HANOI CITY
The Heritage from the view of history
DUONG Trung Quoc
General Secretary of Vietnam Association of Historians
AIAC - 2015
HANOI CITY
The Heritages from the view of history
My story ...
I am now 69 years old – already old...
but still nothing to more than 1000 years old of Thang Long – Hanoi.
But the history of Hanoi has
been only 127 years old...(since
1888 as it was a French colony)
... therefore, my age is
remarkable as more than a half
of Hanoi’s age...
As a witness of the
transformation and architecture
of Hanoi, i hereby raise several
characteristics in the viepoint of
human culture.
Mr. Duong Trung Quoc – A Historian...
Hanoi old quarter
HANOI CITY
The Heritages from the view of history
1. Hanoi today
is a colonial legacy
The majority of 1000 year- historical
values remained are intangible
• The
most
important
milestone
of
Hanoi
foundation in 1010 (by Ly Thai To King) marking
1000
years
of
autonomy
and
territorial
enlargement to the South.
• Although there were some short discontinuous
events of Hanoi domination happened as the Ho,
Mac and Nguyen Dynasties, Hanoi still remained
its favourable position.
• The millenium historical values of Hanoi are no
longer represented originally in Architecture such
as
citadel,
pagoda,
palace,
house,
urban
infrastructure... The oldest architectural heritages
are from the later Le dynasty and the majority
remains are from the Nguyen dynasty.
Old house – 87 Ma May Street
HANOI CITY
The Heritages from the view of history
The discovery the Royal Citadel (appr. 20,000 sqm of exvacation) and the recognition
as World Heritage are considered as the most important vestige of the “one thousand
year historical depth of Hanoi.
HANOI CITY
The Heritages from the view of history
2. Hanoi in the Colonial period:
Hanoi was planned and developed as it was
no longer the capital of the country.
Before this period, Hanoi was neither a
kingdom capital nor an ordinary town.
Hanoi before the French development
French Quarter
Therefore, it was transformed in terms of city management according to ethe
French president’s decree to found “Hanoi city”.
The most representative architecture of the Colonial government are the
Indochina Governmental Palace and the European-style residential areas.
The most
remarkable
areas taken
into account
to develope is
the Sword
Lake and
surrounding.
The French administration was critised of not conserving the former Hanoi vestiges.
The most tremendous transformation of Hanoi structure was the filling-up of To Lich
river (belonged to the Red river) and s series of lakes North-South.
To balance with the historic quarter (North), the new French quarter in the South of
Sword lake was shaped.
HANOI CITY
The Heritages from the view of history
3. Conserving the historic quarter is a positive
success of French in Hanoi planning.
Thang Long – Hanoi
in the beginning of
Nguyen dynasty was
almost with no urban
infrastructure but as
in rural form.
The success of Hanoi plan in Colonial time is to define
a spatial system consisting housing with sidewalks,
water drainage-supply without elliminating the
traditional structure of professional associations. Dong
Xuan is the most important co-ordinating market of the
whole city.
HANOI CITY
The Heritages
from the view of history
The French apprarently
expected much on the
everlasting of
Indochina including
Vietnam as the most
briliant overseas
colony.
In nearly a half of
century until the World
War II, despite of
military and economic
difficulties, the Colonial
administration put
attempts to invest in a
systematic way to
Hanoi and from that the
Colonial Architecture
have been still
inherited valuably.
The French initiated a
completely new
foundation as a vigorous
stimulation for Hanoi city
development especially in
efficient transport
solutions such as innercity tramway, international
railway and airways.
HANOI CITY
The Heritages from the view of history
4. The lifestyle of Hanoians so far has been a quality
despite of changing and transformation.
The interference of the East and the West as the occidental education was
brought in. The tranformation in languages from Chinese to French and eventually
Vietnamese script.
An intellectual class in society emerged with deep absorption of Western
civilisation.
The essential spirit of Hanoi lifestyle originated from urban culture and education
which formed a preeminent value system of Hanoians.
Regretably, this kind of value has been under the pressure of fading away
because of the attack from the tendency of “city ruralisation”.
In 2008, close to the 1000th anniversary, Hanoi was put in a new system of
challanges caused by the territorial enlargement.
...History doesn’t only belong to the Past
but also to the growth of Present and toward Future...
HANOI CITY
The Heritages from the view of history
Thank you for your attention!
AIAC - 2015