HCM CITY —  A book on French-Indochina architecture in HCM City has been awarded the gold prize at the 4th Việt Nam Urban Planning Awards organised by the Việt Nam Urban Planning and Development Association (VUPDA).

The publication, entitled Kiến Trúc Pháp - Đông Dương, Dấu Tích Sài Gòn - Hòn Ngọc Viễn Đông (French Architecture - Indochina, Traces of Sài Gòn - The Pearl of the Far East) was compiled by researcher Trần Hữu Phúc Tiến in collaboration with the Department of Archives and State Records - National Archives Centre II, and published by Hồ Chí Minh General Publishing House.

The book serves as an encyclopedia of major French-Indochinese buildings in HCM City, detailing their history, architectural features, and the stories behind them, offering readers a deeper understanding of HCM city that was once dubbed "The Pearl of the Far East".

Tiến was born in HCM City in 1962. He has worked as a journalist for Tuổi Trẻ (Youth), Saigon Times and Thế Giới Mới (New World) and completed a journalism internship at Oxford University with a Reuters scholarship.

His previous works include Sài Gòn Không Phải Ngày Hôm Qua (Sài Gòn Is Not Just Yesterday), Sài Gòn Hai Đầu Thế Kỷ (Saigon Then and Now), and Kiến trúc Pháp – Đông Dương, Những Viên Ngọc Quý Tại Hà Nội (French Architecture in Indochina: Precious Gems in Hà Nội).

The Việt Nam Urban Planning Award is an important prize aimed at accurately assessing and enhancing the status and role of planning, construction, management and urban development; discovering and disseminating new planning ideas, advanced and humane development models; and honouring organisations, individuals and businesses that have made outstanding contributions to urban planning and development, as well as rural residential areas in Việt Nam. 

“This is a great honour for me, as a researcher of urban history. The topic of the formation and development of Sài Gòn - HCM City is a significant subject that I have pursued for a long time,” Tiến told Việt Nam News.  

“I learned that the judging panel consisted of 20 experts from various fields, including specialists from France and Singapore, who highly appreciated this work and remarked that it is a useful contribution not only regarding urban heritage before 1945 but also concerning current planning and architecture.

“The Gold Award from the VUPDA further motivates me to continue my research and writing about the urban history of the country. At the same time, I will continue to contribute my opinions to urban planning projects.” VNS