cho Lon area. The photo was taken in February 2012 in Trieu Quang Phuc Street, District 5.
The Thu Thiem new urban center of District 1 in June 2012, creating a gap between the city center and the region beyond the Saigon River.
There are many old condominiums in Saigon.
Saigon is tolerant and an easy place to live. The city attracts workers from many provinces. This photo was taken on the night of October 11, 2013 on Dong Khoi Street, District 1.
Quach Thi Trang – Ben Thanh Market roundabout. The picture was taken on October 26, 2014, before Tran Nguyen Han and Quach Thi Trang statues were moved to serve the construction of the subway system.
Dong Khoi Street (formerly Catinat Road), the busiest street in old Saigon, has changed with many new buildings and modern buildings. The photo was shot in October 2004.
Thu Thiem Tunnel, connecting the two banks of the Saigon River, serves the development of a new administrative center of the city in the years to come. The photo was taken on March 11, 2015.
This photo was taken on September 5, 2006 at the new school year opening ceremony of the Le Hong Phong High School (Petrus Ky). Founded in 1927, this is one of three first high schools in Saigon.
This photo was taken at the Dan Chu construction site roundabout on april 7, 2008.
The coaches carrying passengers and cattle from the southwestern provinces to Cho Lon, Saigon in 1999.
A wheeled taxi driver read book after work. The photo was taken in 1995.
T. Van