A guy traveled across Vietnam for 3 years, taking photos of 63 local nameplates before the merger

(Dan Tri) - From an impromptu idea, Nguyen Quyet Son spent 3 years taking pictures of the administrative divisions of 63 provinces and cities, before the administrative units changed.

On June 23, the photo at the old Tra Vinh (now Vinh Long) boundary sign closed the special 3-year journey of Nguyen Quyet Son (born 2000), from the old Long An (now Tay Ninh), living and working in Ho Chi Minh City.

On his familiar motorbike, he traveled across the country, hunting for and preserving images of 63 old provincial and municipal boundary signs, before the official administrative units changed.

Previously, the information about the merger of administrative boundaries in many localities nationally attracted many people's attention. For Nguyen Quyet Son, that was the motivation for him to complete a full photo series of 63 maps of the administrative boundaries of Vietnam's provinces and cities, which carry many commemorative values.

"This is not an act of nostalgia or regret, because I support the policy of rearranging administrative units. But for me personally, recording images of provincial boards is a way to preserve a part of history, like the scrapbook pages of youth," Son shared.

The young man born in 2000 spends a lot of time going to places with provincial and city signs (Photo: Character provided).

The spring trip to the Central Highlands in early 2022 accidentally opened up a journey of tens of thousands of kilometers. While taking a picture of the Long An (old) map, where he was born, Mr. Son suddenly had an idea: "Why not take a picture of all 63 provinces and cities?"

That spontaneous idea then became a 3-year project, through hundreds of days of traveling and many times returning to the same location just to "hunt" for a clear, beautiful and long-lasting sign.

There are provinces and cities where the map is located in remote and difficult to find places. Among them, the old Nam Dinh (now Ninh Binh) is one of the most difficult places for Son, as he had to go back many times, ask people, and search for each part of the national highway.

Ninh Binh also made him "break his plan" because the first time he came, it rained heavily. He had to wait until the next time he came back when the sky was clear and the road was dry, to capture the moment as he wanted.

"Not all the signs are clear or beautiful, but I always try to choose a time with good lighting and a clear background. Some signs are placed in the middle of a field, some are at the foot of a bridge, and some are even hidden behind bushes," Son said.

In 2023, Son was diagnosed with the disease and had to undergo treatment for more than a year, forcing his cross-country trip to be postponed. During that time, the photos became a great source of inspiration and motivation. He began planning his long cross-country trip right after his recovery.

In April 2024, Mr. Son started a 40-day journey by motorbike, passing through 49 provinces and cities with a total distance of 10,467km and spending 17 million VND to reach the goal he had nurtured since his days in the hospital bed.

Many photos of the map can become valuable documents (Photo: Provided by the character).

In addition to the territory board, Son also took the opportunity to check-in at border markers, explore local dishes, regional customs and meet kind people on the long journey...

But on this trip, he was not able to take pictures of all 63 provinces. When there was news of the merger, Son rushed to make the next trip in early June.

On this trip, he visited old places such as An Giang, Ca Mau, Bac Lieu and ended in Tra Vinh with the last sign on the journey.

During his trips, Mr. Son also conquered some border markers marking Vietnam's sovereignty (Photo: Provided by the character).

When asked about his upcoming plans, Son revealed: “I am waiting for the provinces and cities to complete the new territorial map. When it is available, I will continue my journey. The upcoming photo series will be a journey parallel to the changes of the country.”

For Son, the photo at the Long An (old) board is the most complete representation of the whole journey as it is the starting point, also his hometown. The last photo at Tra Vinh (old) - closing the photo series of 63 old provincial boards - is the stopping point of a journey and also the opening point of a new journey.

“I hope these photos are not only personal memories, but also documents for future generations - to know that there used to be a Vietnam with 63 provinces and cities, each name carrying a layer of cultural sediment, history and sentiment of the local people,” Son shared.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/chang-trai-3-nam-xuyen-viet-san-anh-63-bang-ten-dia-phan-truoc-sap-nhap-20250705194427508.htm