Public artwork Năm Giờ Sáng, Hà Nội Thức Giấc (It Is Five O'clock, Hanoi Awakens) in the Metro Line No. 3 project from Nhổn to Hà Nội Station. — Photo courtesy of AFD

HÀ NỘI — A public site-specific artwork has been installed in the Metro Line No. 3 from Nhổn to Hà Nội Station, to mark the official opening.

The piece, entitled Năm Giờ Sáng, Hà Nội Thức Giấc (It Is Five O'clock, Hanoi Awakens), was funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) via the Metis Fund in collaboration with Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB) and young artist Nguyễn Xuân Lam.

According to Director of AFD in Việt Nam, Hervé Conan, public artwork not only symbolise the Việt Nam-France relationship in the 21st century, but also evokes reflections on the relationship between humans, the urban environment and nature.

On behalf of Hà Nội, Vice Chairman of the Hà Nội People's Committee, Dương Đức Tuấn, expressed deep gratitude to the French government and AFD for this meaningful gift. He hoped that the artwork would become a stopping point and a source of inspiration for every resident of Hà Nội and international visitors, contributing to a vibrant, modern and sustainable capital.

It Is Five O'clock, Hanoi Awakens is designed to interact with the surroundings, reflecting the biodiversity and rich history of Station S8, Cầu Giấy – a unique urban intersection of historical, cultural and social significance. Cầu Giấy, the gateway to the ancient capital of Thăng Long, is located near Voi Phục Temple (Kneeling Elephants Temple), one of Thăng Long’s Four Sacred Temples, as well as notable structures like Thủ Lệ Zoo and prominent universities and hospitals.

The fibreglass sculpture, silkscreen on mosaic, is inspired by early 20th-century Hà Nội trams. Upon entering S8 Station, viewers encounter a fossilised tram created from over 15,000 ceramic pieces, standing at over 2.8 metres in height and stretching more than 3.5 metres wide, in a state that appears to melt away. 

Adorning the tram's surface is a rich botanical garden where flora and fauna from Đông Hồ and Hàng Trống folk paintings intertwine with the Voi Phục Temple. — Photo courtesy of AFD

Adorning the tram's surface is a rich botanical garden where flora and fauna from Đông Hồ and Hàng Trống folk paintings intertwined with the Voi Phục Temple.

The intricate painting technique, rendered in fine, crisscrossing strokes, takes inspiration from Toile de Jouy, an emblem of French elegance.

The title, It is Five O'clock, Hanoi Awakens, alludes to the metro's operating hours, 5.30am to 10.00pm and nods to Jacques Dutronc's iconic song Il Est Cinq Heures, Paris S'éveille (It is Five O'clock, Paris Awakens), a classic of French music. While Dutronc's chanson celebrates the bustling early hours of Paris, this multimedia sculpture honours Hà Nội – a city charged with energy, optimism and vitality in the contemporary landscape.

Set atop a hexagonal pedestal, It is Five O'clock, Hanoi Awakens symbolises not only the deep friendship between Việt Nam and France in the 21st century but also evokes reflections on the relationship between people, urban spaces, and nature. Confronting today's environmental challenges, this work invites contemplations on individual responsibility and the small, practical actions each can take toward a more sustainable and brighter future.

Its creator, artist Nguyễn Xuân Lam said he worked 12 hours a day for over two and a half months on the stages of conceptualisation, research, sketching, proposal writing, creating technical drawings and designing the garden patterns.

The construction took another three months, from morning to night, bringing the designs to life, which included modeling, moulding, polishing, producing ceramics and installing at the site.

Nguyễn Xuân Lam, born in 1993 in Hà Nội, is an artist known for revitalising and reintroducing forgotten Vietnamese folk paintings to a new generation. Interplaying between painting, drawing, digital art and printmaking, Lam's approach to art-making fuses the practices of an archaeologist and being a creative, characterised by exuberant gradients and maximalism.

Lam earned his B.F.A. in Painting from Vietnam University of Fine Arts and his M.F.A. in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) with a Fulbright Scholarship from the US Government.

He won first prize in the art competition commemorating 45 years of Việt Nam-Germany diplomatic relations, XVI Giornata del Contemporaneo and has participated in several public art projects in Hà Nội. VNS