Life is Beautiful
By Susan Chai
Photos by Eunice Phang
This Monash study trip has been one of the most wonderful and meaningful trips I have ever been. Other than visiting the usual tourist spots, I felt it was a unique opportunity to visit the Vietnam National University (VNU) to observe the local students and also to learn about the country from the professors. Through this trip I got to know more about the Vietnamese culture, economy, the history of the Vietnam Resistant War and also discover the unique Cao Dai religion.
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| The trip brought me many smiles |
What remains most close to my heart however, are the visits to the marginalized communities. We got to interact with the urban poor, people living with HIV/AIDS and people with disabilities. Among all, the experience that was the most unforgettable was the team effort and togetherness showed in the ‘Ghost Village’; I felt that the people are very loving and caring towards each other and also towards outsiders, something reminiscent of my childhood living in a small Seremban village. We also had the privilege to join our host for a simple yet authentic and heartwarming home-cooked lunch.
On Day Six, we visited Doi Rat Dep, a centre for people with disabilities. The interior of the centre made me feel very comfortable and it is a beautiful place indeed. At the same time, they also provide a very positive environment with professionals to assist and educate people with disabilities. Through the care of the centre, people with disabilities are accepted and receive positive recognition; they get the chance to live a more confident and beautiful life. Having taken much inspiration from this trip, I will try my best to use this brief introduction and experience to apply onto my future volunteer work. I’m passionate and I believe that I can give people hope, care and love, and also to help the people that are poor and disabled.
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| Me at Doi Rat Dep with one of the children at the centre. |
Susan Chai is a single working parent and part time student. She has taken up psychology in New Era College for her personal development, and she believes that there’s no age too old to learn. In a first for ‘In Search Of’, she was accompanied by veteran alumni traveller Eunice Phang (her daughter), and was the first parent of a former traveller to ever come on such a trip.
Brushing Through Saigon
By Eunice Phang
Photos by Eunice Phang
Constantly curious, I like to think of myself as the living epitome of the Monash motto - AncorāImpāro-I’m still learning; I may have graduated years ago (let’s not specify when) but my journey in search of knowledge continues.
These ‘In Search of’ Escapades are almost like a mini sabbatical for me. I joined the In Search of Baguio and Sagada crew in 2007, having undeniably one of the best times with my friend and since then, I’ve been hooked. This year’s trip was equally unforgettable becausemy Mom became my travelling buddy. Joining this study trip would be a taste of the ‘campus life’ that she never had, and I have to thank the fellow travellers who allowed us to blend in and feel comfortable. Due to her gender, she was denied education at a very young age, yet that has never stopped her thirst for knowledge. Juggling work and her studies in Psychology; a brave attempt as she must have worked a gazillion times harder to catch up with the others, she actually finds such joy in doing her assignments and is quite consistently a HD student (I ought to be ashamed of myself). Besides, how many people get to go backpacking with their Mom, right?
After reading the blog, I think all topics seem well covered so I’d like to write about the Vietnamese Art Scene. Following the visit to DRD, I took a quick tour to the Fine Arts Museum located at District 1. Housed in a 3 storey colonial building in the regal “Bersih Yellow”, the museum is home to many masterpieces of local and international talents.What you will see is not the usual Tintin lacquer art or ladies in flowing ao dais, but some good ol’ Vietnamese propaganda art. Some of the artworks are amateurish and raw; some show the poetic agricultural life, some are painted with messages about symbolism and ideology, some are quite disturbingly depressing and others are just out of this world.
At the time of my visit, there was an on-going exhibition of self-portraitsthemed “Beyond the Mirror” from the Dogma Collection. The Dogma Collection mainly collects original pieces of propaganda art from the period of 1960 to 1975. The exhibition featured many contemporary pieces; some self-portraits however, looked pretty morbid. It felt like each piece had its own story to tell; a window that shows the war-torn context and the artist’s perception of him/herself and the world surrounding.
The second floor has many ‘propaganda-ish’ artworks that sketch the resistance wars and document the Vietnamese psyche during the era.“One hand on a trigger, the other on a paint brush”, many artists during the Vietnam War were mobilised to join the war effort as an artist-cadre; to produce aesthetic communication that appeals and pull the heartstrings of the people, conveying revolution and resistance messages, promoting reunification and the NLF (National Liberation Front), idolising Uncle Ho and glamorising martyrdom.Propaganda art played an important role ininfluencing the masses by inspiring hope and confidence towards the “cause”.
Many of the Vietnamese artists received their training from the Fine Arts College of Indochine (FACI) that was established by the French colonists and also from the USSR. Art with a softer colour palette was influenced by the French aesthetics, and often used to appeal to the peasants to increase food production and to provide for the guerrilla. In contrast, the Soviet-influenced propaganda art carries political taglines and is bold in colours to evoke emotion and encourage patriotism. Another interesting story behind the artwork, literally, is that during the intensification of the war period, there was a shortage of paper materials. The resourceful artists had to recycle the reverse side of pre-printed papers, from Eastern European to North Korean propaganda posters to maps, charts and anything that could be painted on, including cloth. It’s fascinating to know that the back page of an art piece could be a Polish theatrical poster, a picture of Lenin or a war strategy chart!
The third floor was pretty much of antiques that did not interest me, and besides the whole building was rather stuffy, thereby ending my brief but pictures-speak-a-thousand-words visit. The Vietnamese art scene may not have the Che Guevara kind of pop art fame but the HCMC Fine Arts Museum is definitely a visually stimulating passage through the eyes of the artist-cadres!
Eunice Phang is a Monash alumnus who currently holds a mind-numbing Corporate Communications job in the oil & gas industry. A wallflower that may have crossed path in your life yet leaves no significant trail behind. She loves travelling and lives by the moment.
Brushing Through Saigon
By Eunice Phang
Photos by Eunice Phang
Constantly curious, I like to think of myself as the living epitome of the Monash motto - AncorāImpāro-I’m still learning; I may have graduated years ago (let’s not specify when) but my journey in search of knowledge continues.
These ‘In Search of’ Escapades are almost like a mini sabbatical for me. I joined the In Search of Baguio and Sagada crew in 2007, having undeniably one of the best times with my friend and since then, I’ve been hooked. This year’s trip was equally unforgettable becausemy Mom became my travelling buddy. Joining this study trip would be a taste of the ‘campus life’ that she never had, and I have to thank the fellow travellers who allowed us to blend in and feel comfortable. Due to her gender, she was denied education at a very young age, yet that has never stopped her thirst for knowledge. Juggling work and her studies in Psychology; a brave attempt as she must have worked a gazillion times harder to catch up with the others, she actually finds such joy in doing her assignments and is quite consistently a HD student (I ought to be ashamed of myself). Besides, how many people get to go backpacking with their Mom, right?
After reading the blog, I think all topics seem well covered so I’d like to write about the Vietnamese Art Scene. Following the visit to DRD, I took a quick tour to the Fine Arts Museum located at District 1. Housed in a 3 storey colonial building in the regal “Bersih Yellow”, the museum is home to many masterpieces of local and international talents.What you will see is not the usual Tintin lacquer art or ladies in flowing ao dais, but some good ol’ Vietnamese propaganda art. Some of the artworks are amateurish and raw; some show the poetic agricultural life, some are painted with messages about symbolism and ideology, some are quite disturbingly depressing and others are just out of this world.
 |
| The premises |
At the time of my visit, there was an on-going exhibition of self-portraitsthemed “Beyond the Mirror” from the Dogma Collection. The Dogma Collection mainly collects original pieces of propaganda art from the period of 1960 to 1975. The exhibition featured many contemporary pieces; some self-portraits however, looked pretty morbid. It felt like each piece had its own story to tell; a window that shows the war-torn context and the artist’s perception of him/herself and the world surrounding.
 |
| Art exhibits |
The second floor has many ‘propaganda-ish’ artworks that sketch the resistance wars and document the Vietnamese psyche during the era.“One hand on a trigger, the other on a paint brush”, many artists during the Vietnam War were mobilised to join the war effort as an artist-cadre; to produce aesthetic communication that appeals and pull the heartstrings of the people, conveying revolution and resistance messages, promoting reunification and the NLF (National Liberation Front), idolising Uncle Ho and glamorising martyrdom.Propaganda art played an important role ininfluencing the masses by inspiring hope and confidence towards the “cause”.
 |
| Women are often shown nurturing yetready to fight; the “Long Haired Army”isrepresented as fearless and determined to protect their “motherland”. This is a message to show that everyone is part of the resistance. |
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| The “Communal spirit” is another popular theme. Youth and women are often featured to encourage them to identify with the subjects and thus enlist in the Viet Cong forces. |
Many of the Vietnamese artists received their training from the Fine Arts College of Indochine (FACI) that was established by the French colonists and also from the USSR. Art with a softer colour palette was influenced by the French aesthetics, and often used to appeal to the peasants to increase food production and to provide for the guerrilla. In contrast, the Soviet-influenced propaganda art carries political taglines and is bold in colours to evoke emotion and encourage patriotism. Another interesting story behind the artwork, literally, is that during the intensification of the war period, there was a shortage of paper materials. The resourceful artists had to recycle the reverse side of pre-printed papers, from Eastern European to North Korean propaganda posters to maps, charts and anything that could be painted on, including cloth. It’s fascinating to know that the back page of an art piece could be a Polish theatrical poster, a picture of Lenin or a war strategy chart!
The third floor was pretty much of antiques that did not interest me, and besides the whole building was rather stuffy, thereby ending my brief but pictures-speak-a-thousand-words visit. The Vietnamese art scene may not have the Che Guevara kind of pop art fame but the HCMC Fine Arts Museum is definitely a visually stimulating passage through the eyes of the artist-cadres!
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| After a good dose of Fine Arts, I felt as ‘cultured’ as Vitagen (cultured milk, got it?) |
Eunice Phang is a Monash alumnus who currently holds a mind-numbing Corporate Communications job in the oil & gas industry. A wallflower that may have crossed path in your life yet leaves no significant trail behind. She loves travelling and lives by the moment.
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