Vietnam debuts at Venice

Vietnam will stage its first national presentation at the Venice Art Biennale in 2026, joining the world’s biggest recurring contemporary art exhibition. (labiennale.org) La Biennale di Venezia said seven countries will take part for the first time in 2026, including Vietnam, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Nauru, Qatar, Sierra Leone and Somalia. The exhibition opens to the public on May 9, 2026 and runs through November 22, with preview days on May 6, 7 and 8. (labiennale.org) Vietnam’s project has been announced under the title “Art in the Global Stream,” with painter Đỗ Tường Linh named as curator in reporting from Vietnam’s culture ministry. The ministry said the country will present the work in its own exhibition space in Venice. (english.bvhttdl.gov.vn) The Venice Biennale has long been organized around national participations, where countries mount their own pavilions or exhibitions alongside the main international show. In 2026, those national presentations and collateral events will accompany the 61st International Art Exhibition, titled “In Minor Keys.” (labiennale.org (labiennale.org)) That makes Vietnam’s entry more than a single exhibition slot: it places the country inside the Biennale’s state-by-state map of cultural diplomacy. VietnamPlus said organizers framed the project as a place for artistic dialogue rather than spectacle. (vietnamplus.vn) The 2026 edition will be the first curated under the title “In Minor Keys,” a show La Biennale is carrying forward with the support of curator Koyo Kouoh’s family. The main exhibition will spread across the Giardini, the Arsenale and other sites in Venice. (labiennale.org) For visitors, the art exhibition will overlap with Venice’s broader festival calendar. La Biennale says dance, theatre and the Venice International Film Festival also run in the city between June and September, giving cultural travelers more programming around an art trip. (labiennale.org) Vietnam’s debut also comes as its cultural agencies have pushed the language of “soft power” more openly in recent years, linking heritage, creative industries and international visibility. State-backed cultural reporting has described that effort as part of promoting Vietnam’s image abroad. (vietnamplus.vn (english.bvhttdl.gov.vn)) When the Biennale opens in May, Vietnam will move from being absent on the national-participation list to having its own showcase in Venice. After decades in which the Biennale’s map expanded unevenly, 2026 will put Vietnam on it for the first time. (labiennale.org)