Propaganda art in Hanoi

Was taken to one of the best places in Hanoi to buy freshly cured ‘Thit Bo Kho’ on Hang Bong St. Delicious chewy blocks of beef jerky which expand in the mouth the more you chew, releasing a salt beef chilli sensation. Highly addictive stuff and surprisingly filling too!

R & Y bought me an original propaganda artwork from aptly named Propaganda art gallery. The message means: ‘Strongly promote industrialization and modernization for the goal of a strong nation, prosperous people and democratic society.’ It’s a perfect example of high-impact advertising using a bold, bright and graphic style that draws your attention. The artist, Luong Anh Dung, now fifty-three, graduated from Hanoi Industrial Art College and has worked for the government as a propaganda artist since 1968. He said: ‘I believe in socialist ideals. If I didn’t, I could not create my paintings.’ Dung’s inspiration comes from his faith in the system and he always paints in bold strokes, bright colours and simple repetitive shapes, with human characters with large, identical features.

Despite the country’s gradual move towards capitalism, you can see government-sanctioned socialist art all over Vietnam. Bold paintings on billboards up to thirty feet across dominate public areas and national roads. Red is used for political messages and blue is used for cultural or social messages. The paintings serve as messages from the government to its citizens so typical messages would be: HAVE ONLY TWO CHILDREN! GROW MORE POTATOES! RESPECT YOUR ELDERS!

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