VietNamNet Bridge - From October to December, four Vietnamese American artists will stay in Hanoi to experience the life in the capital city and to draw paintings about the city.

Painter ETC (left) and Le Chi are drawing on Bolsa Street, Orange County, California (USA).

The program was initiated by artist Etcetera Nguyen Truong (often referred to as ETC) - the Saigon man who is now enchanted by Hanoi after 20 years in the US.

ETC is the secretary general of a Vietnamese newspaper in the US – the Viet Weekly. During his two months in Hanoi early this year, ETC drew about 40 paintings about Hanoi, including many paintings featuring the Hanoi Old Quarter of Hanoi and sketches of Hanoians.

ETC is the representative of the Viet Weekly to attend a series of events like Vietnam Summer Camp 2013, the meeting of overseas Vietnamese businessmen, the conference on preserving Vietnamese language and others that will take place from July to December 2013, held by the State Committee of Overseas Vietnamese Affairs.

ETC plan to stay in Hanoi during this time, instead of traveling between the US and Vietnam, to learn about Hanoi and draw paintings about the city during the intervals of journalistic activities.

Intrigued by ETC’s program, Mr. Le Vu, Chairman of the Viet Weekly newspaper and two female artists - Le Chi and are Vicky Huyen Pham also wanted to participate. They will stay in Hanoi for one or two months, depending on their jobs.

All four artists are members of the Vietnamese Artitist Club - VAC, the club of Vietnamese painters in the U.S., though they are doing different jobs.

Le Vu, Chairman of the Viet Weekly newspaper, used to be an engineer. Before becoming an engineer, he also loved drawing but he is now a journalist. Le Vu planned to stay in Hanoi for 2 to 3 months to paint.

The two female artists participating in the program - Vicky Huyen Pham and Le Chi graduated in art in America. They are members of the outdoor painting club in the US. In addition to painting, the main job of Le Chi is artistic tattooing. She planned to spend 1 to 3 months in Hanoi to paint. Vicky is busy with a hair salon in the U.S. hair, so she has only one month to live and paint in Hanoi.

Interestingly, Hanoi is not the hometown of the four artists.

Before becoming a journalist, ETC ran a gallery, a studio and had the opportunity to work with a number of Vietnamese artists at home and abroad. He knew about Bui Xuan Phai’s paintings about 10 years ago.

After his first return to Vietnam in 2006, he met with Bui Thanh Phuong, the son of the late painter Bui Xuan Phai and more understood Phai’s works. He wanted to follow Phai to draw paintings about the Hanoi's Old Quarter.

ETC said: "I saw paintings at galleries in the Old Quarter and I realized that painters, even Bui Xuan Phai, painted Hanoi by their feelings. I see Hanoi through the eyes of local artists inadequate. I want to sketch Hanoi with more details."

In the two months of living in Hanoi in early 2013, ETC drew 40 paintings about Hanoi, which are being displayed at several galleries in Hanoi. Four paintings were sold.

"Every time I return to Vietnam, I feel very excited. It is interesting that in Vietnam, each region has its own culture. I'm sure that overseas Vietnamese will be also interested in the video clips that I have recorded and posted on the Vietweekly.com such as going to the market, the cuisines, fixing vehicles, fashion, bathing in rain to recall their childhood."

Tien Phong