Urban echoes: Photographer Alexandre Garel captures Vietnam’s fading architectural heritage

Jul 15, 2025

Cover The story of architecture when seen through the eyes of a photographer, particularly one from abroad, it takes on a different language. This is Vietnam through the lens of photographer Alexandre Garel

The story of architecture when seen through the eyes of a photographer, particularly one from abroad, it takes on a different language. This is Vietnam through the lens of photographer Alexandre Garel

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This month, we stand alongside photographer Alexandre Garel to observe, pause, and sense the breath of architecture through his lens.

Born and raised in France by an architect father, Alexandre Garel developed an early sensitivity to the charm of historic buildings. More than that, he came to understand the value of preserving them. On arriving in Vietnam, he was struck by the richness and weight of the time-worn architectural heritage of Hanoi and Saigon, as well as a certain sorrow. Many buildings were neglected, left to decay, and then erased from memory.

Sidestepping the typical emblems like conical hats and ao dai, Garel set out on his own path: capturing with his camera those forgotten structures—faded French villas, moss-covered apartment blocks—preserving the fragile beauty of cities in flux.

Above Supreme People’s Court captured by Alexandre Garel

Supreme People’s Court captured by Alexandre Garel

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Hanoi, with its quiet elegance, still stands tall amid the pace of modern life. Here, traditions are not so much remembered as lived. Alexandre Garel reveals the city’s evolving character, from classical echoes to contemporary edges, allowing architecture itself to speak across time.

Above Presidential Palace photographed by Alexandre Garel

Presidential Palace photographed by Alexandre Garel

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Above Building 26 Tran Quoc Toan Street, Hang Bai, Hoan Kiem District

Above Villa No. 14 Nguyen Gia Thieu Street, Tran Hung Dao, Hoan Kiem District

Building 26 Tran Quoc Toan Street, Hang Bai, Hoan Kiem District

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Alexandre Garel’s persistence has led to achievements few can claim. In March, alongside author and historian Tim Doling, he published Saigon: Portrait of a City, a visual record of Saigon’s architecture drawn from his twelve years in residence. Alexandre Garel also contributed photography to Southern Vietnamese Modernist Architecture by architect Mel Schenck, a rare account of the modernist movement in South Vietnam.