The book is 272 pages thick, including 6 chapters such as: Saigon, through memories; Saigon-Cho Lon wandering; Saigon changes; Saigon: Glancing through some new towns; Saigon, a rural city; Urban soul.

This is a photo book about Saigon-Ho Chi Minh City made by photographer Tam Thai, where he has lived for nearly half a century. With perseverance over many years, his footsteps have walked along the streets and alleys to record. These are images of the city that the author wants us to see together to reminisce and explore many aspects of the past that seem strange.

More specifically, it is a subtle observation, contemplation of progress. The author wishes to bring the messages hidden in each valuable image to the viewers, for those who love the City, as well as the heart of a child who loves Saigon-Ho Chi Minh City.

Through real-life images, the author takes readers back to the past, spanning about 50 years since the country was unified. When the city had just emerged from the war period, officially living in an atmosphere of peace and independence, blending with the unified country. Saigon City officially changed its name to Ho Chi Minh City, to symbolize the fighting, sacrifice and determination to return to the Fatherland of the Southern people, and above all, to remember the merits of President Ho Chi Minh for bringing the Vietnamese people to become an independent and unified country.

It was a period of subsidy with many hardships, the journey of people to find knowledge, stories of making a living, the beginning of the construction work to build a developed economy. Readers will see the familiar street scenes, famous landmarks of the past, old buildings interspersed with modern architectural works that are changing every day; markets, high-rise buildings, modern bridges connecting the two banks, roads connecting traffic more conveniently. The pace of life in the city is always bustling but still warm with human affection.

Sharing about the opportunity to create a photo book, photographer Tam Thai said: “In 2024, Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House asked me to make a book commemorating 50 years of Saigon-Ho Chi Minh City. I hesitated and accepted, after discussing that I only dared to do what I had accumulated. And this manuscript was completed after ten months of hard work.”

The work of the past generation is the memory of today's generation. Preserving images to inherit memories is really necessary, photographer Tam Thai always keeps this in mind and has done so for many decades.

Photography, first of all, must be done and brought into life. Facing the stormy changes of life, doing photography is being a witness to history, promptly preserving existing values ​​before they disappear. That image, is the shadow of the past, connecting the present and connecting with tomorrow.

The city today is a ball of vitality, needing much support to fly high. This book collects the author's own perspectives, evidenced through images, like a brick, asking to connect with the great construction site of the city.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/ra-mat-sach-sai-gon-thanh-pho-ho-chi-minh-doi-thay-qua-nhung-khung-hinh-1975-2025-post876212.html