Artists from Vietnam played an integral role in both the First Indochina War (1946-1954), where they fought for independence from French colonial rule, and the Second Indochina War (commonly known as the Vietnam War or the American War), which continued until 1975. Artists documented conditions for soldiers in the battlefields, as well as for civilians in the cities and the countryside. They also created propagandistic and sometimes romantic images to articulate and advocate ideological positions. In the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV or North Vietnam), artists were employed by the military or the state; sometimes their works were created as personal mementoes, and sometimes they were exhibited or published during the wartime. According to interviews by the artist, the location depicted in this image is the East Forest in Phước Long, in Southeast Vietnam. The soldier depicted is from the north, and carries a Soviet-made AK-47. On the communist side of the war, such soldiers were called "liberation soldiers" as they came from the north to "liberate" the south.While most art in the DRV followed a realistic style, as mandated by the official guidelines on art production, Bùi Quang Ánh's work nonetheless gives the impression of a defined personal style, characterised by the use of angular line and contrasting juxtapositions. In this image, the vibrant colour and the layers of strong line make the portrait especially lively and distinctive. This artwork is part of a significant collection of drawings, sketches, paintings, posters and photographs in Singapore’s National Collection. These works reflect the diversity of artistic production during the First and Second Indochina Wars among artists affiliated with the communist side of the conflict. Many key figures active as war artists during this period have also had a lasting impact on the development of modern art in Vietnam and beyond.