A rare collection of 43 newspapers published in the early 20th century has been put on display at the Heritage Space exhibition centre in Hanoi, giving visitors a glimpse into the early days of the Vietnamese newspaper industry.
The showcased newspapers belong to three private collectors, Ta Thu Phong, Trinh Hung Cuong and Nguyen Phat Ha Giang, who are members of an online old book forum.
Gia Dinh Bao was the first Vietnamese newspaper to use the Latin alphabet. Its first issue was published on April 15, 1865 in Saigon, the former name of Ho Chi Minh City. In this photo, the June 10, 1890 issue features information about promotion and wage increases as well as regulations on the closing hours of restaurants, cafes and bars.
The December 22, 1922 issue of the Khai Hoa Daily carried a commentary on the benefits of science as well as reports on conferences, trade fairs and the inauguration ceremony of a school in Syria, a former French colony.
An auto maintenance advertisement by Bobillot company in Hanoi. It reads “All repairs are given discounts and undertaken by skilful Western mechanics. 30% cheaper than other places.”
The front page of the October 3, 1912 issue of the Luc Tinh Tan Van (Six Provinces News) carried notices and reports of the visit by then Governor-General of French Indochina, Albert-Pierre Sarraut to a trade fair. The Luc Tinh Tan Van was owned by Frenchman François-Henri Schneider and had Tran Chanh Chieu as its editor-in-chief.
Other newspapers in the early 20th century on show at the exhibition.
Cultural researcher Nguyen Trong Thuan said many newspapers in the early 20th century had interesting content because their editors-in-chief possessed very wide knowledge and had full control of their publications.
Dr Nguyen Thi Minh Thai from the Hanoi College of Social Sciences and Humanities said the newspapers on show at the exhibition gave today’s journalists a chance to reflect on themselves.