by aengelson | February 3rd, 2010
Communist poster on Hang Bong Street, Hanoi.
Vietnam is a Communist country, and in case you’ve forgotten that fact, there are plenty of reminders throughout Hanoi.
Seems as if there’s always some significant communist anniversary coming up (I think the 80th anniversary of the Vietnamese Communist Party is the latest). Banners are strung across the streets, flags with the hammer and sickle or yellow star flap in the wind, and posters remind citizens of their civic duties. An example of one, a friend explained to me, is a banner that tells folks it’s patriotic to have only two children.
Propaganda posters are a classic Vietnamese art form. They’re not quite as artistically done as they used to be, but you still see examples all over Hanoi. One giant image of Ho Chi Minh at a major intersection seems pretty effective to me–the kindly-seeming Uncle Ho cuddles a child. Classic posters from the war and earlier are a popular tourist souvenir among westerners. Reproductions of some really striking posters are quite cheap, while the originals can fetch $400 or more.
Posters, including a kindly-looking Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi.
Another hold-over from earlier revolutionary days is the loudspeaker. You see these on many street corners in Vietnam. From what I’ve observed, they tend to broadcast in the early evening, at about 4 or 5 p.m. Often, it’s just mellow patriotic music. Or a woman in a quiet voice telling the citizenry something…I have yet to have someone actually translate for me. You can listen to a couple of clips here:
Loudspeakers in Hanoi on Yen Phu Street
Loudspeakers in Hanoi on Ngach Ho Ham Long
Loudspeaker and banners, Hanoi.
A new speaker appeared not far from our home about a month ago (the old one must have been broken). The song in the second clip, which was recorded near our house, seems to be about Ho Chi Minh. Since I can’t understand Vietnamese, the speakers aren’t too distracting. It’s all part of the ever-present marketing in Hanoi, whether it’s billboards for laundry soap, videos in taxis advertising Tiger Beer, or the lady at the noodle stand who aims an electric fan at the pork on her grill to seduce potential customers on their passing motorbikes.
One use for the loudspeakers is to remind people about immunization day. In the Vietnam public health system, immunizations for children are generally given one day a month at the commune health centers. On that day, messages over the loudspeakers remind parents of babies to bring them in for their next round of shots.