A mural depicting Vietnam-Germany relations was inaugurated as part of a bilateral cultural exchange.

The mural (2.2m high and 26m long) is painted on the wall of West Lake Water Park. It was created by artists from Tan Ha Noi Company, led by painter Nguyen Thu Thuy, who initiated the Hanoi Ceramic Road.

The mural was designed by artist Nguyen Thu Thuy and realized by Tan Ha Noi Company with funding from the German Embassy on the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Germany in 2020. Due to Covid-19, the mural was only completed this year.

Wanting to express the love and affectionate ties of many Vietnamese people living in Germany, artist Thuy started the mural with the image of joyful children waving Vietnamese and German flags in front of a wind farm in the North Sea of Germany. The mural also depicts the natural scenery and typical architectural works of Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt, Dresden, Cologne, Mainz, Leipzig, Munich...

Painter Nguyen Thu Thuy and Ambassador Guido Hidner stand in front of the mural. Photo courtesy of Tan Ha Noi Company

Ambassador Guido Hidner said he was very excited to see the mural and that the children represent the future of the friendship between Germany and Vietnam.

He said the mural conveys a message of environmental protection through the active use of renewable energy and public transportation and the preservation of architectural heritage.

The Vietnam-Germany Friendship Mural, with its bright, youthful, and modern colors, has completely transformed what used to be a messy graffiti wall. The elegant colors make the wall full of images of Germany's iconic natural, cultural, and architectural beauty.

Artist Thu Thuy said she put a lot of time and effort into the mural as a tribute to Germany. In 2005, after winning the B Prize at the National Press Prize for a series of articles on Vietnam's tangible and intangible cultural heritage, Thuy received an InWent scholarship to study journalism in Berlin. During her studies, Thuy visited many cities in Germany and Europe. The Waldspirale in Damstard (Germany) and architect Antonio Gaudi in Barcelona (Spain) inspired her to create the Hanoi Ceramic Road along the Red River embankment - a gift for the 1,000th anniversary of Hanoi.

With 21 themes, artist Thu Thuy's The Ceramic Road project was completed on the occasion of the millennium anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi, with a length of nearly 4 km and a height of 2 m, running through four districts: Tay Ho, Ba Dinh, Hoan Kiem, and Hai Ba Trung.

The work has been recognized by the Hanoi People's Committee and the Guinness World Records Organization as the world's longest ceramic tile mural. Artist Thu Thuy invited many international artists to contribute to the project, symbolizing cultural cooperation among countries.

On August 30, 2008, the "Ceramic Tile Mural Road along the Red River" project was awarded the "Bui Xuan Phai - For the Love of Hanoi" prize, a major award for projects of significance to Hanoi.