After the complete liberation of the South, the country was unified, Thua Thien Hue remained a locality bearing many scars of war; the lives of the people were extremely difficult; many buildings, architectures were desolate and in ruins. But it is also from here that the Ancient Capital is not alone on its journey of revival from desolation and gradually developing in a sustainable manner, with the goal of striving to become a centrally-governed city with its own unique strengths.
In these historical April days, the special issue of Thua Thien Hue Weekly would like to introduce very special images of Hue then and now, thanks to the contributions of Nguyen Phong. These are documentary images from the photographer Bettmann Archive that Phong has been fortunate enough to come across in his pursuit of endless passion for collecting, analyzing, and digitizing documentary photos.
Phong shared: When accessing these documents, I was deeply moved by what the war had done to Hue. The heritage structures were shattered and in pieces. The historical values were almost lost... But through the photo collection, we can see a Hue today that has risen and developed strongly after the war. It is a modern, youthful Hue, always containing a lot of positive energy for people to explore.
 |
| Hue Heritage within the urban landscape |
 |
| Images of Ngo Mon in 1972 and now |
 |
| Provincial People's Committee Building today (bottom photo) and in September 1968 (Province Chief's Office, top photo) |
 |
| A pontoon bridge in 1969, now Phu Xuan Bridge |
 |
| Truong Tien Bridge |
 |
| Chanh Dong Gate (Dong Ba Gate) and the civilian area damaged during the war, now the bustling Mai Thuc Loan Street |
By THUA THIEN HUE WEEKLY
