Is is of any significance to city planners?

Saigon of the last 45 years comes alive through the images of photographer Tam Thai in his recent exhibition.

The exhibition commenced on November 3 at the Ho Chi Minh City Photographer Association and will conclude on Sunday.

It features the many shifts in landscapes the city experienced.

Photos of the southern metropolis of old were put under 20 themes: Bridges of the City, Life of the Immigrants, Streetside Markets, Doors-Streets-Bars-Shrines, Temples and Pagodas, Century-old Relics, Street Culture, Saigon Journalism, Old vs. New, Post-2000, and others.

Photography in anticipation

Photographer Tam Thai came to Saigon from central Vietnam back in 1973 to enroll in medical school.

He brought bottles of his hometown’s specialty fish sauce as deposits to borrow a Konica-Minolta film camera.

He began taking photos of the city, starting from the Bach Dang Wharf in the downtown area.

He would go on photo trips in his spare time.

His first milestone picture was that of The Two Banks of Ong Lanh Bridge, which marked the start of his professional career.

He soon was overwhelmed with the anticipation that such images of the city would fade into oblivion, and had strived to keep the valuable snapshots.

In the exhibition, the old days of Saigon become most vivid, with its many stages of development clearly visualized.

Eyeing the exhibits, one would totally agree that the photographer's anticipation was well-grounded.

The old silk-cotton tree at the foot of the Quoi Duoc Bridge in 1985 is no longer around, so is the Chinatown along Chu Van An Street in District 6.

Then came the suspension bridge connecting Hiep Duc-Nha Be, the swing bridge of Binh Loi, and the Da Kao Bridge in District 1.

The artist himself was stunned by his own photos.

Commenting on the photo of Tofu Town in 1989 and The Last Day of the Me Pier, he says, "These places are now gone. They have given way to the new high way of Vo Van Kiet. It was fortunate I could capture them."

A timeline of memories

Browsing the exhibition, one would easily sense the hardships in the life of the photographer. Despite all tough times, he felt a strong bond with the city.

Tam Thai could timely capture the demolishing of houses along Tofu Canal in 2004, and the Renault bus station in District 1 in 1987.

When the Tax Shopping Center, a century-old downtown building, was about to be taken down to make way for the city's first metro system, he was there to capture how shop owners bid farewell to their premises.

The nostalgic images filled with the artist's most genuine emotions seem well capable of hooking all viewers.

Under the theme 'Old Houses' was a double floor French-style house with a ventilating roof, indicating how French architecture adapted itself to Vietnam's climate.

It was located on the corner of Ly Chinh Thanh-Truong Dinh Streets, and was pulled down three years ago.

Undergoing a similar fate was a neoclassical mansion constructed in the 20th century in Binh Thanh District, 20 minutes from downtown, as well as the old town near Binh Tay Market, around Chinatown in District 6, built in 1927.

Gone also were the many schools, open air markets, temples and shrines in the city now much more prosperous.

The photo of Saigon Pier and Boats taken in 1985 was much appreciated by a Vietnamese writer, Son Nam, who said it was his most favorite shot of the city.

The section of Old Occupations sends a chill down the spine, for it features the various manual labor jobs like knife sharpening, wood cutting, dragon dance costume making, pottery, letter writing, or cow hoof trimming.

Will these photo memories of Saigon exert an influence on city planners who are working to give the city a new look?

In the face of dramatic changes the city is experiencing, Tam Thai feels big losses to its architecture and cultural values.

Through the exhibition, he hopes to raise environmental awareness.

In particular, in the two images of District 12 set up in a picture-in-picture effect, the inner one displays felled trees, with the background a greenless residential area.