Vietnam | 2024 | Murals, Installation

It is five o’clock, Hanoi awakes

In Hanoi, an installation by Vietnamese artist Nguyễn Xuân Lam transforms a metro station into a vibrant space where heritage and modernity meet. The project invites travelers to contemplation and reflection on contemporary challenges, from climate change to the preservation of cultural heritage.

09 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

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It is five o’clock, Hanoi awakes

Hanoi reinvents itself through art

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As the Vietnamese capital modernizes its transportation network, a metro station becomes the setting for a pioneering artistic project. This new space, located in a rapidly changing neighborhood, is meant to be more than a simple transit point: it becomes a window onto Hanoi’s cultural richness and urban evolution.
The artwork supported by Metis turns this crossroads into a place for meditation and reflection.

Artist
Nguyễn Xuân Lam

Partners
MRB (Hanoi Metro Railway Board), Quang Minh Ceramic Joint Stock Company, RATP Dev

Participants
Local residents, metro travelers, art enthusiasts

Agency
AFD Vietnam

Why is the tram melting?

permanent public artwork

creative and environmental workshops

Thousands

of metro users exposed to the artwork each day

Imagined by Vietnamese artist Nguyễn Xuân Lam, the work depicts an old tram car in the process of melting. It evokes both the memory of vanished transport systems and the impacts of climate change. Local flora and fauna, integrated into the mural, highlight the importance of protecting the environment in fast-growing cities like Hanoi.

Drawing on the country’s history and traditions, the artist creates a dialogue with modernity. Inspired by folk arts and traditional ceramics, the piece revisits ancestral motifs while integrating a contemporary dimension. It also celebrates cultural exchanges between France and Vietnam.

In addition, creative workshops open to all invite residents to engage with the artwork through drawing and the discovery of traditional artistic techniques.