Art At The Heart of Vietnam’s 50th Reunification Celebrations!

Culture
01 May 25

Where Art Meets History: Bach Dang Installation Celebrates Vietnam’s Heroic Spirit on 50th Anniversary of Reunification

It has been a phenomenal week in Ho Chi Minh City, with celebrations for the 50th Anniversary running at an intense pitch. But, alongside the military parades and marching bands, the city is also home to a remarkable new public work by the renowned Vietnamese artist Lee Huu Hieu

Le Huu Hieu has unveiled Bach Dang, a major open-air installation commemorating the 50th anniversary of Vietnam’s reunification on April 30.

Situated on Nguyen Hue Boulevard, at the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, the installation pays tribute to the nation’s resilience, ingenuity, and enduring spirit.

Bach Dang draws inspiration from Vietnam's historic victories on the Bach Dang River between the 10th and 13th centuries — most notably the 1288 ambush led by Prince Tran Hung Dao against Mongol Yuan forces sent by Kublai Khan.

Showcasing Hieu's signature blend of organic materials and abstract forms, the installation invites viewers to walk among towering symbolic figures and lacquered wooden spikes, created with materials gathered by Hieu over five years of travel across Vietnam.

At the installation's centre stands the God of Protection, a monumental jackfruit wood sculpture reminiscent of the deities once worshipped in rural shrines.

Hieu's sculptures are also intended to stir patriotism and reflection, as they display excerpts from Prince Tran Hung Dao’s Exhortation to Military Generals.

"Ho Chi Minh City has been buzzing in preparation of the 50th anniversary of Reunification on April 30,” one Irish observer reported.

"I've never seen the city in such a giddy and patriotic mood — marching bands, military parades, jets criss-crossing the skies, canons being fired into the Saigon river, Vietnam flags everywhere you look, etc — and that's just the build up.

"Seeing this installation at the heart of the festivities yesterday was pretty cool!"

Born in Ha Tinh province, northern Vietnam, Le Huu Hieu's work has earned international acclaim for its powerful symbolism. A former architect, he became the first Vietnamese artist to feature in the Venice Biennale, presenting a solo exhibition at the festival's 60th edition last year.

Bach Dang is Hieu's largest public artwork to date, drawing international and local visitors to Ho Chi Minh City as a powerful tribute to the Vietnamese spirit.