French architecture: Hai Phong’s treasured history

via Vietnam Net, 1 November 2022: Architectural treasures of colonial Hai Phong.

Besides bursting ports, industrial zones and factories, the northern coastal city of Hai Phong has its own charm.
Besides its bursting ports, industrial zones and factories, the northern coastal city of Hai Phong has its own distinctive charms.

Not too big like Hanoi and with modern skyscrapers like HCM City, Hai Phong’s appearance seems more modest with simple architecture, including hundreds of buildings dating back to the French colonial era in the early 20th century.

The city used to just be some land by a river belonging to the Hai Duong region, which had not been built much during the feudal reigns.

Only when the French occupied Vietnam did Hai Phong start to develop into the three major urban areas in the country, after Sai Gon and Hanoi.

Source: French architecture: Hai Phong’s treasured history