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The value of old houses in the heart of modern Hanoi.
Hanoi is not only the capital city or a place marking significant historical milestones, but also a vibrant treasure trove of urban memory. Amidst the ever-expanding and modernizing city, ancient houses still stand, silently witnessing to time – carrying within them cultural and spiritual values that no skyscraper can replace.
Old French villas with sloping tiled roofs and curved wrought-iron railings, tube houses from the subsidy era with spiral staircases, patterned tiles, and faded wooden doors – all are vivid expressions of the architecture, aesthetics, and lifestyles of each period. Every window frame, every peeling layer of plaster, every worn step tells old stories that have never lost their value. They are repositories of the memories of a Hanoi that was once elegant and tranquil, places connected to generations of urban dwellers, from intellectual families and artists to civil servants and ordinary working people.
Exploring Hanoi
Amidst the hustle and bustle of life, these houses are increasingly being overshadowed by the rapid pace of urbanization, by modern concrete structures and dazzling advertising lights. But precisely because of this, identifying, searching for, and preserving Hanoi's ancient architectural works is not only an act of nostalgia but also an effort to preserve cultural heritage within contemporary life.
Because every time an old house disappears, not only is a piece of architecture erased, but also a part of the urban memory is wiped away. It was thanks to the good fortune of experiencing and exploring these old buildings that a group of young people wrote a beautiful journey – the beginning of the first exhibition titled "Exploring Hanoi" at Quan Cam.
The first exhibition, "Exploring Hanoi," opened at Cam Cafe.
Young people and their journey to preserve urban memory.
There are three men who quietly go against the flow every day: Quoc Quan, Quoc Trung, and Quoc Minh – three friends who share a deep interest and love for the old-world beauty of Hanoi. They call their group "antique house hunters" – a familiar, simple name, but one that encapsulates the passion and meticulous effort of their journey of "searching" amidst a city that is changing every day.
For the three brothers, "antique house hunters," the beauty of Hanoi lies not in its splendor, but in what is gradually being forgotten – a villa stained with the passage of time, a communal house with an antique spiral iron staircase, or a cement sign with raised lettering obscured by modern advertising billboards.
According to Quoc Minh: “The three of us share a passion for admiring the old values of Hanoi, especially houses that existed before 1954. Initially, we just looked and talked to each other, but gradually we felt regretful if we didn't share it with more people. There are places we never expected to visit, and who knows, we might never return a second time, so we documented everything we ever set foot in. Every staircase, window, and old wall made us feel beautiful and full of interest.”
The photographs were recorded and their contents were documented in detail by hand.
Hanoi is developing at a breakneck pace. From an urban planning perspective, change is inevitable. But amidst this rapid development, not everyone realizes that seemingly old and worthless buildings hold a significant portion of the city's collective memory – repositories of culture, architecture, aesthetics, and even the souls of the people who once lived there. For the three brothers, each exploration is a quest to find fragments of old Hanoi.
Without fanfare or grand projects, they quietly worked together. Some houses were once the studios of artists during the subsidy era. Others were the former headquarters of a diplomatic organization or an old hospital. Some were just bare walls, but enough for the three brothers to discern the architectural style, the age, and the spirit of the times hidden beneath the crumbling plaster.
Exploring Hanoi
Exploring Hanoi: An Exhibition of Memories
After a long time together, the accumulated emotions, images, and documents gradually led the group to think about something bigger: sharing this journey with even more people. And from that, "Exploring Hanoi" - the first exhibition of the group of antique house hunters - was born.
The three-story architecture with a rooftop terrace, the soaring staircase, and the iron-framed glass doors extending from the ground floor to the rooftop showcase a modern design philosophy that blends softness and sharp angles. Photographs capturing the light filtering through the glass windows or the curved, dark wood stair railings evoke a sense of awe. It's surprising that Hanoi still possesses such beautiful buildings.
Besides photographs, the exhibition also includes handwritten notes, excerpts of conversations with homeowners, floor plans of the buildings, and even old signs restored from memory. For the group of antique house hunters, "searching" is not about romanticizing the past or resisting development.
The exhibition, though in a limited space, encompasses the essence of old Hanoi.
The exhibition space is an old apartment building. On the walls are hundreds of photographs selected from the three brothers' archives, from French-style wooden window frames on Nguyen Thuong Hien Street to the remaining yin-yang tiled roofs of the old quarter; from a dilapidated Art Deco villa to townhouses obscured by convenience stores.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is the villa at 14 Nguyen Gia Thieu Street – a building that stunned all three brothers when they first discovered it. Located at the corner of Nguyen Gia Thieu and Lien Tri streets, the villa is a typical embodiment of the Art Deco style, popular in the 1930s and 40s.
Lights project Hanoi's heritage symbols.
"Exploring Hanoi" might just be the beginning.
They understand that the city needs to grow and modernize. But alongside that, there are ways to preserve what makes up its identity. Documentation, photography, exhibitions, and community engagement are ways to ensure that architectural and cultural values are not forgotten. It's a way to prevent urban memory from silently disappearing.
For them, these old houses are not just architecture; they represent memories, culture, and the living heritage of a unique Hanoi. This first exhibition is a significant milestone, continuing their journey of "exploring" to preserve what is considered heritage for future generations.
