Trieu Chien

A talk about architecture and the journey of a Vietnamese photographer about architectural photography.

In the last 3 years, we have known that you have been to here and there in Vietnam taking photos of different modernist constructions which consisted in 2 issues of Ghé 01 and Ghé 03 magazine. It appears to us that you have much concern about Modernist architecture in Vietnam, could you share more about this? What made you capture these places?

Trieu Chien: Before doing these projects, I travelled a lot, mostly just to know the place; I didn’t have any intention about taking photos of these places. 2016 must be the big turn of my life. I lost all data in my hard drive, every single photo I took was all gone. At the same time, there’s an old factory in my hometown Nam Dinh, which was built in the french colonial period, was demolished. I was fortunate enough to visit the place one last time, to see what was left at the place was really amazing. I regret not taking any pictures of the place with my camera, but anyway, I still had some by phone so every now and then I can take a look at them. 

Ever since that incident, I’ve decided to move on and to forget what’s happened; I started taking photographs of places I visit as a documentary. I am not only interested in Modernism but also other kinds of construction. I am especially fond of the Multifunctional Facade Module (MFM), Brutalism and Material (slade stone or concrete) of modernist constructions. In this rapidly evolving urbanization, old constructions’ function cannot meet the needs of current society. Gradually, as the quality declines, people will replace these buildings with newborn constructions or turn them into storages or just abandon them. 

These buildings were mostly built during the 70s-90s, setting a part of my memory. WItnessing them being demolished, I have no possible ability to interfere but take pictures of them while they are still intact. 

I feel grateful for the incidents that happened in 2016 which keep me on doing what I do best.

Could you share more stories of your journey capturing photos? Is there anything good or bad that happens on the way?

It’s just funny. Most of the constructions I choose to capture are authorised by the government, I am a freelance photographer so it is troublesome to get inside. Sometimes I have to beg the security to let me stand somewhere on the perimeter to shoot, other than that I have to figure out a place to capture the whole construction from above, like climbing up nearby buildings. Oh, this situation is really my half laughing half crying experience. There was a time I tried to capture The Russian Embassy; I had to climb up a 15-floor building of The Vietnam national children’s hospital to see the layout of the embassy. I was over the moon after taking good photos of it from the rooftop view; however, I forgot to hold  the door and it locked automatically. It took me a while to get out through a window. 

It comes to me when I have a chance to photograph some abandoned constructions, people said there’s nothing left to pose, some people joined me a talk if they are welcoming, others kicked me out if they aren’t. Nam Dinh museum of antiquities is probably the most impressive abandoned construction to me, designed by Architect Nguyen Cao Luyen. I usually hung out at Tuc Mac park when I was little. I wondered why they located a miniature of landscape (Hon non bo/Penjing) in the middle of the park. Not until 2018, I figured out the answer for my quest. Now, I somehow understand a quote in a rap of Den (a Vietnamese rapper) “There’s something that values but not shiny”.

What do you feel about constructions of previous architect generations and current ones?

Honestly, it’s hard to compare. I’ve had chances to approach mostly architects of current, the previous generations party are old, some have gone already so I only know about them through news or books. 

During working on modernist constructions, I’ve realised a mutual thing is that they were built in a transition period of Vietnam after the war, architects at the time didn’t have much room to come up with solutions or to choose material. They really had to try to utilise anything they have on hand. Most of the modernist constructions that I took photos of are basic on material and focus on the characteristic of shapes/forms. 

Nowaday, architects have access to more information, online resources, advanced building techniques, various materials, and above all, the massive number of constructions that our previous generations left behind for us to inherit and develop from them. Each period has its advantages and disadvantages, however there are always some outstanding individuals.

Are there any modernist constructions, both domestic and international, that you want to capture when you have the chance? 

There are many throughout Vietnam, I know some but not all. There is not much information about these constructions available on the internet, the only way to know about them is to discover them directly at the place. Yet, I prefer this way because if everything is already available online, there’s no fun about it anymore. 

I would love to take photographs of many other places in the world; focusing on the architect and their works, for example Le Corbusier, Louis Kahn, Kenzo Tange, Paul Rudolph, John Portman, etc. I want to observe how time affects their works, which let me know more about the architects and their ways of practising architecture – things that I didn’t have a chance to learn at my architecture school. 

What was the thing that set the fire in you for architectural photography? And what keeps you doing it until now?

Back then when I graduated university, I had to decide whether to be a photographer or an architect, it was tough for me because I liked them both. I’ve started doing photography since 2015 until now because it was not popular in Vietnam. The more I do it, the more I learn from it. The thing that keeps me doing photography is surely my endless love for architecture.

To you, what is a beautiful photograph of architecture?

I was very concerned about that at the beginning. I am glad when they complimented me and sad when they gave bad feedback about my photos. Then I realised: it’s certain that a photographer should take good pictures. What I care the most about my job is if what I do can contribute anything to the value of architecture. From this, approaching a construction is nothing difficult and it doesn’t matter if the photos are beautiful or ugly.

Are you following any photographers? What have they influenced your work?

There are 3 people that really inspire me, daily! They are Iwan Baan, Hufton and Crow. They are much older than me and travelling around the world to take pictures of traditional or modern constructions is a daily task for them. This has been the motivation for me to work on my projects in Vietnam.

What is your future plan?

Well, I have plenty but I will just keep on photographing, after that I’ll figure out what I should do next.

Thank you for your time!