WAS THE VIETNAMESE PROPAGANDA ART INDOCTRINATING COMMUNISM IDEOLOGY OR WAS IT FOR REUNITING THE COUNTRY INTO ONE? (Giao Huynh)

WAS THE VIETNAMESE PROPAGANDA ART INDOCTRINATING COMMUNISM IDEOLOGY OR WAS IT FOR REUNITING THE COUNTRY INTO ONE? If you have ever been to Vietnam, when you go through streets in any city of the country from North to South, you will catch a glimpse of the propaganda artwork on walls, billboards, or just any banner on a light pole. You might not even know they are for propaganda, but what propaganda are we talking about?

Propaganda billboard on Saigon Street Propaganda poster commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Vietnamese victory at the battle of Dien Bien Phu contributed by Ian Simpson to Alamy Stock Photo on August 3rd 2014. To understand the meaning behind the artwork, we need to go back to the past when Vietnam just barely got out of colonialism, winning the battle that lasted almost 9 years with France from 1946 to 1954. The country immediately split, North and South. Our current-day beloved father, Ho Chi Minh who had gone to Russia (back then known as Soviet Union,) during the time of France’s colonization to find the way to save the country. He came across the Communism Ideology, adapted it and alternated the ideology into his way of leading the country to a new world. The moment we won the war, Ho Chi Minh believed in the Leninist quote: “Art is not art unless it becomes propaganda.” He activated his plan to spread a communist propaganda movement throughout the whole country. Including the South where it is occupied by the emperor Bao Dai. The South during this time was an open world for Western culture and ideology so to be able to bring communism down there was a hard job. Seeing the struggles Ho Chi Minh was going through, China became his first supporter and sent propaganda officers to the country to help shape the people through ideology of self-criticism. Which means the government of the North going against any western or the France specifically, with their modernism art movements including Impressionism, Surrealism, Cubism, and Dadaism. Whoever was not able to give up these pieces that represented the western ideology, ran to the South to seek more freedom in art.

Independence and Freedom

Ready to protect the country The country’s first art school opened in 1925 and closed 1945 because of the beginning of the war against France. After the victory, the school had reopened as the Fine Arts College of Vietnam, directed under the Ministry of Culture and Information. With this reopening, the school had a tight connection with Marxist-Leninism from the Soviet Union. Many Northern artists were sent there to study Soviet Social Realist art, and the Soviet teachers were sent back to Vietnam. This is when the U.S.A sensed some intensive increase of Communist influence under the skin of the North, president Lynson Johnson started to send troops to the country. When the troops came, the communist propaganda took a turn to go against the U.S.A and pushed the whole country to reunite as one. One of the signature propaganda art styles during this time was that the artists were sent to either the countryside living among peasants, or the battlefield where soldiers put their life on the line. Either way artists or peasants or soldiers, they were all fighting the enemies but at the same time doing their actual jobs to maintain a living of others. Artists portrayed the realism of the war and the people not only through the messages on the posters but also throughout their own materials. Artists casually went on the battlefield with their own weapons, carrying bomb shell casings in order to protect their art during dangerous conditions. Always lacking paper and supplies. The mixture of ink with gun grease and burnt pot scrapings. If there were no paper, the back of betel leaves were the best option just like what our ancestors in the past had been doing. Even with colors, made from scratch with red from the local rocks, orange came from tumeric and yellow was extracted from malaria medicine. The best part was that sketches were created during the dropping of B52 bombs that flew throughout the land. However, all of these were being kept out of the South - Saigon city, where French influence was still vividly around. But it changed slowly the moment American reach to this side of Vietnam, then the war against American invasion started.

Anti-US propaganda soldier (early 1960s), Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts (photo by the author for Hyperallergic The propaganda posters always focus on three main things that qualify how to best spread communism. The main subjects are always the biggest and mainly in the middle of the composition. Secondly, always go with bold primary colors. Line works are not really necessary if they are color blocks. But if there is lineworks, it will always be thick and bold, and can go with either only black or some hint of red. Finally, the messages is always in bold letter font, hand written, short but impactful messages.

Anniversary Of The Strategic Defeat Of The American Army’s B-52 Bomber

1975 The Spring Reunification For the Vietnamese people, women had always been the greatest figures to follow and be inspired from. Which does not exclude from the propaganda artwork. The woman had an impactful role not only in their daily duties but also being the greatest soldier on the field. Being depicted as the “long hair warriors”, they are always in a ready composition to encourage the people to stand up against the invaders. Or they would be on a more common side, being peasants doing daily works to encourage the healing and productions from inside the country during and after the war.

For The Happiness Of The Children

Grow Lots Of Soybeans

Chung Ta – For Our Future Another common theme also being depicted in the propaganda movement is the images of our beloved father Ho Chi Minh with his iconic statements “Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom” or “Vietnam has the right to enjoy Freedom“ go along with our independence flag. The goal is to inspire the people to push the line to gain independence, to rebuild the country in their own way and to reunite as a big family from North to South.

Hoa Binh – Peace & Happiness

Nothing More Precious Than Independence And Freedom Work Cited B, Stephanie. “Vietnamese Propaganda Posters: What You Need to Know.” Vietnam Propaganda Art Posters, 17 Oct. 2017, vietnampropaganda.com/vietnamese-propaganda-posters-need-know/. Irvine, Dean. “Vivid Propaganda Posters of ’50-’70s Vietnam.” CNN, Cable News Network, 15 June 2017, www.cnn.com/travel/article/cnngo-travel-vietnam-propaganda-poster-art/index.html. Pearlman, Ellan. “Vivid Propaganda Posters of ’50-’70s Vietnam.” CNN, Cable News Network, 15 June 2017, www.cnn.com/travel/article/cnngo-travel-vietnam-propaganda-poster-art/index.html. Tran, Tini. “Propaganda Art Remains Alive and Well in Vietnam - The Washington Post.” The Washing Post, 25 Feb. 2001, www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2001/02/25/propaganda-art-remains-alive-and-well-in-vietnam/84bb41da-7b8a-4d08-9ef2-290aee1f941f/.