Mosaic mural highlights Vietnam-Germany friendship

The inauguration ceremony drew the participation of Guido Hildner, German Ambassador to Vietnam; Jaya Ratnam, Singaporean Ambassador to Vietnam; Trinh Quoc Anh, Deputy Director of International Cooperation Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Nguyen Thi Van, Director of West Lake Water Park; and Nguyen Thu Thuy, Director of the New Hanoi Art Company and painter.

The 2.2m-long and 26m-high ceramic mosaic mural was designed by artist Nguyen Thu Thuy and implemented by the New Hanoi Art Company with the funding from the German Embassy. The project aimed to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Vietnam-Germany diplomatic ties in 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was not completed until this year.

With bright colours and vivid images, the Vietnam-Germany friendship ceramic mural is expected to introduce viewers to iconic natural, cultural, and architectural beauty of Germany.

The left side of the mural features a group of children weaving the national flags of Vietnam and Germany flags with wind turbines operating in the background, representing the scene of power plant projects in the German North Sea.

Meanwhile, the right side of the painting recreates the natural scenery and typical architectural works of famous cities across Germany, such as Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt, Dresden, Cologne, Mainz, Leipzig, and Munich.

With bright colours and vivid images, the Vietnam-Germany friendship ceramic mural is expected to change the appearance of the West Lake Waterpark while introducing viewers to iconic natural, cultural, and architectural beauty of Germany.

At the inauguration ceremony, Dr. Guido Hildner, German Ambassador to Vietnam, was excited to introduce participants to the meaning of architectural works shown on the ceramic mural.

The Ambassador emphasised that the image of children in the mural symbolises the future of friendship between Germany and Vietnam.

He also hailed the messages conveyed in the painting, which highlighted the close friendship between the two countries and the goals of protecting the environment through the active use of renewable energy and the use of environmentally friendly means of transport, while preserving architectural heritages as an integral part in the spiritual life of each nation.

Delegates pose for a group photo in front of the mural painting (Photo: German Embassy Hanoi)

Sharing about the project, artist Thu Thuy recalled that in 2005 she received a scholarship to attend a two-month journalism course at a press centre in Berlin.

During the course, she had the opportunity to visit many cities in Germany and Europe and admire artworks of Austrian visual artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser in Darmstadt in Germany and Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona, which inspired her to apply ceramics in outdoor buildings.

When she returned to Hanoi, she started working on the project of Ceramic Road along the Red River. With 21 themes proposed and directed by artist Thu Thuy, the project was completed on the occasion of the millennium anniversary of Thang Long- Hanoi, with a length of nearly 4km and a height of 2m running along the Red River dyke through the districts of Tay Ho, Ba Dinh, Hoan Kiem, and Hai Ba Trung.

The work was recognised by the Guinness World Records as the World's longest ceramic mural.

In addition to the ceramic mosaic mural on the wall of the dyke system in Hanoi, Nguyen Thu Thuy is also known as the creator a number of other significant ceramic projects such as a 2.3x1.9 metre map of Vietnam, a ceramic lotus fountain at Mai Xuan Thuong Flower Garden in Hanoi, a mural painting at Da Nang Airport, and six ceramic paintings of Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago.

Thuy was awarded the ‘Bui Xuan Phai Award – For the Love of Hanoi’ in 2009 and received the title of ‘Outstanding Citizen of the City’ in 2010 for her contributions to the capital city.