{"id":7722,"date":"2026-11-03T11:29:40","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T11:29:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/?p=7722"},"modified":"2026-11-03T11:29:40","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T11:29:40","slug":"o-round-as-a-hens-egg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/","title":{"rendered":"O, round as a hen\u2019s egg"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u0110\u1ecdc phi\u00ean b\u1ea3n ti\u1ebfng Vi\u1ec7t t\u1ea1i \u0111\u00e2y<\/a><\/span>.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Before learning to write, almost every Vietnamese child knows by heart the rhyme \u201cO, round as a hen\u2019s egg\u201d. Born out of the literacy campaigns of Binh dan hoc vu<\/em> (Popular Education movement), this simple phrase has remained in collective memory as a first lesson in letterforms. The rhyme perfectly encapsulates the relationship between word and image: to look at an egg is to see the letter O on a page; to write an O is to picture the egg. The letterform appears at once as a standard and as something utterly ordinary.<\/span><\/p>\n

This brings us to the story of letterforms in propaganda posters. For years, discussions of this genre have treated the image as the protagonist, giving it the greatest attention while relegating lettering to a mere supporting role. This article aims to reverse that dynamic: by lingering\u00a0 on the letters, it uncovers their specific history and distinct visual politics.<\/span><\/p>\n

THE PRIMER STROKE<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

When analysing writing as an element of art, three concepts commonly come into play: typography, lettering and calligraphy. Typography is the art of selecting, arranging and formatting type within a composition, and is commonly associated with graphic design. Lettering is the process of constructing and drawing individual letterforms by hand or with digital tools, often seen in posters, signage and designs that call for a distinctive lettering treatment. Calligraphy is the art of writing directly through the movement of the hand and writing instrument, and often appears in traditional or ceremonial practices, or in works that foreground the individual hand of the writer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Pham Dan Que, Letterforms, Hanoi School Equipment and Book Distribution Company.<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So which of these concepts best describes letterforms in propaganda posters? Considering writing in Vietnamese art from the context of contemporary art in the 1990s, Pamela N. Corey argues that the golden age of propaganda posters reinforced a divide between the graphic arts and the academic domains of fine art. The posters\u2019 written messages belonged to their graphic dimension, tied to mass communication and reproducibility. Corey also introduces the concept of \u201cthe calligraphic\u201d to describe the trace of the body, the movement of the hand and individual expression within the act of writing.\u00b9<\/span><\/p>\n

Le Quoc Huy, a member of the typography collective Luu Chu, suggests that propaganda posters can be regarded as a precursor to the applied arts. At a time when levels of literacy among the public varied widely, images carried the narrative, while lettering was expected to be large, bold and clear, with little punctuation, concise wording and forms that were easy to recognise. Although executed by hand, the lettering still had to serve the purposes of propaganda and broad circulation rather than prioritising the individual style of the artist.\u00b2<\/span><\/p>\n

\"O,
View of the exhibition Collection+ (2025). Photo: Dogma Collection.<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On this basis, the author proposes viewing the textual design of propaganda posters as a lettering practice operating within a typographic framework \u2013 it mirrors lettering in the act of constructing and drawing each letterform, yet performs typography\u2019s functions of distributing information and enabling mass production. Although propaganda-poster lettering is not truly calligraphic, the small variations in stroke, proportion and rhythm from one execution to another still preserve traces of the maker\u2019s hand, evoking the calligraphic quality described by Corey.<\/span><\/p>\n

How, then, could a hand-drawn model pass through many hands while retaining a recognisable unity?<\/span><\/p>\n

THE REFERENCE GRID<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In 1968, the Central Propaganda Poster Workshop of the Central Fine Arts Company was established in Hanoi, marking a shift towards more centralised production of propaganda posters. In 1971, the Screen-Printing Workshop was established with technical guidance from Cuban artists, allowing posters to be reproduced more rapidly and in greater numbers. Before screen printing became widespread, production relied on a collaborative network of artists, woodblock carvers, lithographers and others who were collectively responsible for bringing the work to life.\u00b3 \u2074<\/span><\/p>\n

A preliminary design was rarely carried through from beginning to end by a single person. Artists typically established the initial image, colours and composition before transferring the design to other collaborators, who might add textual content, construct the lettering or complete individual areas of the image. The finished poster was therefore the result of successive handovers rather than the unmediated vision of a single author.<\/span><\/p>\n

Each letterer had a personal letterform repertoire drawn from compilations such as \u201c100 Model Letterforms\u201d, \u201c300 Model Letterforms\u201d or \u201c800 Model Letterforms\u201d. For each poster, the letterer selected a suitable model and reconstructed every character as a decorative motif, adjusting its width, slant and weight to the available area, the tools at hand and the practical limits of execution.\u2075<\/span><\/p>\n

\"O,
Propaganda Poster Workshop of the Central Fine Arts Company, New labour enthusiasm (1973), 79 x 64.5 cm. Photo: Dogma Collection.<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While screen printing made reproduction faster and more consistent, it did not eliminate manual work. Image, colour and lettering still had to be constructed on the master copy before transferring them to print. Each technique also shaped the resulting forms: woodcut tended to produce harder, more simplified lines, while screen printing imposed different constraints on areas of colour and fine detail. With each repetition, the model remained recognisable yet shifted almost imperceptibly according to the maker\u2019s skill, tools and habits. From this production chain, a familiar lettering aesthetic gradually emerged: the chan phuong<\/em> (modest) letterform.<\/span><\/p>\n

THE MODEST STROKE<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Chan phuong<\/em> (modest) is not an official category in international typography. In Vietnamese art and design, the term commonly describes lettering that is orderly, clear and balanced, emphasising legibility and structural stability rather than the defining features of any one type family. It is often associated with the b\u00e2ton<\/em> letterform, a French-derived term meaning \u201cstick\u201d, referring to robust, relatively even-stroked sans-serif lettering.. The two concepts are not identical, however: b\u00e2ton<\/em> names a letter structure, while chan phuong<\/em> refers more to a visual quality that can appear in both serif and sans-serif lettering.<\/span><\/p>\n

In propaganda posters, this quality arose from a dual necessity: text had to be instantly legible and seamlessly integrated into the composition. Large, solid and compact lines of text could carry as much visual weight as a figure or symbol. Yet, even as the lettering strove for consistency, it was in effect constructed by different hands, with different tools and under different production conditions. The two works discussed below, originating from two different eras, show how the same chan phuong aesthetic could be put to distinct uses.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"O,
The heroic people of the South. Photo: Dogma Collection.<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Heroic People of the South<\/em> is a representative propaganda poster from the resistance war against the United States, reflecting a spirit of struggle and patriotism. Its upward-driving composition centres on a female guerrilla, with the Liberation flag and elements of the battlefield creating a sense of resolve and defiance. The words \u201cMIEN NAM ANH HUNG (HEROIC SOUTH))\u201d are set in bold red sans-serif capitals against a white ground, making the slogan prominent and legible from a distance. The phrase \u201cNHAN DAN (THE PEOPLE)\u201d follows the direction of the raised arm thrust forwards, leading the eye from the female guerrilla to the message of the people\u2019s strength. The lettering thus not only captions the image, but also participates directly in the movement of the composition.<\/span><\/p>\n

At this stage, propaganda posters were still largely constructed and copied by hand under material constraints, while also having to meet the demand for rapid propaganda production. That manual trace is particularly visible in the two circumflexes in \u201cNHAN DAN (THE PEOPLE)\u201d, whose shapes are not quite identical. Variations in stroke and proportion do not diminish the clarity of the message; instead, they reveal that the maker\u2019s priority lay in legibility and propagandistic effectiveness. Those minute discrepancies also preserve the trace of an individual hand within a composition designed for uniformity.<\/span><\/p>\n

The poster Plant More Corn<\/em>, by Minh Phuong, was created in the context of northern Vietnam\u2019s intensified drive to build socialism, when propaganda posters increasingly addressed labour emulation campaigns, increased production and agricultural development. Compared with the tension of wartime posters, its composition is more balanced and stable. The central figure is surrounded by maize stalks forming a steady rhythm, suggesting abundance and calm.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"O,
Minh Phuong, Plant more corn (c. 1977), 78 x 49 cm. Photo: Dogma Collection.<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Advances in printing allowed the image and lettering to be reproduced with greater consistency and sharpness. The line \u201cTR\u1ed2NG NHI\u1ec0U NG\u00d4 (PLANT MORE CORN)\u201d uses serif capitals; the spacing, proportions and weight of the characters are controlled with relative consistency. The two circumflexes over \u00d4 are also closer in shape, unlike the more obvious variations in Heroic People of South Vietnam<\/em>. Together with the green, yellow and blue palette and the flat areas of colour, the lettering contributes to the work\u2019s buoyant, optimistic and approachable mood, characteristic of a period oriented towards production and reconstruction.<\/span><\/p>\n

Seen side by side, the two works show that chan phuong is not confined to a single type family. What connects them is structural solidity, clear legibility and the close integration of lettering with image. It is precisely this passage from hand to print that produced a visual legacy for designers today to continue reading anew.<\/span><\/p>\n

TURNING THE PAGE<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Many young Vietnamese designers have actively researched and renewed this typographic inheritance through archival and design projects. Among the notable initiatives is Luu Chu, a typography collective which collects, digitises and develops Vietnamese type \u2013 theircollaboration with Dogma Collection, the exhibition Collection+<\/em>, was devoted to graphic works and grounded in sustained research into propaganda posters and lettering. Another notable intiative was Behalf Studio\u2019s exhibition Republish: Typography As\u2026<\/em>, which draws on vernacular typographic values before digitising letterforms for further application. These practices not only preserve a design legacy inherited from propaganda posters, but also affirm Vietnamese typography as a creative field rich in contemporary potential.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"O,
Thanh To, Cotton for textile factories (1980), 52.5 x 76 cm. Photo: Dogma Collection.<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lettering in propaganda posters is much like the O of that first primer lesson: a small element that opens onto much more. Just as O becomes \u201c\u00d4 when it wears a hat, and \u01a0 when it grows a whisker\u201d, a new generation today continues to read, retrace and digitise the chan phuong letterforms of propaganda posters for contemporary design. That circle, like the O on the page, is still being drawn.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019d like to extend our sincere thanks to Minh Nguyen and Nguyen Ngoc Lien from Dogma Collection, as well as Quoc Huy from Luu Chu, for their invaluable insights, materials, and support throughout the writing of this article.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Words: Nguy\u1ec5n Ho\u00e0ng Gia B\u1ea3o & Cao Qu\u1ed1c Huy<\/strong><\/span>
\nTranslation: Art Nation<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

[1] Pamela N. Corey, \u201cThe (Calli)graphic Regimes of Contemporary Vietnamese Art\u201d, ARTMargins, Vol. 13, No. 3 (2024), pp. 13\u201335.<\/span>
\n[2] A conversation between Nguyen Hoang Gia Bao and Cao Quoc Huy with Minh Nguyen and Nguyen Ngoc Lien (Dogma Collection), and Quoc Huy (Luu Chu), July 2026.<\/span>
\n[3] Vi Kien Thanh, \u201cA Brief History of Vietnamese Propaganda Posters,\u201d <\/span>the Ho Chi Minh Museum<\/span><\/i> website (2019).<\/span><\/span>
\n[4] Huyen Nga, \u201cArtist Thuc Phi: Propaganda posters \u2013 there was once such a time,\u201d <\/span>Nhan Dan<\/span><\/i> (2017).<\/span><\/span>
\n[5] Luu Chu, \u201cCultural archive, research & contemporary design practice,\u201d presentation at the Dogma Collection (2025).<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tracing letterforms in Vietnamese propaganda posters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":7724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[102,201,202],"class_list":["post-7722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art-natomy","tag-dogma-collection","tag-minh-nguyen","tag-writing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nO, round as a hen\u2019s egg - Art Nation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Beginning with the primer rhyme \u201cO, round as a hen\u2019s egg\u201d, this article traces the life of letterforms in Vietnamese propaganda posters, finding in seemingly secondary strokes a visual language that continues to be read anew today. Co-authored by multimedia artist and poet Nguyen Hoang Gia Bao and graphic designer Cao Quoc Huy, this article arises from a mutual fascination with the transmediation of memory and language.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"O, round as a hen\u2019s egg\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Beginning with the primer rhyme \u201cO, round as a hen\u2019s egg\u201d, this article traces the life of letterforms in Vietnamese propaganda posters, finding in seemingly secondary strokes a visual language that continues to be read anew today. Co-authored by multimedia artist and poet Nguyen Hoang Gia Bao and graphic designer Cao Quoc Huy, this article arises from a mutual fascination with the transmediation of memory and language.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Art Nation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-11-03T11:29:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/DSCF5738-scaled.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Art Nation\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Art Nation\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Art Nation\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/bbc53c251ece846325437c3476449d7a\"},\"headline\":\"O, round as a hen\u2019s egg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-03T11:29:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/\"},\"wordCount\":1898,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/DSCF5738-scaled.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Dogma Collection\",\"Minh Nguyen\",\"Writing\"],\"articleSection\":[\"[Art]natomy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/\",\"name\":\"O, round as a hen\u2019s egg - Art Nation\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/DSCF5738-scaled.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-03T11:29:40+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/bbc53c251ece846325437c3476449d7a\"},\"description\":\"Beginning with the primer rhyme \u201cO, round as a hen\u2019s egg\u201d, this article traces the life of letterforms in Vietnamese propaganda posters, finding in seemingly secondary strokes a visual language that continues to be read anew today. Co-authored by multimedia artist and poet Nguyen Hoang Gia Bao and graphic designer Cao Quoc Huy, this article arises from a mutual fascination with the transmediation of memory and language.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/DSCF5738-scaled.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/DSCF5738-scaled.webp\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"Pham Dan Que, Letterforms, Hanoi School Equipment and Book Distribution Company.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"O, round as a hen\u2019s egg\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Art Nation\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/bbc53c251ece846325437c3476449d7a\",\"name\":\"Art Nation\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/art.qweb.com.vn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Art-Nation-smlg-1-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/art.qweb.com.vn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Art-Nation-smlg-1-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"Art Nation\"},\"description\":\"Art Nation l\u00e0 \u1ea5n ph\u1ea9m ngh\u1ec7 thu\u1eadt song ng\u1eef duy nh\u1ea5t v\u00e0 h\u00e0ng \u0111\u1ea7u t\u1ea1i Vi\u1ec7t Nam. V\u1edbi \u0111\u1ed9i ng\u0169 bi\u00ean t\u1eadp chuy\u00ean nghi\u1ec7p, ch\u00fang t\u00f4i mang \u0111\u1ebfn nh\u1eefng \u1ea5n ph\u1ea9m ch\u1ea5t l\u01b0\u1ee3ng cao, h\u01b0\u1edbng \u0111\u1ebfn s\u1ee9 m\u1ec7nh lan t\u1ecfa gi\u00e1o d\u1ee5c ngh\u1ec7 thu\u1eadt cho c\u00f4ng ch\u00fang.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/author\/fambizdangbai\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"O, round as a hen\u2019s egg - Art Nation","description":"Beginning with the primer rhyme \u201cO, round as a hen\u2019s egg\u201d, this article traces the life of letterforms in Vietnamese propaganda posters, finding in seemingly secondary strokes a visual language that continues to be read anew today. Co-authored by multimedia artist and poet Nguyen Hoang Gia Bao and graphic designer Cao Quoc Huy, this article arises from a mutual fascination with the transmediation of memory and language.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"O, round as a hen\u2019s egg","og_description":"Beginning with the primer rhyme \u201cO, round as a hen\u2019s egg\u201d, this article traces the life of letterforms in Vietnamese propaganda posters, finding in seemingly secondary strokes a visual language that continues to be read anew today. Co-authored by multimedia artist and poet Nguyen Hoang Gia Bao and graphic designer Cao Quoc Huy, this article arises from a mutual fascination with the transmediation of memory and language.","og_url":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/","og_site_name":"Art Nation","article_published_time":"2026-11-03T11:29:40+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/DSCF5738-scaled.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Art Nation","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Art Nation","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/"},"author":{"name":"Art Nation","@id":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/bbc53c251ece846325437c3476449d7a"},"headline":"O, round as a hen\u2019s egg","datePublished":"2026-11-03T11:29:40+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/"},"wordCount":1898,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/DSCF5738-scaled.webp","keywords":["Dogma Collection","Minh Nguyen","Writing"],"articleSection":["[Art]natomy"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/","url":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/","name":"O, round as a hen\u2019s egg - Art Nation","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/DSCF5738-scaled.webp","datePublished":"2026-11-03T11:29:40+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/bbc53c251ece846325437c3476449d7a"},"description":"Beginning with the primer rhyme \u201cO, round as a hen\u2019s egg\u201d, this article traces the life of letterforms in Vietnamese propaganda posters, finding in seemingly secondary strokes a visual language that continues to be read anew today. Co-authored by multimedia artist and poet Nguyen Hoang Gia Bao and graphic designer Cao Quoc Huy, this article arises from a mutual fascination with the transmediation of memory and language.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/DSCF5738-scaled.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/DSCF5738-scaled.webp","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"Pham Dan Que, Letterforms, Hanoi School Equipment and Book Distribution Company."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/o-round-as-a-hens-egg\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"O, round as a hen\u2019s egg"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/","name":"Art Nation","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/bbc53c251ece846325437c3476449d7a","name":"Art Nation","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/art.qweb.com.vn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Art-Nation-smlg-1-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/art.qweb.com.vn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Art-Nation-smlg-1-96x96.png","caption":"Art Nation"},"description":"Art Nation l\u00e0 \u1ea5n ph\u1ea9m ngh\u1ec7 thu\u1eadt song ng\u1eef duy nh\u1ea5t v\u00e0 h\u00e0ng \u0111\u1ea7u t\u1ea1i Vi\u1ec7t Nam. V\u1edbi \u0111\u1ed9i ng\u0169 bi\u00ean t\u1eadp chuy\u00ean nghi\u1ec7p, ch\u00fang t\u00f4i mang \u0111\u1ebfn nh\u1eefng \u1ea5n ph\u1ea9m ch\u1ea5t l\u01b0\u1ee3ng cao, h\u01b0\u1edbng \u0111\u1ebfn s\u1ee9 m\u1ec7nh lan t\u1ecfa gi\u00e1o d\u1ee5c ngh\u1ec7 thu\u1eadt cho c\u00f4ng ch\u00fang.","url":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/author\/fambizdangbai\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7722"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7722\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8342,"href":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7722\/revisions\/8342"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}