Exploring the Historical Architecture of Hanoi Post Office

Hanoi Post Office is a building located opposite Hoan Kiem Lake, including 3
buildings on Dinh Tien Hoang, Le Thach and Dinh Le streets. This is one of many
symbols of Hanoi city. To learn about this place, let's go back to the 19th century.
In 1883, the Nguyen Dynasty signed a treaty with the French colonialists,
accepting the invasion of the French. And as you may know, the French invaded
Vietnam for resources and economic benefits, so to make colonial exploitation
more convenient, they needed an information transportation network. Therefore,
Hanoi Post Office was born in the early 1890s designed by a French architect:
Auguste Henri Vildieu. Initial y, Hanoi Post Office was a building adjacent to Le
Thach street. After many times of repair, upgrade and expansion, there are 2
more buildings creating a long construction along Dinh Tien Hoang street. Here
are some pictures of the 3 buildings of Hanoi Post Office. An interesting
information I want to share is that in 1902, after Hanoi became the capital of the
Federation of Indochina, Hanoi Post Office was chosen as the zero milestone
when the French calculated the length from Hanoi to Vientiane. and Phnom
Penh. In the 1970s, the central Post Office building was rebuilt and is the building you see today.
That is some information about Hanoi Post Office that I want to share with you.
Now look at the photo of Hanoi Post Office and pay attention to its architecture.
Is it similar to the architecture of some buildings in Hanoi? Yes, that's what I
want to mention: The French impression on architecture in Hanoi. Okay, the
French began to invade Hanoi in the 19th century. They came and took away
many things but also left behind some valuable things such as cuisine, fashion,
living habits,... And one of them is their architecture. The development of French
architecture in Hanoi was various. The earliest touch of it was the Pre Colonial
Style with 1-3 floor, less aesthetic rectangular buildings. Although the aesthetic
value is not at a high level, it has stil achieved certain successes and is especial y
valuable historical y. Later on, with the foundation of Indochina, the Neoclassical
Style started to appear in the city. Some of the characteristics of this style are:
fol owing the rule of symmetry, using a lot of decorative motifs, two sloping roof,
… Next is the Indochina style. In the 1920s, after finding out that the current
design was not wel -adapted with the weather of Hanoi, a new type of design
was invented cal ed Indochine Style. This style was the harmony between French
style and Vietnamese style such as Octagonal rooftop, wooden truss, wal
decoration,… And one more style I want to introduce is Art Deco. During the
years 1920 - 1945, many large public works in Art Deco style were built in Hanoi.
What Art Deo shows is the direction towards simple lines, classic geometric
blocks in spatial composition, inspired by cubism and structuralism in
architecture. You can easily see this style in French hotels in Hanoi such as:
Metropole Hanoi, Intercontinental Hanoi,...