Saigon Brutalism

Brutalist Architecture in Saigon

Chủ Nghĩa Thô Mộc Sài Gòn is the twenty first volume in a continuing series of zines dedicated to Brutalist architecture across the globe.

In Sài Gòn, the decades following the mid twentieth century gave rise to a distinctive body of concrete architecture shaped by rapid urban change, tropical climate, and a unique dialogue between modernism and local identity. In Chủ Nghĩa Thô Mộc Sài Gòn, photographer Alexandra Van der Essen explores this compelling architectural landscape, documenting buildings where raw concrete, deep shadows, and bold geometric forms create spaces of lasting intensity.

From civic landmarks to residential blocks and overlooked urban structures, each photograph reveals the tactile surfaces and structural confidence of a city built through contrast and adaptation. Sunlight, humidity, vegetation, and weathered material all become part of the architecture itself, softening and transforming the hardness of béton brut over time.

More than a visual survey, Chủ Nghĩa Thô Mộc Sài Gòn reflects on a period of ambition, resilience, and experimentation. Through careful composition and attention to atmosphere, the photographs capture a version of brutalism shaped not only by concrete and form, but by climate, memory, and everyday life.

A5 size

150 gsm paper

300 gsm card cover

Edition of 50 copies

Photography by Michal Dec