Fine arts
In the first millennium B.C., Vietnamese fine arts experienced a glorious period that is evident from the relief carvings on the bronze drums of the Dongsonian culture. Three periods of fine arts development during the feudal regime took place under the Ly (11th –13th century), the Tran (14th century) and the Nguyen (19th century) dynasties. However, the hot and humid climate together with repeated aggressive wars have damaged a great number of fine art works. To date, there have remained only statues, headstone, engravings and architectural works found in pagodas, temples or at archaeological sites. The statues at roofed graves of the Tay Nguyen ethnic minorities, Dong Ho and Hang Trong folk paintings as well as Bat Trang and Dong Nai pottery have been preserved and promoted. Vietnamese lacquer painting is to a high degree an original art.
Since the 1930’s and particularly 1975, Vietnamese painters have made much progress thanks to their successful combination of Vietnamese and Western art. Nowadays, Vietnamese painting may boast an army of young painters who are eager to search for new techniques and styles.
Literature
The Vietnamese people traditionally nurture a great love for literature. Up to the 19th century, most Vietnamese literary works had been in the form of either poetry or rhythmic pose. Many dissertations, appeals to the people made by patriots, heroes, kings and lords are considered reputed masterpieces. Particularly, the 3,000-verse epic Kieu, a masterpiece by Nguyen Du (1766-1820), is so famous that almost Vietnamese know by heart some of its verses. Most of the poetry and prose in the past was written in Han and Nom. Along with the written literature, the rich and diverse oral literature has significantly contributed to the spiritual life of the people, especially of laborers.
From 1945 to 1975, Vietnamese literature focused mainly on the people’s heroism to mobilize the masses in the struggle against foreign aggression and for national re-unification.
Since 1986, Vietnamese literature has experienced a “renovation” process. In particular, short stories on diversified themes have had much success and drawn the attention of readers inside and outside Vietnam. Many of them have been translated into foreign languages, such as English, French, Chinese, Russian, Japanese, etc. |
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