From a Chinese City: In the Heart of Peacetime Vietnam

by Gontran de Poncins

A French traveller recounts his experiences living in Cholon, a city near Saigon with a predominantly Chinese population that in the 1950s was more typical of traditional Chinese culture than anyplace in China

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

262 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Jean-Pierre Gontran de Montaigne, vicomte de Poncins, who used the nom-de-plume "Gontran De Poncins", was a French writer. He was the direct lineal descendant of a much more famous French writer- Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592).

Reviews

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This traveler’s journal was not the most intellectually interesting. However, it was a crucial piece to understanding this little corner of the world in 1955. Very useful for a personal family history project, but I would not recommend beyond that.

[Tường-Vân · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the Vietnamese translation by Phan Xich Linh.
3 stars for the book itself and 5 star for the translation

[Taylor Genie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lược bỏ một số đoạn tham khảo ra thì mình thấy quyển này, rất đáng đọc và tìm hiểu, ít ra là với người con Sài Thành như mình.

[Kim Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monsieur De Poncins, a French author and artist, wrote of his travel and subsequent stay in a small Chinese section of Vietnam (Saigon) before the upheaval of Indo-China in 1955. Most intriguing illustration of life of the chinese untouched by Communist China. The chinese custom of leaving one's door open to its neighbors was enough to make me wonder what exactly do we Westerns do behind closed doors!