tour 3 of 16
Vietnam: Behind the Lines
Nguyen Cong Do (born 1930)
The poster design shows a Vietnamese soldier
with a stylized AK-47 assault rifle, accompanied by an armed woman
carrying a sheaf of wheat. The soldier's collar badges
indicate the rank of Private, First Class in the North Vietnamese
army.
Throughout the
American-Vietnam War, farm workers were encouraged to produce and
harvest food but to be ready at all times to contribute to the war
effort. A ceasefire was agreed in late January 1973, when this
poster was made, so that American troops could be withdrawn.
However, the peace was meaningless and war continued for a further
two years until 30 April
1975.
Nguyen Cong Do joined
the army in 1949, fighting against the French. He worked as a
journalist and also created propaganda posters. He then worked for
the army's publishing house until 1956. After a period
studying photography and film making in East Germany, he returned
to Vietnam in 1963 and was sent by the army to the Fine Arts
College, where he graduated in 1968. He returned to the army in
1970, where he concentrated on drawing posters, and the army
publishing house provided him with a studio at the head office of
their Political Department.