First Indochina War - United States Information Agency

This Vietnamese Viet Minh propaganda poster employs a traditional proverb and accessible visual metaphor to mobilize support against French colonial rule during the First Indochina War (1946-1954). The title translates roughly as "carrying snakes to bite the chickens of the house" (cõng rắn cắn gà nhà), a Vietnamese saying meaning to invite destructive outsiders that harm one's own people. The imagery depicts a soldier in red uniform (representing the Viet Minh or possibly colonial collaborators, depending on interpretation) literally carrying a serpent toward a white rooster standing on Vietnam's map, protected by a National Army soldier's silhouette. The snake symbolizes foreign (likely French colonial) influence; the chicken represents the Vietnamese people requiring protection.

Created during a period when the United States was significantly increasing financial and material support for French and State of Vietnam forces, the poster represents Cold War psychological warfare efforts to frame the conflict according to competing narratives—either as communist aggression requiring containment or as nationalist liberation from colonial oppression. The use of traditional Vietnamese proverbs demonstrates sophisticated propaganda technique: employing culturally resonant sayings made complex political arguments accessible to illiterate audiences while lending ancient wisdom's authority to contemporary partisan claims. The First Indochina War ended with French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, leading to Geneva Accords that temporarily divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel. This poster documents the propaganda battles that accompanied military conflict, where both sides sought to claim nationalist legitimacy while characterizing opponents as foreign agents or traitors. The emphasis on protecting the Vietnamese homeland from snake-like threats exemplifies how effective propaganda transforms political conflicts into moral struggles using imagery and language that resonates with target audiences' cultural traditions and anxieties.