Hanoi Artist Covers House With Graffiti About Fighting COVID-19

Hanoi artist makes graffiti about COVID-19 prevention

The nationwide social distancing period back in March-April wasn’t a particularly fun time for us Vietnamese. After all, it’s hard to feel excited when all of our usual hangout places were closed and we were stuck at home pretty much 24/7.

But many people, it seems, have made good use of all the free time to come up with some creative ideas to decorate our homes. In April, bored homeowners began giving their homes next-level renovation jobs. Then in early June, a man from the southern province of Vĩnh Long was going viral on the Internet for building his home fence with iPhone cases. And now, a Hanoi artist has made headlines for covering an entire house in graffiti with the theme of COVID-19 prevention.

The aim is to raise awareness in the community

When the social distancing policy was lifted and everyone was able to hit the streets again, Hanoians living in the Văn Phú – Hà Đông District were fascinated to see that the outer walls of a house in the area were completely covered in graffiti that depicts messages about COVID-19 prevention.

Image credit: Soor Decor

The balconies on the second and third floors of the house show an emoji wearing a mask, accompanied by the message: “Stay Strong! Let’s Stay Home!”

Image credit: Lê Long

Meanwhile, the image on the side of the house shows the virus being kept at bay by a white shield with a red cross crest, representing our medical services.

Image credit: Lê Long

In another section, the virus is seen chained down by bottles of a COVID-19 vaccine – hopefully something that will materialize in real life soon.

Image credit: Lê Long

Lưu Minh Châu, the owner of the house, told Báo Văn Hóa that both she and her husband were fans of graffiti, and with this piece, they wanted to both decorate their house and raise awareness on the importance of staying home and practicing social distancing.

The project took a month to complete

On his Facebook page, Lê Long, a friend of Châu’s family and the artist behind the graffiti, described this as the greatest masterpiece he’d done in his 15 years drawing graffiti. According to Long, the project was carried out during the nationwide social distancing period in Vietnam, where public gatherings of more than two people were prohibited. As a result, he worked on it alone, and it took him the entirety of April to finish the art piece.

As the house is several stories tall, Long required the help of a crane to paint the upper floors.

Image credit: Soor Decor

Understandably, the unique design of the house has impressed many locals, who took to social media to share the pictures. Hundreds of netizens have since flocked to the posts on Facebook to shower the art piece with praises such as “Đỉnh” (Top-notch), “Xuất sắc!” (Outstanding!), and more.

The design of the house was praised by many netizens
Image credit: Cổ Động

Of course, Lê Long isn’t the only artist whose works are inspired by the current COVID-19 situation. Over the past few days, Nguyễn Đới Chung Anh, a 10-year-old girl from Hanoi, has earned tons of global recognition for her drawings.

With her free time off school, Chung Anh has created several art pieces depicting the turmoil that the coronavirus has caused around the world, as well as the determination of medical workers to keep everyone safe.

Nguyễn Đới Chung Anh with one of her paintings about COVID-19
Image credit: Tranh của Thỏ Nâu- Nguyễn Đới Chung Anh

Graffiti inspired by COVID-19 in Hanoi

Art pieces like these are certainly an effective way to appeal to people and help raise awareness about the danger of COVID-19. We’re glad to see that artists are finding ways to contribute to the community even during the lockdown.

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Cover image adapted from Lê Long

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