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A shaman performs a ceremony at the centuries-old banyan tree in front of the Louis Finot Museum (now the Vietnam National Museum of History). |
Crowds of people gather at Ben Duc wharf on their pilgrimage to Chua Huong pagoda in the early 20th century. The Chua Huong festival (Hanoi) begins annually on the 6th day of the first lunar month and lasts until the end of the third lunar month. The festive season is immortalized in poetry, such as Nguyen Nhuoc Phap's "Chua Huong": "Today, we go to Chua Huong/ Flowers and grass veiled in mist/ With my parents, I wake/ I pin my hair, gazing in the mirror".
The images are featured in the chapter on religion and beliefs in the book "Memories of Indochina: Vietnam - Cambodia - Laos", published by the Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House and the French School of the Far East (EFEO) in Vietnam. The publication was launched to commemorate the 80th anniversary of National Day.
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A person from northern Vietnam in the past, seen through the lens of a foreign photographer. |
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A venerable monk at But Thap pagoda, Bac Ninh. |
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A Muong funeral in Hoa Binh (now Phu Tho) in 1937. |
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Muong funerals are rich in cultural and artistic values, with rituals involving singing, dancing, and guiding the soul to the afterlife. |
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Women in Lao Cai in traditional attire with headscarves. |
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The book also includes images of the feudal dynasty, such as this photo of officials in court attire, 4/1926. |
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Four cavalrymen training in uniform, 1908. According to the publication, during this period, the majority of the colonial army in northern Vietnam consisted of infantry, with only the Hanoi regiment having a cavalry detachment. Due to the harsh local climate, horses sent from France to Vietnam suffered a high mortality rate. |
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A cruise on Ha Long Bay in the early 20th century. Located approximately 160 km from Hanoi, Ha Long, Quang Ninh is a popular tourist destination not only in northern Vietnam but worldwide. |
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Mai Nhat
Photo: Provided by the publisher
