I believe in a future where we will strive to preserve the best of our national traditions and attributes without blindly succumbing to the power of money.

The atmosphere that envelops the viewer as he steps into the display hall is warm and welcoming, the materials and textiles used exude an air of security and well-being. The blue of the silk and of the oil paintings evokes a feeling of depth and infinity. The landscape of traditional hats and lamps, the “little flame” that symbolises the individual in the great mass of humanity, creates a mood of harmony - if not for the barbed wire that connects the row of coins in the centre picture, gold coins that are associated with traditional funeral rites. What we have here is a metaphor that draws from an ancient tradition according to which the de-parted, in keeping with their social status, are to symbolically take their money with them to the other world in the form of a gold coin placed on the tongue of the deceased, so as to obviate the necessity of them having to start from scratch again in the other world. This may be understood as a sign of monetarisation of society and the growing demands made of life by its individuals, particularly in the instance of a “hat” gathering several coins beneath it. At the same time, however, this also poses a tremendous challenge to Vietnamese society to strive hard to preserve values that were once important and provided the community with a regulatory framework.

We Vietnamese are known for retaining our integrity in the face of tremendous challenges and pre-serving our national character. I believe in a future where we shall ensure that the best of our national traditions and attributes stand preserved, and where we do not blindly succumb to the power of money. The faces on the blue back-ground symbolise the great mass of humanity which toils hard every day to earn a small income, but is nevertheless ready to share. This belief is articulated by mouths whose thin lips throw kisses across the room.