A group of Vietnamese, Spanish and Australian artists have injected vitality into a Red River community with recycled creations depicting different facets of Vietnamese culture. 

Since early 2020, 16 local and international artists have adorned the 200-meter-long Red River
wall cutting through Phuc Tan Ward, Hoan Kiem District, with various unique designs.

The group of artists, who started surveying the area last June, together
cleaned up the area before commencing work.

"We decided to use the discarded plastic bottles, broken glass, broken mirrors, used drums,
and bottle caps to create the art," Nguyen Thanh Son, the project leader, said.

A boat, made of broken glass, mirrors the kind used locally during floods.

Son said on top of aesthetic value, the project supports the fight against illegal encroachment
of land by the river and promotes a clean living environment.

"Ancient Boat on Red River" comprises 10,000 used plastic bottles.

Artists behind "Riverside City" gave used drums a new coat of color and piled them into high-rise lookalikes
with windows, lit at night, offering views of the river.

This work provides a modern twist on Saint Giong, a folklore war hero,
fighting exhaust fumes on a motorbike.

Image of Hanoi’s iconic Long Bien Bridge is carved into an old drum. 

The 2.29-kilometer Long Bien Bridge was built between 1899 and 1902 by the French,
and was the first steel bridge to cross the Red River.

A dragon made from a broken mirror curves beneath bamboo wickers, found in Long Bien
market and once used to trap chickens, now turned to lanterns by Spanish creatives.

A recreation of Hanoi feudal life featuring a carved painting and nicely cut human shapes made of metal.

A woman walks past an aluminum platform with 20 used water barrels attached.
The barrels are familiar item to families living on floating homes along the river.

The decoration project is scheduled to complete by the end of February.