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[THE VIETNAMESE COMMUNIST PROPAGANDA] A photoalbum of Ho Chi Minh, his circle and his army

Item #2792

[mid-late 20th century]. 20 leaves with 32 photographs mounted. Album: 30х40 cm, photos of various sizes. In plastic photoalbum crafted in the lacquer miniature tradition, with an oriental motif. Very good, guard tissues preserved.

Two tissue paper leaves loosely inserted featuring a typewritten list of 32 captures in Vietnamese.

This photoalbum can be seen as a small but revealing piece of Vietnamese communist propaganda during the Cold War era. Its sequence of images tells a story. Moving from the early revolutionary struggle to military victory and then to the building of a stable state, the photographs present the history as a clear and purposeful progression. Leadership, popular support, and sacrifice are woven together into a narrative that feels almost inevitable in its outcome.

Key figures such as Ho Chi Minh and Vo Nguyen Giap appear not only as leaders but as guiding presences throughout the narrative. There are scenes from the formation of early revolutionary units and the emergence of a national army, followed by images tied to major moments of the First Indochina War, especially the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. These likely include both battlefield situations and the broader effort behind them – civilians transporting supplies, soldiers digging trenches, and moments of intense combat such as the fighting for Hill A1. The inclusion of figures like Phan Dinh Giot points to the importance of individual acts of heroism within the larger collective struggle. Alongside these are quieter but equally telling images: training exercises, engineering work, communications units, and naval instruction.

The final photographs present Vietnam through its relationship with the Soviet Union. They feature Kliment Voroshilov alongside Ho Chi Minh and also Vietnamese soldiers, as well as a Soviet soldier interacting with a Vietnamese boy. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union affected Vietnam significantly. Thus, Vietnam’s national struggle linked to a wider international movement.

Price: $950.00