Launching Event: “Hà Nội: CAPITAL City” & TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City" Photo Books

Following the successful release of their photo book which chronicled urban development in Ho Chi Minh City last year, Michael Waibel and Henning Hilbert are back with a similar endeavor, this time focusing on the Vietnamese capital – “Hà Nội: CAPITAL City.” At the same time they will present about the second updated edition of the photo book "TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City", this time in a more portable format.

Hanoi, city of the rising dragon, has a history stretching back for a thousand years. All significant turning points in Vietnam’s history have left their mark on the city. Hanoi has kept its soul.

Visitors sense it as well, the marked contrast to other Southeast Asian cities with their freeways and concrete jungles, marveling at Hanoi’s many squares and small parks, the tree-lined avenues with their leafy canopies, the bustling neighborhoods and the endless stream of motorbikes.

The challenge for Hanoi is to build on its uniqueness under global competition, instead of just falling back on it.

The book contains over 600 photos illustrating the multi-facetted and vibrant city from a variety of perspectives – from bird’s eye views to portraits of its inhabitants. In addition to the visual illustrations, this publication has assembled some essays by Hanoi residents who share their personal perspective and reflect diverse, multigenerational points of view.

During the launching event on March 6, the editor, Michael Waibel, will highlight the rationale behind the photo book “Hà Nội: CAPITAL City“. Further, Henning Hilbert will introduce about the 2nd edition of the photo book “TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City”. A more academic input will be provided by Dr. Hoang Manh Nguyen, Director of the Institute of Tropical Architecture, Hanoi University of Architecture. He will give a talk about challenges of sustainable urban development in Vietnam.

Both photo books can be purchased after the talk, and there will be two complimentary copies of each book disbursed to the lucky winners of a draw. Last but not least, a series of select photos illustrating the recent urban development of Vietnam’s capital city will be exhibited.

Michael Waibel is a senior researcher and project leader in urbanism at the Department for Geography of the University of Hamburg. In early 2014, he has already published the highly successful photo book “TP. Hồ Chí Minh: MEGA City” together Henning Hilbert from Vietnamese-German University (VGU).