A sketch drawn in 1968. (Photo: Organizing board)

The exhibition introduces to the public 70 sketches collected by Ho Chi Minh City’s Fine Arts Museum.  They were drawn on the southern battlefield in the 1954-1975 period using watercolors, pens, and pencils.

Through drawings, soldiers recorded "battlefield diaries" of the tough resistance war fought by the Vietnamese army and people in the south. 

“The sketches are great treasures which have been preserved for a long time. Though some of the painters are gone, their works capturing memories and moments on the Southern battlefields live on,” said Painter Luong Xuan Doan, President of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association.

The exhibition attracts lots of visitors. (Photo: Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum)

Hoang Huy Bang, a student at the Academy of Journalism and Communication, said after visiting the exhibition, “I was impressed by the sketches depicting women who joined the resistance war, holding weapons on the battlefield. They were not only dutiful at home, but also brave on the battlefield. This exhibition teaches the younger generation about national pride, patriotism, and the responsibility to defend the nation.”

Sculptor Nguyen Duong, who fought during the resistance war, said the exhibition reminded him of memories he shared with his brothers in arms.

“At that time, I joined the army to defend the North from the bombardment of the American army, protect Ham Rong bridge in Thanh Hoa province, and defend Hanoi. These sketches depict the hardships, and sacrifices of Vietnamese soldiers,” said Duong.

Thousands of sketches have become testimonies to the heroic history of the Vietnamese revolution.