The exhibition Post-Doi Moi: Vietnamese Art after 1990 is held as part of the National Heritage Board’s Vietnam Festival 2008 in celebration of the 35th anniversary of Singapore-Vietnam diplomatic ties. It features over 60 paintings, sculptures and video works under four themes – Reminiscence, Land, Individual and Transformation. These themes are related to the art developments that took place in the Vietnam after the implementation of the Doi Moi (Renovation) campaign in 1986. The premise of the show is based on the assumption that the effect of the policy was evidenced by the establishment of the first private gallery in Hanoi in 1990. This implied that a free enterprise structure had emerged with the presence of an art market.

The curatorial report in the publication outlines the developments that took place in Vietnam following the launch of the Doi Moi campaign. It offers a critical perspective into the trends observed, and the ups and downs of the growing international art market as well as insights into the contemporary art scenes in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The art works selected for the exhibition exemplifies the observations made in this area of focus, and colour plates of the exhibits are included in the publication. The report is supplemented with brief articles on various aspects of the art scene, ranging from lacquer painting to the establishment of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association. There is also a detailed timeline from the colonial period until 1990 that provides the historical context to the understanding of the developments that have taken place afterwards.

Included in this publication is a summary report on the exchange programme Ket Noi: Singapore-Vietnam Performance Art Event. This exchange took between 27 May and 8 June 2008 where a 10-day workshop culminated in a 3-day art performance happenings. A separate publication on the documentation of the workshops and art performances is expected to be launched early next year.

This 196-page Post-Doi Moi publication is therefore the first of a series of three planned for the exhibition project. The remaining publication, Symposium on Modern and Contemporary Vietnamese Art Proceedings is also expected to be on sale early next year.