After years of a rather provincial existence, Vietnamese fine art is finally coming out of the closet to present itself in its full glory before a wider audience. The growth of interest and the rise in popular enthusiasm about Vietnamese fine art have been truly phenomenal in the past few years. The last decade, especially, has witnessed a dramatic growth in the number of people world-wide taking an enormous deal of interest in Vietnamese fine art. It is safe to assume now that Vietnamese fine art has finally come of age.

The contemporary art scene of Vietnam is buzzing with activity, and is vibrant like never before. This is to be attributed not only to strong commercial considerations, but also to the commitment of artists and dealers to create and promote quality work. One cannot help but wonder in awe when one looks upon the radical metamorphosis of Vietnamese art over the last few years. Less than a decade ago, contemporary Vietnamese fine art and artists had negligible presence in their own country and virtually none on the international art scene.

Yet, in 1993, eminent art critic and accomplished painter Ca Le Thang wrote in the popular art journal My Thuat, “In 1992 a total of 130 groups and one man exhibitions were opened in Ho Chi Minh City, featuring works by local (Vietnamese) artists… and even (artists) from overseas. Over 5,500 works created by more than 200 artists were exhibited in 25 different locations; attendance numbers rose to over 400,000.”

Since then, Vietnamese fine art has not looked back. It has only grown from strength to strength with every passing year. A closer look at this phenomenon reveals that it is not just the profile and status of the nation’s art and artists that have grown in strength. The change is also evident in the quality of the art and in the scope of its representation through local, regional, and international galleries and museums. Instrumental to this have been such significant events as the exchanges between the Queensland College of Art, Brisbane, and the University of Fine Art, Ha Noi, and the visionary Indochina Arts Projects spearheaded by David Thomas in the United States.

Local galleries and museums have a major role to play in the growing popularity of Vietnamese fine art. They are the main driving factor behind the increasing popular enthusiasm and the commercial success of fine art in Vietnam. Such galleries are virtually countless in cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hue. Some are nothing more than mere shops selling paintings. In the major cities, about 50 galleries can be deemed professional. They deal in a wide variety of local art, ranging from highly popular landscape and figurative work to abstract and experimental work in lacquer and other mediums.

Keeping with the changing times, Vietnam fine art has also gone cyber! The Internet today features a bevy of excellent online galleries and resources on Vietnamese fine art. All it takes is just a few clicks of the mouse to explore the exciting world of Vietnamese fine art from your desktop and even, collect some for oneâ??s own.

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