Imprimer, éditer, illustrer : la modernité typographique et graphique au Vietnam (1860-1945)

Vietnamese printing underwent major upheavals between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Profoundly influenced by techniques and practices from the Chinese world, it also incorporated customs from other Southeast Asian countries, particularly those transmitted by Christian printing presses, which established themselves in the region from the early 1800s. This transformation was furthered by the popularisation of quốc-ngữ, the romanised script, which contributed to the boom in the Vietnamese press and publishing.

The exhibition offers a journey through these decades rich in history, transformations, and innovations. It begins with an overview of late 19th-century printing techniques, honouring artisanal know-how and materials such as xylographic plates.

It continues with the first years of transformation, which began in Saigon with the arrival of the Imprimerie Impériale (1864-1904), before spreading throughout Vietnamese territory.

It then highlights the most prolific years of this metamorphosis (1920-1940), which saw the birth of major Vietnamese printing and publishing houses, presenting both the elements that distinguished them and those that brought them closer to European presses of the same era.

The exhibition also explores the salient themes of this modernity, which cut across several areas of cultural and daily life. Literature was the first to embrace these changes, right from the beginning of the rise of lithography.

Technological transfer and the availability of resources now produced in large quantities – such as paper made from local wood – also fostered industrial and commercial development.

Printing then had a considerable impact on commercial practices, various forms of leisure, and graphic arts. Round table on Thursday, October 8 at 6:30 PM