Unexpected encounters

During the exchange, the author said that the opportunity that brought him to the topic of Indochina tourism was through the process of working with archives to complete the book French-Indochinese Architecture: Precious Gems in Hanoi . When this unit held an exhibition on Indochina tourism, he came up with the idea of ​​telling the stories behind the photos as well as the maps that were still preserved.

Journalist - author Phuc Tien at a chat with readers

In addition to using this source of information, author Phuc Tien revealed that he also received unexpected help from a reader who "plays with old books". Accordingly, when he knew that he planned to carry out the project, this person transferred to him valuable magazines published during the period when the Indochina Tourism General Department was established by the French in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Not stopping there, he also searched for valuable documents in other countries. When visiting the National Library of Singapore, he discovered leaflets in French and English introducing the seaplane journey from today's Bach Dang Wharf Park to Angkor (Cambodia) in just one day...

This shows that valuable documents about ancient Indochina are still scattered and require much effort to synthesize and introduce to readers.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chuyen-doi-chuyen-nghe-nhung-tao-ngo-bat-ngo-185241214210921192.htm