Vietnam’s Street Art Scene: When Communist Repression Fails

A mural by Jang Su Ik depicts the Long Bien Brigg in Old Hanoi. Photo by Lisa Freeman.

Vietnam is one of the world’s few remaining communist dictatorships, a one-party wonder that for the past 50 years has fashioned a remarkable economic success story from the ruin of the Vietnam War. Despite its successes, though, the Vietnamese government remains one of Asia’s most repressive, denying its people basic freedoms and often jailing its critics.

Amid this landscape of repression and control, a rebellious art scene has exploded like a spray paint can in a tropical heat wave, spreading insidiously through Hanoi's ancient alleys and Saigon's electric boulevards. The story of the evolution of street art in Vietnam is a complex and improbable one that demonstrates anew how creative energy and drive can get traction even within a system that is hostile toward public artistic dialogue. The irrepressible, it makes clear, simply cannot be repressed.

“Public art in Hanoi and Saigon, until now, has not been fully developed, but that is changing,” says Nguyen The Son, an artist and curator who has been involved in some of Vietnam’s most ambitious street art projects. The Son told UP that the government takes a very dim view of unsanctioned graf on city streets, and punishment for violators can be harsh. Gaining permission to create murals and other street projects is difficult, but Vietnamese artists are a determined lot. 

A segment of the Ceramic Mosaic Mural, which stretch four miles along the Red River dike wall in Hanoi. Photo by Lisa Freeman.

The Roots of Vietnamese Street Art: The Ceramic Mosaic Mural

The story of Vietnamese street art has its roots in Hanoi's celebrated Ceramic Mosaic Mural, erected beginning in 2007. This is no ordinary mural, consisting of four miles of ceramic art snaking its way along the Red River dike wall, blending traditional craftsmanship with contemporary swagger. While not technically street art, this ambitious project served as a cultural catalyst, demonstrating to authorities that public art could enhance urban spaces without undermining social order. 

One of the world's largest public art projects, the wall was created using fragments from Bát Tràng, a historic village in Hanoi known for producing a unique style of ceramics. The mural depicts Vietnam's history and culture through a series of interconnected scenes, featuring imagery ranging from ancient patterns to modern motifs.

In Hanoi's Old Quarter, contemporary murals now dialogue with centuries-old architecture. The scene maintains international connections, with Vietnamese artists engaging in cultural exchange from Southeast Asia to New York, creating a global conversation through visual vocabulary.

Emoji City - I Love Phuc Tan, Hanoi, Nguyen The Son, Jorien Ketellaar and the people of Phuc Tan. Photo by Lisa Freeman.

The Phuc Tan Public Art Project

One of The Son’s most extraordinary projects took shape in the Phuc Tan district along the Red River in Hanoi. “That place looks like a dead end, a dark alley,” The Son said in a video that traces the development of the project. “We want to bring the light here, brightening up this place with art.”

Four years after the team began work on The Phuc Tan Public Art Project in 2019, what was once a garbage-strewn riverbank morphed into an open-air gallery that extends some 500 meters along a walkway and is accessible only via a hidden pedestrian alleyway. It didn't just clean up the neighborhood; it turned trash into treasure, with artists using found materials to create more than 100 installations. The project's genius lies in its integration of community—waste collectors, international artists, and residents collaborating to create environmental commentary through artistic practice.

The result is a symphony of sculpture and street art where traditional Vietnamese elements crash headlong into contemporary environmental consciousness. Think massive metal sculptures channeling ancient Vietnamese instruments constructed from the bones of industrial waste. Murals wrap the space in a technicolor embrace, telling old-school folklore through the lens of reclaimed materials.

A mural of train heading toward a pedestrian near real train track in Hanoi. Photo by Lisa Freeman.

The Binh Thanh District of Saigon

Meanwhile, in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City, sophisticated art provocateurs emerged, crafting conceptual works that bridge street culture and institutional art. Their practice demonstrates how contemporary art can navigate Vietnam's intricate political terrain while maintaining its edge.

Saigon's Street Jockey crew helped establish the city's graffiti vernacular, particularly in Binh Thanh district. Their work exemplifies how artists navigate the delicate balance between artistic expression and institutional acceptance, creating pieces that merge Vietnamese cultural motifs with contemporary street aesthetics.

Dragon Dance, a relief by Nguyen Xuan Lam that celebrates fashion, in Hanoi_s Old Quarter. Photo by Lisa Freeman.

The Evolving Vietnamese Street Art Scene

The government's shifting perspective on street art—from viewing it as vandalism to grudgingly acknowledging its value as cultural capital—marks a significant evolution in Vietnam's urban cultural policy. Still, there’s not a lot of artistic freedom being practiced here. Designated art zones and sanctioned walls have emerged, though artists still operate within a framework of implicit understanding about what content and commentary are acceptable. 

Still, the artists have developed a distinctive aesthetic that transcends simple Western influence. Their work synthesizes traditional calligraphy with contemporary style, reimagines folk characters through a modern lens, and layers Buddhist imagery with social commentary. The result is a unique artistic dialect that speaks to both local heritage and global discourse.

The revolution isn't just about what's on the walls – it's about the community that's formed around the culture. Underground art spaces, independent galleries, and guerrilla exhibitions pop up across both cities, creating networks that support and sustain the movement. Spots like Saigon's 3A Station (before its demolition) became incubators for street art culture, proving that even temporary spaces can leave permanent marks on a city's cultural landscape.

Contemporary Vietnam's street art scene demonstrates how creative persistence and drive can succeed, even within controlled environments. From commissioned murals in luxury developments to raw expressions in hidden alleys, from curated festivals to spontaneous interventions, the movement continues to evolve while maintaining its critical edge.

In Saigon, as in other parts of the world, skating and graff are enduring companions. Photo by Lisa Freeman.

Vietnam's street art movement isn't just about making pretty pictures – it's about claiming space, both physical and cultural, in a society still wrestling with questions of individual expression and collective control. These artists aren't merely decorating urban surfaces; they're expanding the possibilities for public dialogue in a system that once regarded unauthorized public art with suspicion.

The narrative continues to unfold across Vietnam's urban canvas, proving that profound cultural shifts often emerge not from overt revolution, but through persistent artistic intervention and dialogue.

Originally published in UP Magazine.