LookAtVietnam – A juxtaposition of scenes from early 20 century life in Singapore and HCM City will be part of a postcard exhibition that opened on August 12

Postage due: Postcards of HCM City and Singapore stand side-by-side at an exhibition running till Sunday in the city’s Cultural Youth House.

The exhibition also features more than 80 antique postcards shot by the French, capturing scenes in Viet Nam and HCM City between 1920 and 1925 under colonial rule.

The Singaporean and Saigonese postcards are juxtaposed to give the audience a sense of comparison, highlighting similarities in the old lives of two cities, including architecture and means of transportation.

The postcards are owned and provided by Soh Weng Yew, a senior manager of the National University of Singapore’s Recruitment Department. He has collected HCM City postcards for more than a decade out of his admiration for the city’s beauty.

The Sunday festival, starting at 3pm, features concerts and fashion shows, experts’ talks on Singaporean culture and the historical links between the two cities, a quiz programme, Singaporean song singing contest and a lucky draw.

The Beat, a HCM City eight-member band, will perform at the concert.

The festival will also have Singaporean cuisine presented by the Lion City restaurant chain, allowing guests to sample the city-state’s signature dishes like stir-fried rice noodle, satay grilled meat on skewers and milk tea among others.

The event, organised with assistance from the Singaporean Consulate General, kicks off a series of bimonthly events entitled “The World at Hand” held by the Cultural Youth House in collaboration with foreign consulates to introduce different world cultures to the city youth.

Huynh Thi Quynh Hoa, the House’s manager of Art and Cultural Affairs, said the next Event will feature South Korea, which will be followed by ASEAN, European and American countries.

“We start with Singapore given that the country is a close neighbour of Viet Nam and its national day falls this month,” Hoa said.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News