Hanoi, then and now

By Bao Yen July 16, 2017 | 01:05 am PT

Take a trip back in time to see how Hanoi has changed over the past seven decades.

Hanoi in 1940, when it was also known as Tonkin, was a city in the throes of turbulent historical development. The major powers had entered the early phase of World War II, and French Indochina was being slowly dragged into the conflict.

At that time, local reserves were being drafted by the French to fight the war in Europe, the subject of which was portrayed in the award-winning film "Cong Binh - The Lost Fighters of Vietnam" by French-Vietnamese director Le Lam.

With France occupied by the war, Indochina became effectively more independent in terms of administrative operations. But the Japanese, who were seeking to enforce a deal with the Vichy French colonial administration to facilitate economic expansion in the region and to block off the American aid passing through China, made sure that these conditions were executed.

The Vichy French were at a crossroads, and the only possible means to avoid an attack against Indochina was to let the Japanese do what they wanted. According to "Hanoi: Biography of a City" by William Logan, French troops in Indochina at the time were outnumbered by the Japanese, and if war broke out they would have to fight on two fronts: the Gulf of Indochina and the Chinese border. Great Britain and the United States did not particularly want to get involved, even though they were also opposed to the Japanese occupation.

And so the first Japanese inspection team arrived in Hanoi in June 1940, followed by its navy, army and air force three months later. They remained in Indochina for five years, until the end of World War II.

Under the Japanese - Vichy French pact, Japan could continue its military operations but it still allowed the Vichy French to administer Indochina. As a result, the former had little influence on Hanoi's environment, administratively and structurally speaking. And as such, urban development was left to the French colonial authorities.

The following photos were captured by American photographer Harrison Forman, who was a foreign correspondent for the New York Times and National Geographic at the time.

Japanese officials speaking on the balcony of the building at the corner of Dinh Tien Hoang and Dinh Le, as they began the occupation of Hanoi. The Japanese arrived in Vietnam in 1940, and they remained in the country until the end of the World War II. The building is a jewelry store now. Most of the outer decor has remained unchanged since 1940.