Third Edition Spring 2013 - Institute of East Asian Studies, UC ...

political struggle for the working class and laborers. 30 In addition,the communist leadership has refined the meaning of photographyto the state as serving to “highlight the atmosphere of enthusiasm,happiness, and the devotion of their work (Vietnamese photographers),the goal of which is to contribute forces for the constructionand development of the fatherland.”” 31Evidence of New Relationshipto Culture ProductionThe 25th National Photographic Exhibition captures Vietnam’schanged mode of culture production. This exhibition eventwas jointly organized between the Ministry of Culture, Sports andTourism in Vietnam and the Vietnam Association of Art Photographersin welcoming the 63rd anniversary of the National Day of theSocialist Republic of Vietnam. 32 The topic chosen was “The Beautyof the Vietnamese Land and People.” This topic choice reflects thecountry’s new aim of highlighting a “timeless beautiful landscape”that is attractive to tourists, as well as its effort to establish the nation’sphotography in the international arena. 33The government’s efforts to promote its beautiful landscapeand to establish itself as a force in the international photographyarena are also exemplified in the creation of the International ArtPhoto Contest. This contest was created and hosted in Vietnamin 1996 and is regularly held in the country every few years. Thecompetition attracts over a thousand photographers from over 36different countries with photos being judged by an internationaljury, while the event has been selected as one of the top ten outstandingcultural events of the year. 34 The photos that are often30 Lê, Phức, and Thành, Chi. Ảnh Việt Nam Thế Kỷ XX = Vietnamese Photographyin the 20th Century = La Photographie Du Vietnam Au 20e Siècle. Hà Nội: Nhà Xuất BảnVăn Hoá Thông Tin, 2002.31 Triển, Lãm and Thứ, Nghệ. The 25th National Photographic Exhibition. Bộ VănHóa, Thể Thao Và Du Lịch, 2008.32 Ibid.33 Tai, Hue-Tam Ho. The Country of Memory: Remaking the past in Late SocialistVietnam. Berkeley: University of California, 2001.34 Phuc, Le. Vietnam 2002: The Second International Art Photo Contest in Vietnam.awarded medals in the competition capture landscape, wildlife,portraits, and are sometimes simply aesthetically pleasing . Whilethe competition is an exhibition that could never have existed beforeDoi Moi, after only ten years of reform, the contests highlightsthe nation’s new efforts of culture production both domesticallyand internationally. The photos themselves are no longer aimedat supporting post-revolutionary aspirations following formulaichistorical narratives, but are aimed at engendering internationalinterest.ConclusionPhotographs serve as powerful evocations of historical experiencesbecause of the way they leave an imprint on their viewersat the visual, psychological, and political levels. 35 This powercan serve governments well when constructing a national identity,as photos chosen can be used to evoke identity. In Vietnam the useof imagery to evoke historical memories has been demonstratedby the proliferation of selected photos during and after the VietnamWar. The images chosen were aimed at promoting a heroichistorical narrative of a nation that fought off foreign invaders.The Vietnam War has been frequently referred to as the“television war” in the United States, though it may be more accurateto describe it as the celluloid war due to the significant impactphotos had in shifting public opinion, as well as photography’savailability to both sides in the war, as very few Vietnamese ownedtelevisions. 36 This “celluloid war” should continue as Vietnam’spolitics continue to liberalize. As Vietnam’s integration into the internationalarena begins to solidify following the Doi Moi reforms,photography will play an increasingly prominent role in politicalcritique. As an art market develops and tourism beckons, internationalforces will create a much more open space for revisitingthe past. The communist heroic narrative will become increasing-Ed. Vu Huyen. Ho Chi Minh City: ITXA, 2002.35 Kuhn, Annette, and McAllister, Kristen. Locating Memory: Photographic Acts.New York: Berghahn, 2006.36 Ibid.37 Mark Portillo Constructing “Culture” 38