The journey of a former Australian engineer in Vietnam to rediscover memories from 22 years ago.
After more than two decades, Joel Carpio, who was involved in the construction of the Thanh Tri Bridge, is looking for an old restaurant in Ha Long or Hanoi to take a nostalgic trip with his family.
Joel Carpio, 54, is a former construction engineer who worked in Vietnam from 2003 to 2006. Currently, he is on a special journey: searching for the exact location of a restaurant that appeared in an old photograph, in preparation for a family trip back in February.
Clues from a film photograph over two decades old.
The photo, which Joel kept, shows him and his colleagues posing in front of a restaurant with a traditional tiled roof and a sign that reads "Vietnamese Cuisine" in calligraphy. Because it was taken with a film camera, the picture lacks GPS location data, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact location.
Based on his memory, Joel leaned towards the hypothesis that this restaurant was located in Ha Long. Another important clue was a photo of him wearing a similar jacket while traveling on the wooden ship Au Lac 04, an activity organized by the administrative department for workers at the time, around December.
The dramatic transformation of Vietnam's infrastructure.
In the mind of the Australian engineer, Vietnam in the early 2000s was a time of riding motorbike taxis to Trang Tien Plaza or working amidst the dusty Thanh Tri Bridge construction site. The Thanh Tri Bridge was then a key infrastructure project, attracting hundreds of international experts from major corporations such as Obayashi and Sumitomo Mitsui.
Looking back at current images of Hanoi and Ha Long Bay on the internet, Joel admits he feels strange about the rapid changes. The area around Thanh Tri Bridge, which was once just desolate alluvial plains and small, dilapidated shops, has now become a major thoroughfare with a system of expressways and modern high-rise buildings.
The trend of nostalgic travel and emotional value.
Rediscovering past locations to relive personal historical moments is becoming a trend known as "Nostalgia Travel." These trips offer significant emotional value, especially for those who lived and worked in Vietnam during the Doi Moi (Renovation) period.
Although locating the exact spot after 22 years is a major challenge due to the rapid urbanization in tourist areas like Bai Chay and Tuan Chau, Joel hasn't given up. For him, the upcoming trip is an opportunity to show his children a part of his contribution to Hanoi's infrastructure. Whether he finds the old restaurant or not, standing on the bridge he once built remains the most meaningful thing for this engineer.
