The original sketches of the national emblem of Viet Nam, designed by late artist Bui Trang Chuoc, are being displayed in an exhibition at the Viet Nam Fine Arts Museum in Ha Noi from August 25 to September 6.

The national emblem of Viet Nam displayed at the exhibition (Photo: VNA)

In celebration of 75 years since the August Revolution and the 75th National Day (September 2), the exhibition showcases Chuoc’s original sketches retained at the National Archives Centre No 3.

Visitors can also see his sketches of stamps and banknotes.

Director of the State Records and Archives Department of Viet Nam Dang Thanh Tung said the sketches are unique artworks, and the exhibition is to honour Chuoc in particular and Vietnamese painters in general for their enormous contributions to the creation of national symbols.

Organisers hope that the show will help the public, especially young people, gain a better understanding of the national emblem and nurture their patriotism, he added.

With success in the August Revolution, the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam, now the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, was founded on September 2, 1945. A number of countries officially set up diplomatic ties with the country in the 1950s.

To enhance and expand external relations and assert national sovereignty via diplomatic activities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposed the National Assembly Standing Committee have a national emblem and seal created. In 1951, a design contest for a national emblem was launched, which attracted a number of artists nationwide.

Bui Trang Chuoc (1915-1992), who studied at the Indochina College of Fine Arts from 1936 to 1941, was the first Vietnamese person to design postage stamps in Indochina.

Of his 112 sketches of the national emblem, from general to detailed, 15 were submitted to the Prime Minister in October 1954 for a final decision.

The national emblem is circular in shape. In the middle of a red background is a five-pointed gold star encircled by rice ears, below which is half a cogwheel and the inscription “Cong hoa xa hoi chu nghia Viet Nam” (Socialist Republic of Viet Nam).

Source: VNA