The Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament attended the opening of an exhibition of urban photographs of Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City in the early 20th century.

On the morning of October 19th, at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Hungarian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City jointly inaugurated the exhibition "Photographs of Dezső Bozóky - Hungarian Naval Doctor in Vietnam during the early 20th Century".

The Department of Foreign Affairs and the Hungarian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City jointly inaugurated the photo exhibition "Photographs by Dezső Bozóky - Hungarian Naval Doctor in Vietnam during the early 20th Century".

Attending the opening ceremony were: Kover Laszlo, Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament ; Pham Thanh Kien, Member of the Standing Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council; Tibor Baloghdi, Hungarian Ambassador to Vietnam; Lehőcz Gábor, Hungarian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City; Don Tuan Phong, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs; Thai Quynh Mai Dung, Member and full-time National Assembly delegate at the Committee on National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs of the National Assembly;…

The exhibition displays more than 20 black-and-white photographs, through the lens of a Hungarian doctor-photographer. Viewers have the opportunity to travel back in time, stepping into a bygone Saigon – vibrant, elegant, and full of charm – like a vivid chapter of history, connecting the past with the present, Vietnam with its international friends.

Leaders, delegates, and guests visiting the exhibition.

Viewers can recognize in his works many familiar landmarks that still exist today, such as Catinat Street (now Dong Khoi Street), the Botanical Garden (now Saigon Zoo), the City Theatre, and the Saigon City Hall (now the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee building)... In addition to taking photographs, Bozóky also meticulously kept a travel diary, describing the context of each photograph so that Hungarians could better understand Vietnam – a country he considered beautiful, peaceful, and full of impressive sights.

The photographs presented in this exhibition are digital copies from the collection of the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts - Ferenc Hopp Museum of Asian Art.

Born in Nagyvárad (now in Romania) in 1871 and died in Budapest, Hungary, in 1957, Bozóky was a doctor in the Austro-Hungarian Navy, as well as a traveler and photographer passionate about capturing the beauty of the East. During his 26-month voyage from 1907 to 1909, he traveled through many Asian countries such as China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam – a destination that left a deep impression on him.

After leaving Hong Kong, the Austro-Hungarian crew sailed up the Saigon River and arrived at Saigon, then the most vibrant economic and cultural center of Indochina. There, Bozóky used his camera to capture many vivid and authentic moments of life, architecture, and people in this then-colonial city.

LIBRA

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/chu-tich-quoc-hoi-hungary-du-khai-mac-trien-lam-anh-do-thi-sai-gon-tphcm-dau-the-ky-20-post818834.html