Graffiti marks Vietnam - German relations

The work was the last in a series of activities marking 40 years of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Germany.

The large work themed "Vietnam-Germany Diplomatic Relations" is a collaborative design between the consulate and Tuan.

It features the images of a German, beers and cars and a Vietnamese woman in an ao dai (traditional dress), a palm-leaf conical hat, a motorbike, and the Notre Dame Cathedral in the city.

"The work is true graffiti. It's not just for decoration," Tuan said.

This is the second time Tuan has presented his talent on the wall of the consulate. The first time was four years ago when 20 students of the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts University carried out an art project called Vietnam-Germany Graffiti on the wall in front of the German Consulate in August 2011.

Burning bright: Vietnamese graffiti artist Pham Minh Tuan makes a graffiti mural with the theme of "Viet Nam-Germany diplomatic relations", on a wall in front of the German Consulate in HCM City. — VNS Photo Tran Thuy Linh

The conical hat and motorbike represent the dot of the letter ‘i' and the letter ‘t' in the word Vietnam, said Olaf Malchow, deputy consul general.

Graffiti art has been taught in universities in several European countries.

With the project, Germany wanted to be the first country to support graffiti art in Vietnam, where there are still many misconceptions about it.

In Ho Chi Minh City, spaces for graffiti creatives include Station 3A at 3A Ton Duc Thang Street in District 1 and Station Zero at 12 43th Street in District 7.

Graffiti delivers topical messages about culture, diplomatic relations and education.

The work at the consulate was finished in two days. It will be expanded when the German Consulate moves to the Deutsches Haus (German House), now under construction on Le Duan Boulevard, in 2017.VNS