Among a plethora of shops selling trinkets, footwear, clothes, and all things you can find around Hanoi of the Old Quarter is a humble shop doing a brisk trade in selling off original and reprinted propaganda posters dated back to the Vietnam War.
This is a good source for tourists to turn to for both history lessons and art. You can get your family great souvenirs after finishing your backpacking trip.
The American War is a substitute name for the same war taking place here in the previous century. It’s quite some time since the war ended, but the art works inspired by this phase continue to be created, preserved and be up for selling in many art shops around Hanoi. The shop on Hang Bac street chooses to be low-key, operating without a glitzy name, yet draws a fair share of attention of art-lovers.
Stepping into the shop may have the feeling of entering a time capsule of exhortations to patriotism and sky-high enemy defeating spirits. All of that are under the watching eye of Uncle Ho.
At first, there’s an initial kitsch value and impatience to browsing amongst the posters which are placed one by one , 50 pieces in one line, separated by cover sheets. But if you take your time, flicking through deeper, more sobering pictures of the Vietnamese struggle for survival and independence, emerge.
The old lady who is the owners of the shop might well have lived through both the American and French wars in Vietnam. It can be interesting to think of the thoughts running through her mind when seeing all these backpackers stepping into her shop to buy these posters that used to be taken deadly seriously.
see more :old quarter Hanoi
A variety of artistic styles are up for buyers’ options, from impressionistic efforts to blocky Soviet graphical influence. Prices are reasonable, only a few dollars each, for you to grab couples of them. High chances are you will quickly fall in love with those images as they are genuinely artistic regardless of their historical impact.
Nixon’s face superimposed on a falling bomb
It’s no surprise that you will see images of Ho Chi Minh, Father of the Nation, who led Vietnam through the war but did not live to see its independence, frequently crop up.
The most impressive Uncle Ho image is the portrait of him entirely made with Vietnamese stamps.
Literally hundreds of posters are on display in the Old Propaganda Poster Shop. A great idea is to make a book or historical document about them after interviews and talks with the artists who are still living about the creating process of these images and the influences on their work.
Do you think you will pay the shop a visit? Share with us your thoughts about artworks you find interesting there.
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