Hang Be street by Bui Xuan Phai

Late painter Bui Xuan Phai was famous for paintings of Hanoi during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. According to the painter, Hanoi is beautiful in several aspects depending on the view of each person. Ancient streets and ancient houses are beautiful in paintings.  The life rhythm in Hanoi’s Old Quarter is different from blocs of high-rise buildings. Like a musical rhythm, houses in the Old Quarter are varied, tall and short, big and small. Mossy walls and small alleys adjoining ancient streets are surprisingly beautiful in Bui Xuan Phai’s paintings. Though he was also successful with portrait and still-life paintings, he is most famous for his paintings of Hanoi streets. Painter Bui Thanh Phuong is Phai’s son: “With paintings of streets, experts can tell when the paintings were made just by looking at the clothing of the people in the paintings. For example, a painting that depicts men carrying umbrellas and wearing long gowns was made before 1960. Some paintings feature black holes in the pavement which the painter said were underground shelters for people to hide in during bombardments”. 

Hang Mam street by Bui Xuan Phai

In the eyes of contemporary artists, Hanoi’s charm has changed. Painter Nguyen Truong, known as Etcetera Nguyen, can quickly sketch the busy life of Hanoi in his handbook. Some experts say Nguyen Truong’s paintings are to some extent similar to Phai’s paintings. But in his paintings, Nguyen Truong reflects aspects of contemporary life in Hanoi. Using stark colours, Truong focuses on details that make Hanoi familiar – a street corner, a road, a signboard, an electricity pillar, a street vendor or a motorbike. Truong sees Hanoi through the eyes of a Hanoiain, who lives far from Hanoi and wants to remember his hometown. As a reporter, Truong uses real materials more than his reminiscences to draw Hanoi: “I want to portray Hanoi in a full and detailed manner. I read about painter Bui Xuan Phai and saw his paintings, but I try to draw Hanoi through the eyes of an outsider who is passionate about Hanoi’s history and culture”.

Hanoi Street by Nguyen Truong

Today, paintings of Hanoi mostly depict its contemporary life. In the past few years, painter Nguyen Ngoc Dan has organized three painting exhibits featuring Hanoi:  “Spanning the street” in 2007, “Street” in 2012 and “Alley” in 2013. Dan’s paintings feature Hanoi streets with a tangle of electrical wires, road signs, and street loudspeakers, all features of an urbanized Hanoi. Dan said:“According to researchers, Hanoi with its one-thousand-year history and cultural diversity is a place of convergence and shining. I’m very impressed with Hanoi’s diversity of culture and people. In my eyes, the image of a Hanoi with tangled electrical wires reflects a Hanoi in the developing process”. 

Hanoi street by Nguyen Ngoc Dan

Hanoi with its cultural diversity and charming people inspires a lot of painters who not only love Hanoi but want to share that love with other people inside and outside Vietnam.

Phuong Thuy