Conflict Recovery in Socialist Utopia: A Critical Analysis of Vietnam's Postwar Reconstruction Policies Through a Visual Interpretation of 1976–1986 Propaganda Posters.

This article examines how the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the Vietnamese government used propaganda posters between 1976 and 1986 to communicate economic, political, diplomatic, military, and social policies aimed at national reconstruction following the Vietnam War. Through an interpretive visual analysis informed by semiotics and iconography, the study reveals that while posters promoted socialist ideals such as agricultural collectivization, industrialization, and national unity, the centrally planned economy and coercive policies led to widespread economic hardship, food shortages, and public discontent. The research highlights the limitations of ideologically driven recovery efforts that ignored contextual realities, emphasizing that propaganda's persuasive power is constrained when underlying policies are flawed. The article contributes to public policy and macromarketing literature by illustrating the role and challenges of visual communication in postconflict recovery and calls for more nuanced, context-sensitive approaches to economic reconstruction and reconciliation.