If you’ve been living in Vietnam long enough, you’d constantly see communist-inspired art and billboards. Those would be hard to miss.

Last week, Paolo (of Oi Vietnam) gifted me with the Vietnam Posters from Artbook!

I’ve always wanted to get one of these. Every time I drop by Artbook (along Dong Khoi St.), I’d always be drawn to it.

So you can imagine how ecstatic I was! 🙂

What’s terrific with this collection is that it somehow summarizes the story of Vietnam during those trying times of the Vietnam War and how the Vietnamese love Ho Chi Minh.

“For the interest in ten years, [we] have to plant trees. For the interest in 100 years [we] have to plant man.” – Ho Chi Minh

One time, our nanny and I talked about the war. She wasn’t alive yet when it happened but her family felt the effects of the war which quite affected her future as well. Her grandfather was one of the rich people in Quang Nam. They owned much land but after the war, their land didn’t bear fruit because of Agent Orange.

It was sad to hear her story. Because the North and South were fighting, Central Vietnam, where Quang Nam/Danang is, became the stage for the war. 😦

If you want a coffee table book that is not just for show, get Vietnam Posters. I’m still fascinated with Vietnam’s history and its good to understand its culture through the posters this book illustrated.