Young people living abroad preserve Vietnamese soul through paintings

Living far from home, Truong An Dan (artist name Nemoo) anchors his memories and national pride in his paintings, sending his nostalgia for his homeland into each painting. Works imbued with the breath of Vietnam are gradually born, like bridges connecting him with his birthplace.

Truong An Dan anchors memories and national pride in painting. Photo: HN

Bringing the beauty of 54 ethnic groups to the world

The 27-year-old man attracted attention with his series of paintings 54 Vietnamese Ethnic Groups , recreating the beauty of women in traditional costumes of 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups. The project originated from a simple wish: to let international friends admire the image of Vietnamese people. From that aspiration, Dan asked himself the question: how to fully depict the colorful culture of Vietnam in paintings? And he realized: 54 ethnic groups are 54 indispensable pieces.

But the bigger challenge was to find a way to express it so that viewers could immediately recognize it as Vietnamese without any mistake. After months of studying folk paintings, he chose to express it in the style of Hang Trong paintings.

The image of ethnic women appears through stylized drawings, both soft and easily recognizable. The round, kind face, distant eyes and demeanor evoke matriarchal culture - one of the typical elements exploited in this genre of folk paintings. "I do not paint realistic portraits but choose stylization, like creating a representative portrait (profile picture) for each ethnic group," Dan shared.

Living far from home, learning about the culture and costumes of each ethnic group is difficult. He diligently looked up photo books, research documents, online exhibitions and community documents. He also connected with friends near and far to listen to their comments. From the first painting on March 12 to the last one on May 8, after two months of hard work, the series of 54 Viet Ethnic Groups paintings took shape.

“The more I research, the more I see the richness and sophistication of each ethnic group’s culture. If I hadn’t done this project, I probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to learn so deeply. I hope viewers will feel their hearts flutter a little, and smile when they recognize their own ethnic group in it,” he shared.

What makes Dan happiest is the reception from the community. The messages of thanks, the sharing that thanks to the series of paintings, viewers understand more about the Vietnamese ethnic groups, made him speechless. From social networks, 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups have reached out, introduced at the event "Vietnam Day Abroad" in 2024 in Brazil organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs . Recently, the series of paintings was again chosen by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as the main image for the Vietnam Pavilion at the World Exhibition EXPO OSAKA 2025 in Japan - one of the world's largest events on technology, innovation and culture, gathering more than 150 countries.

Drawings filled with love

What is special is that the young man from Ben Tre (now Vinh Long province) has never received formal training in fine arts. “When I was young, I loved drawing, drawing on the walls of the house, the yard, white paper… I could draw anywhere,” he said. After graduating from Logistics and then moving to the US to make a living as a nail technician, his passion for drawing from his childhood never faded. During the day he worked to make a living, at night he studied on his own, persistently practicing through each painting. “I determined that nail is just a job, and painting is my career,” Dan affirmed.

The painting series “54 Vietnamese Ethnic Groups” by Truong An Dan recreates the beauty of women in traditional costumes. Photo: HN

Painting came to him with a very simple motivation: to preserve the “pleasant emotions” when encountering images and moments of everyday life. That is what urged him to persistently explore and experiment with many styles, before finding his own direction: painting Vietnam with sincerity and passionate love.

Not stopping at 54 Vietnamese Ethnicities , Dan continues to expand his creative horizons with many new projects. In 54 uniforms , he honors traditional fashion, exploring the sophisticated and elaborate aesthetic tastes of each ethnic group. The series of paintings Vietnamese Children brings viewers back to their childhood with folk games, kites, marbles, or images of innocent and simple highland children.

The old goods cooperative evokes the common memories of many Vietnamese families through familiar objects such as the fan, the thermos, the sewing box... Simple objects but recall a dear way of life. In Viet Hung , he depicts the brave spirit of his father's generation, as a tribute in the language of painting.

Recently, in the atmosphere of the 80th anniversary of National Day, September 2, Dan introduced the work A Confident Smile . The painting depicts the proud look of a child when looking at himself in the mirror for the first time, with a red scarf on his shoulder. "For me, pride on a big holiday is not only gratitude to history but also a look towards the future, where trust is given to the next generation," Dan confided.

The common point in all these projects is that the Vietnamese mark appears strongly. Whether choosing fashion, childhood memories or history, Dan still persists with Vietnamese materials, from lines, characters to small details. For him, the core artistic value lies in sincerity: "A work that comes from the heart will touch the hearts of others, and from there naturally find its place". Therefore, Dan's paintings are not simply works of art but also a bridge connecting the community, awakening national pride.

From a foreign land, Truong An Dan still quietly paints his homeland with colors filled with love. Through each brushstroke, he affirms that his love for Vietnam has never faded, but only grown deeper. With future projects, Dan hopes to continue promoting the beauty of his homeland through modern illustration art, contributing to bringing the image of the country closer to international friends.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/nguoi-tre-xa-xu-giu-hon-viet-qua-tranh-3302809.html