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John Ramsden: Hanoi after the War
An evocation of life in and around Hanoi after the end of the Vietnam War, in photographs and words.
The A hundred full page black and white photographs taken byJohn Ramsden in 1980-82. Images that capture both the hardship and thewistful beauty of a unique time and place. They were exhibited in London and Hanoi in 2013 (Hanoi Spirit of Place).
The Memoriesof the period by well known Vietnamese writers. Duong Trung Quoc, aleading historian, wrote the captions and a preface. Pham Tuong Van is a screenwriter, poet and journalist. Vu Thi Minh Huong is a historian and was Director of the National Archives. Nguyen Quang Thieu is a poetand novelist. His works have also been published in French and English.The texts were edited and translated by Prof. Andrew Hardy, head of theFrench School of Asian Studies (EFEO) in Hanoi.
The A hundred full page black and white photographs taken byJohn Ramsden in 1980-82. Images that capture both the hardship and thewistful beauty of a unique time and place. They were exhibited in London and Hanoi in 2013 (Hanoi Spirit of Place).
The Memoriesof the period by well known Vietnamese writers. Duong Trung Quoc, aleading historian, wrote the captions and a preface. Pham Tuong Van is a screenwriter, poet and journalist. Vu Thi Minh Huong is a historian and was Director of the National Archives. Nguyen Quang Thieu is a poetand novelist. His works have also been published in French and English.The texts were edited and translated by Prof. Andrew Hardy, head of theFrench School of Asian Studies (EFEO) in Hanoi.
156 pages, Hardcover
Published November 20, 2018
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July 24, 2025
Beautiful photography book with complementary essays of the ration period (bao cấp).
My parents can attest the experiences mentioned here are truly genuine. As a son of Hanoi residents this books truly allows me to imagine how life was like for my family.
"
For the 1980s, there is no vocabulary, no special cem-etery, no film, no song, no ceremony. All this period has is a dull name "the time of rationing" - and a set of irreverent political jokes. Of these, the most subversive is a truncating of Uncle Ho's slogan "There is nothing more precious than independence and freedom" that defines the period in its first three words. The title of the Vietnamese edition of this book-Hanoi, at a Time in the Past - itself reflects of the difficulty of finding an appropriate name for the period.
"
My parents can attest the experiences mentioned here are truly genuine. As a son of Hanoi residents this books truly allows me to imagine how life was like for my family.
"
For the 1980s, there is no vocabulary, no special cem-etery, no film, no song, no ceremony. All this period has is a dull name "the time of rationing" - and a set of irreverent political jokes. Of these, the most subversive is a truncating of Uncle Ho's slogan "There is nothing more precious than independence and freedom" that defines the period in its first three words. The title of the Vietnamese edition of this book-Hanoi, at a Time in the Past - itself reflects of the difficulty of finding an appropriate name for the period.
"
Displaying 1 of 1 review