Nguyen Thu, a painting

Vietnam, signed and dated, 1966

Life during wartime

This scene shows six nurses walking in line down a street towards traffic lights, watched by children. The women can be identified as nurses by their blue uniforms, caps and red cross arm bands. They carry medical supplies in their backpacks and carbines slung over their shoulders; The painting was made a year after the beginning of the American-Vietnam War (1965-75). The street is paved and lined with trees, suggesting that this is the capital, Hanoi.

J. Harrison-Hall, Vietnam Behind the Lines: Imag (London, British Museum Press, 2002)