Old Saigon springs back to life in miniature

Ben Thanh market, Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon, sidewalk shops and houses, etc. in the 1990s have been recreated in miniature.

Ruby Lee

lethanhha8991@gmail.com April 21, 2021 | 15:11

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After three years of crafting, Mr. Nguyen Trieu Kha (Binh Thanh district) owns nearly 50 miniatures of old Saigon in the 1990s. Images of Ben Thanh market, Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon, restaurants, street corners and houses were vividly recreated.

"Being born in Saigon and lived abroad for years, I have always been nostalgic for my homeland. After coming back Vietnam, I work on making miniatures as a way to save memories for myself and everyone. I prefer the period in the 1990s to others because this is the time I live with memorable things, " said the 28-year-old man.

Old Saigon springs back to life in miniature

Photo: Vn Express.

In the house on Binh Loi Street, Kha and his friends make old Saigon miniatures under customers' orders and the group's own taste.

In order to create a complete miniature, it usually takes them a month to brainstorm, photograph, graph, find materials and assemble small parts together. Materials are mainly wood, rattan, bamboo, paper, plastic. According to Kha, finding the right material for every details is one of the most difficult stage.

There are a series of Saigon's miniatures of the 1990s such as traditional medicine stores, houses on the canal, renting records stores, noodle shops, street vendors displayed on the shelves. These miniatures are not for sale. If the buyers have demand for, the team will remake the same ones.

Photo: Vn Express.

"In order to create the most realistic models, our team, in addition to looking for pictures, has to collect information from those used to live at that time. Only an incomplete small detail is able to spoil the final product," Kha said.

The first miniature to be implemented in 2018 was a rice shop with a simple scene of thatched houses. Most models, from the sketch to the final product, are often not completely identical due to the ever-changing ideas.

When it comes to Ben Thanh Market, it is the most successful miniature taking over a month to complete. The old space in the 1990s was vividly recreated with bustling street vendors, sugarcane water trucks, beverage counters and cyclo.

The busy life and business scene at a corner of Saigon street 30 years ago was inspired by the old market on Ham Nghi Street (District 1). Photo: Vn Express.

Photo: Vn Express.

The architectural motifs on the hundred-year-old market such as reliefs, clocks, tile roofs ... were elaborately crafted. "This miniature used to be paid for 35 million VND (1,518 USD) but I didn't sell. I made another one for them", Kha said.

The busy life and business scene at a corner of Saigon street 30 years ago was inspired by the old market on Ham Nghi Street (District 1).

The model of Ba Thien Hau pagoda on Nguyen Trai Street (District 5) cost 19 million VND (823 USD). A couple desiring for memories of the place where they first met more than 30 years ago bought it.

Photo: Vn Express.

"I had to travel many times, took all the angles and asked people there to have a true old scene and depicted the sophisticated architecture of the pagoda, " Kha said.

A corner of Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon in the evening was made according to the request of guests who wanted to recall old memories of the group of friends.

In the 1990s, temporary houses made of wood were often found around the canals and channels in Saigon. These poor working-class houses, built in long lines, were quite shabby and called "slums" along the canal. Next to that is the typical traditional medicine store model in the Chinese street.

Close-up of a tape rental shop is faithfully reproduced. The tapes and posters of movies such as Tay Du Ky (Journey to the West), Dat Ky Tru Vuong (Gods of Honour) recalled memories of movies of the 1980s - 1990s period.

Sugar cane truck in the old days was made of wood instead of machine. Photo: Vn Express.

Photo: Vn Express.

Affordable eateries on the sidewalk in Saigon is a topic that the team regularly performs and has many customers' orders. Each model depending on the size, detail ... costs from 500,000 VND (USD 21.70) or more.

"Customers mainly buy miniatures as souvenirs when traveling to Saigon or order them to save their own memories. In the near future we will make more miniatures of the old West and Hanoi", Kha said.

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