Young painter Viet My from Da Nang has joined hands to support people in the northern provinces who suffered damage from recent typhoon Yagi by donating VND 641 million raised from auctions of his paintings.

The painting of the Han River Bridge was drawn by 9x artist Viet My in September 2023. Photo courtesy of Viet My

28-year-old artist Viet My, real name Nguyen Van My, is currently living and working in Ho Chi Minh City. At this time last year, he completed 63 paintings depicting landscapes of 63 provinces and cities nationwide. And, as planned the set of paintings will be on display in his solo exhibition slated to be held in 2025.

However, recently, he decided to auction all of these paintings to raise funds to support people in northern Viet Nam who suffered from damage due to Typhoon Yagi.

It is worth mentioning that the 63 paintings were sold out after only 4 days of spreading the message on his personal social network.

The 9X male artist was awarded the "Creator of the Year" Award in 2020 by TikTok Awards Viet Nam for his positive contributions on the TikTok platform.

Viet My said that completing the 63 paintings within 5 months was not only a challenge in terms of technique and time but also a journey of emotions, as well as attachment to each land in which he has set foot.

For instance, with his hometown of Da Nang, he chose to paint the Han River Bridge, a symbol of culture, history and economic development on both the eastern western banks of the iconic river. Meanwhile, with Quang Nam Province, he chose to depict the ancient features of Hoi An Town.

“Every time I set foot in a province or city, I feel like I am immersed in the breath, scenery and people of that place. The green paddy fields in the central region, the majestic mountains in the North or the peaceful, simple features of the river delta in the West have been portrayed on acrylic material. Acrylic paint on canvas creates bright and durable colour blocks, suitable for recreating the beauty of landscapes and people of Viet Nam” the young painter said.

Each painting is 40x60cm in size, with a starting price of VND 10 million. He said that this price is not based on the artistic value of the painting, but he wanted the buyer to feel that the money they spend is reasonable and worthy. After only 4 days of auction, he earned a total of VND 651 million and decided to immediately transfer VND 641 million to the account of the Central Committee of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front. He keeps only VND 10 million to get the paintings framed and sends them to buyers.

He informed that the painting "Dong Sen Thap Muoi" with the highest selling price of more than VND 13 million was also the first painting in the project he made in July 2023.

"I am very happy that the painting auction programme received such great support. This shows that when art comes from the heart and carries a humane message, it will have a strong influence" Viet My happily said.

Deciding to buy 3 paintings showcasing landscapes of Ben Tre, Dien Bien Phu and Poklong Garai Tower (Ninh Thuan Province) for VND 34.5 million in total, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen Mi from Ho Chi Minh City said that she was attracted by the artistic value and the heart of the young artist.

According to her, auctioning the paintings to support people in the North is not only a charitable act but also a way for the young artist Viet My to spread the message of love and connect people through art. That is also the reason why she decided to participate in the auction in a bid to both own beautiful works and be able to join efforts with the male artist to support needy people.

With over 9.4 million followers on TikTok, painter Viet My has become an inspiration to the younger generation about showing responsibility towards the community. Viet My’s act came from the heart. Therefore, the biggest goal of the project is to spread the artworks, while creating real value for the community. He hopes that this project will be the beginning of many art activities combined with charity in the future.

“I hope that through each piece of artworks, people will not only see the beauty of Viet Nam's landscapes, but also feel the message of love and connection that I want to convey. I believe that when art is combined with love, it can bring positive and sustainable changes to society” Viet My added.

Reporting by HUYNH LE - Translating by M.DUNG, P.TRA