In art history terms, Vietnamese modern art is relatively new. Its genesis was in 1925 during the French colonial era, with the founding of the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Hanoi by the French artist Victor Tardieu. This marked the beginning of a professional class of painters, separating art from craft. French Impressionism had a strong influence at this time as artists combined Western styles with traditional Vietnamese themes of landscape and portraiture.

During the Ho Chi Minh era (1945-1969), artistic expression was greatly restricted. Most artists were recruited as ‘national art workers’ and directed to produce state sponsored social-realist works of patriotic themes. The reunification of the country in 1975 had little impact on reinvigorating artistic innovation, however by the early 1980s artists were given more flexibility in what kind of art they could exhibit and were encouraged to be more expressive. (In spite of the relaxation, abstract works and nudes remained unacceptable until 1990.) In 1986 the Renovation Policy (Doi Moi) welcomed foreign investment and allowed private enterprise enabling commercial galleries to flourish and giving financial independence to artists. Vietnamese modern art emerged in all its vibrancy.

Mainstream Contemporary Vietnamese painting today reflects a mix of Eastern and Western aesthetics and ideas. Spiritual values which celebrate the daily life of the people are common themes in Vietnamese art. Increasingly, contemporary Vietnamese art embraces globalization, responding to the transnational art environment.

The dominant art medium in Vietnam is oil painting and lacquer work. The more traditional media - natural pigment on silk, and works on paper, both rice paper and do paper (produced from the mulberry plant) - are also prevalent.

Since the early 1990s, Vietnamese art has been increasingly sought after by foreign collectors and art lovers. Vietnamese paintings are sold in international galleries and are exhibited in museums world-wide. In the last decade they have increasingly featured in Southeast Asian art auction houses, including Sotheby’s and Christie’s.

Recommended reading for a detailed history of the evolution of Vietnamese Contemporary Art:
Nora Annesley Taylor, Painters in Hanoi - An Ethnography of Vietnamese Art, University of Hawaii Press, 2004
Young Artists of Vietnam, The Hanoi Fine Arts Publishing House, 1996