Northern Vietnam in the early 20th century

Until 08 Nov 2009
Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

The exhibition re-introduces Henri Oger’s famous ‘Technique Du Peuple Annamite’ (Mechanics and Crafts of the Annamites). The book focuses on the industrial development in northern Vietnam in the early 1900s.

From 1908 – 1909, Oger traveled extensively through northern Vietnam to research and record the events in people’s daily lives (such as celebrations, street life and folk games) and produced this 700-page book, including 4,200 drawings, block prints and written documents. His study covered a wide range of crafts and occupations, including farming, paper-making, pottery, forging, weaving and making household ornaments and lacquer products.

In September 2009, the book hit the shelves again as a result of a restoration project by local publishers and the Ecole Francaise d’Extreme Orient. The second edition incorporates Oger’s original works as well as the researcher’s biography and a collection of other documents. It is published in three languages, Vietnamese, English and French.