"I reserved half of my life for the South," Lam, a Ha Noi native who went south on the Truong Son Trail in 1966 and used his talents to motivate people and soldiers, said.

Hoa Si Le Lam – Mot Tam Long Vi Mien Nam (Painter Le Lam – A Soul for the South) showcases 94 portraits of Vietnamese and foreign leaders like President Ho Chi Minh, General Vo Nguyen Giap, and Cuban President Fidel Castro.

People and soldiers in the South who devoted their lives to fight against foreign aggression were also depicted.

"I was lucky to be taught by artist To Ngoc Van (one of Viet Nam's most influential 20th century painters)," the 84-year-old said.

On display are 35 posters in various materials like oil paint, water colour, and silk.

Six of the works at the exhibition are on loan from the Museum of Ben Tre Province and four from the Museum of Long An Province.

The highlight is an oil-on-canvas triptych titled Doi Quan Toc Dai of Ben Tre (Long-haired Women Army) during the 1960s in the war against the US and the Sai gon administration.

Ma Thanh Cao, the museum's director, said, "Through artist Le Lam's paintings, viewers can understand the southern people's personalities and patriotism as well as Lam's deep love for the land.

"And the paintings will teach younger generations about love for the country."

Lam, real name Vu Quoc Ai, graduated in 1964 from the National University of Fine Arts in Kiev, in the then Soviet Union. His first exhibition was organised in Ha Noi a year later.

Lam has created thousands of portraits and hundreds of paintings which are mostly kept in museums in the southern provinces.

The exhibition at the museum, 97A Pho Duc Chinh Street, District 1, is open to the public. 

Exhibition fetes int'l solidarity for Vietnam

Banners protesting the American war in Viet Nam as well as gifts from international friends that encouraged Vietnamese people in their resistance wars are on display at an ongoing exhibition at the Viet Nam National Museum of History.

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the country's reunification, the exhibition showcases the solidarity and support shown for Viet Nam by people in many parts of the world.

More than 150 photos and other artifacts evidencing international support for Viet Nam from around 50 countries as well as organisations can be seen at the exhibit.

These include a money-saving box used during the "200 million yen to support Viet Nam" campaign organised by the Communist Party of Japan in 1969, a bird grommet made by Japanese women and sold to raise money to support Viet Nam's fight against the US aggression and a proclamation signed by John Lindsay, the then mayor of New York City to provide medical aid (on May 9-16, 1973) for Indochina.

Mary Byrne McDonnell, director of the Social Science Research Council in the US, said she was on a business trip in Ha Noi and came upon the exhibition by chance.

She said she and her husband John McAuliff participated in many anti-war movements in the US when they were high school students. They gathered at demonstrations in front of the White House with banners calling for an end to the war.

"That time we were young but we knew that there's something wrong," she said.

"We were aware that the war was a big mistake and it would hurt both Vietnamese and American people."

McDonnell said she was moved on seeing the display, which reminded her of the old days when she agitated for peace.

"I'm surprised to see the New York City mayor's proclamation displayed here," she said.

"Although I lived in New York, I never knew about this medical aid campaign."

The great victory of Spring 1975 belonged to the Vietnamese people as well as international friends who wholeheartedly supported and struggled for Viet Nam, said Vu Xuan Hong, chairman of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organisations.

"I believe that no other struggle by any other nation in the 20th century enjoyed such strong and fruitful support from the international community as the one Viet Nam waged against the US.

Nguyen Van Cuong, director of the museum, said the exhibition is a tribute to international friends who stood side by side with the Vietnamese people then and are consolidating and promoting that solidarity and co-operation now.

"At the same time, it's a chance to educate the younger generation about our glorious traditions and continue to nurture and further develop the solidarity, friendship and co-operation between Viet Nam and the peace loving community."

The exhibition is open at the National Museum of History, 25 Tong Dan Street, Ha Noi. 

VNS