Just 27 years ago, Hanoi was a different world

Frenchman Patrick Zachmann, born in 1955, became a freelance photographer in 1976, and has been a member of the international photography organization Magnum Photos since 1990.

“I became a photographer because I have no memory. Photography allows me to reconstruct the family albums I never had, the missing image becoming the engine of my research,” he is quoted by the Magnum Photo website as saying.

The Grand Cathedral, once a quiet spot, bustles day and night today with hundreds of cafes and tea shops patronized by thousands of Hanoians, expats and foreign tourists.

The Hoan Kiem Police Center still remains today, as does the crossroads on which it stands.

People cycle in front of the State Bank of Vietnam, a scene unimaginable today.

Children gather at the Tuoi Tho Kindergarten on Hang Buom Street. This was also the venue for the Quang Dong club set up by the Chinese community that lived nearby.

In an Old Quarter alley. Pavement cafés and eateries have been a Hanoian pastime for long, and this tradition continues today. This scene has not changed much over time. The wooden stools have turned plastic, though. 

Cyclos were to found everywhere then, and they dominated the streets along with bicycles. Motorbikes and cars were still a rare sight. Now cyclos are just a tourist attraction.

Harvest season in a field in the suburbs of the capital city.

Photos: Patrick Zachmann/Magnum Photos