PARIS — A photo book on Hue, Viet Nam’s capital from 1802 to 1945 under the Nguyen Dynasty, has just been launched at Foyer Vietnam (House of Viet Nam) in Paris last Saturday. 

The bilingual photo book, in French and English, is titled Hue - La Ville Des Pieres Qui Pleurent, or Hue - Thanh Pho Cua Nhung Phien Da Nho Le (Hue - The City of Crying Stones). Co-authored by Philippe Bouler and Sebastien Laval, it has around 200 black and white and coloured photos featuring the people and the landscapes of Hue. Some of the photographs were shown at the launch. 

Bouler is the first art director of Hue Festival, one of the most anticipated culture events since 2000, while photographer Laval is widely appreciated in Viet Nam and has to his credit several photo exhibitions featuring Viet Nam’s 54 ethnic minorities.

Bouler, who wrote the introduction in the book, describes Hue as an ageless, romantic and poetic city. “I wanted to depict the rainy season in Hue, when water flows on its old walls and royal tombs. It looks like crying stones,” Bouler said to Vietnam News Agency’s correspondent in Paris at the book launch.

That’s not the only focus of the book. “I also wanted to feature the tears and pains of Hue women, whose families sacrificed themselves during war, particularly in the 1968 General Offensive. This fierce war time is embedded in my youth,” Bouler said.

At the release, Laval spoke about the love for Hue that Bouler and he share. Since his first visit to Viet Nam in 1995, he has been enchanted by the country. They visited every nook and cranny of Hue to see the beauty of the former citadel, he said, adding that the book not only introduces Hue to people but also inspires them to visit it and share a passion for its streets, landscapes and people. 

The book is on sale at Phuong Nam Book Store in Viet Nam. — VNS