Hanoi | March 2024 – zhuang wubin

It is always a pleasure to revisit Hanoi, even though the erratic weather and the deteriorating air quality have made my stay slightly more intense than necessary. Nevertheless, I have always had good vibes about the country since my first backpacking trip to Vietnam in 2003.

The reason for visiting Hanoi is to conduct a five-session Writing Photography workshop, hosted by Matca Space for Photography. I would like to thank Linh Pham and Ha Dao for supporting the workshop. I would also like to thank Nguyen Khoi Vu for taking care of me during my stay in Hanoi.

During my stay, I made a public presentation on 1 March 2024 at Matca, titled “A Short History of Documenting in Southeast Asia”. I am moved by the turnout on a Friday night. I would like to thank Ha for patiently translating my presentation to the earnest audience. We received quite a few questions and comments at the end.

I spent the rest of my stay meeting old and new friends in Hanoi.

During my stay, I managed to explore, very briefly, the Cantonese Assembly Hall 粤东会馆 and the Fujian Assembly Hall 福建会馆 in the old quarter. In my previous visits to Hanoi, I was ignorant of the existence of both places. In the late 1970s, with the deteriorating relationship between Vietnam and China, the remaining Chinese fled Hanoi. If there were some who remained in the city, they probably tried very hard to conceal their ethnicity. Since then, the Cantonese Assembly Hall ceased to be a place of worship and gatherings. It was turned into a kindergarten around 1978. Something similar happened at the Fujian Assembly Hall, which continues to function as a high school today.

In 2018, the government decided to restore the Cantonese Assembly Hall. The space was reopened in 2021 as the Arts and Culture Centre at 22 Hang Buom Street. I would like to thank artist Nguyen The Son for giving me a quick tour of the space.

With the help of Mai, I also revisited Lai Xa, the traditional village of photography located at the edge of Hanoi. In 2017, I visited the village to conduct a few interviews. On this second visit, I managed to find answers to some of the questions that emerged over the years.

Back at Matca, I also managed to sit in, very briefly, the photobook design workshop, led by Swiss designer Ann Griffin from 7 to 10 March 2024. Matca also organised a public talk for Ann on 8 March, during which she shared the working process behind the three photobooks that she made recently. It is also a privilege to sit in, very briefly, the last session of the three-month mentorship offered by photographer Jamie Maxtone-Graham. He has offered this programme for several years. Matca is the venue host.