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Mural Villages in Vietnam are the Hottest New Destinations

Mural Villages in Vietnam are the Hottest New Destinations
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Artists from South Korea have given Tam Thanh fishing village in central Quang Nam Province a new look with colourful murals.

In early June 2016, Tam Thanh Village in Tam Thanh Commune was chosen for an art project as part of the Korea Foundation Community Art Exchange Programme held by the Korea Foundation and the UN-Habitat Vietnam to improve living conditions and introduce more art to the public.

Oh Ye Seul, 25, and her painting of Olaf, a character from Disney's "Frozen." The artist, who visited Vietnam for the first time, told news website VnExpress that she is impressed with the country’s poetic scenery and friendly people. Photo: Tien Hung/VnExpress
Oh Ye Seul, 25, and her painting of Olaf, a character from Disney's "Frozen." The artist, who visited Vietnam for the first time, told news website VnExpress that she is impressed with the country’s poetic scenery and friendly people. Photo: Tien Hung/VnExpress

 

Five artists from the South Korea, 12 volunteers and many Vietnamese students have given the walls of about 100 houses a new face.

 

A family pose outside their house. Artists have spent three weeks painting the walls of more than 100 houses in Trung Thanh, a fishing village in Tam Thanh Commune, Tam Ky Town, Quang Nam Province. The project is a cooperation between Quang Nam government, the South Korean Embassy in Vietnam and several non-government organizations. Photo: Hua Xuyen Huynh/Thanh Nien
A family pose outside their house. Artists have spent three weeks painting the walls of more than 100 houses in Trung Thanh, a fishing village in Tam Thanh Commune, Tam Ky Town, Quang Nam Province. The project is a cooperation between Quang Nam government, the South Korean Embassy in Vietnam and several non-government organizations. Photo: Hua Xuyen Huynh/Thanh Nien

 

Even the locals are also excited about the arts on their houses and volunteered to help. From the village gate to the many houses, the community seems livelier with pictures of a genie, flowers and daily activities.

 

 Lively colors have replaced thick layers of moss on this wall. Photo: Tien Hung/VnExpress
Lively colors have replaced thick layers of moss on this wall. Photo: Tien Hung/VnExpress

 

The village has become a new tourist destination.

The popularity of the mural village a rival mural village also inspired another project An Binh Islet, Ly Son District, Quang Ngai Province. 

 

Mural in An Binh Islet, Ly Son District, Quang Ngai Province. Photo: Kim Dong
Mural in An Binh Islet, Ly Son District, Quang Ngai Province. Photo: Kim Dong

 

There are 18 paintings on the islet, which is fewer than Tam Thanh, but these masterpieces were painted by Vietnamese volunteers whereas those in Tam Thanh were all daubed by South Korean artists.

 

Tourists enjoy having their photos taken by the colorful walls. Before the project, the islet's services were limited to swimming, diving and camping. Photo: Nganb.y275.
Tourists enjoy having their photos taken by the colorful walls. Before the project, the islet's services were limited to swimming, diving and camping. Photo: Nganb.y275.

 

The murals are the result of a project themed “I love the sea and islands/Born to live wild”, co-organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Ly Son Marine Protected Area in early June.

 

According to Kim Dong, a tour operator on An Binh, the number of tourists has risen sharply. Photo: Hong Minh.
According to Kim Dong, a tour operator on An Binh, the number of tourists has risen sharply. Photo: Hong Minh.

 

Only 11 murals were planned at the beginning, but locals decided to try their hands and the number rose to 18. Hong Minh, a volunteer, told VnExpress that it took 10 artists 10 days to complete 10 paintings, after which volunteers stepped in and started working on railings and water jars.

 

Sea turtles feature in many of the murals as the islet is among the few places in Vietnam they can still be found, but their numbers are falling. Photo: Minh Anh.
Sea turtles feature in many of the murals as the islet is among the few places in Vietnam they can still be found, but their numbers are falling. Photo: Minh Anh.

 

Local authorities hope the paintings will change local people's attitudes towards the marine environment, especially to wild animals. The murals should also lure more tourists to Ly Son.

 


Source: Vietnam Net Bridge | VnExpress

Indah Gilang Pusparani

Indah is a researcher at Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Penelitian dan Pengembangan Daerah Kota Cirebon (Regional Development Planning and Research Agency of Cirebon Municipality). She covers More international relations, tourism, and startups in Southeast Asia region and beyond. Indah graduated from MSc Development Administration and Planning from University College London, United Kingdom in 2015. She finished bachelor degree from International Relations from University of Indonesia in 2014, with two exchange programs in Political Science at National University of Singapore and New Media in Journalism at Ball State University, USA. She was awarded Diplomacy Award at Harvard World Model United Nations and named as Indonesian Gifted Researcher by Australian National University. She is Researcher at Regional Planning Board in Cirebon, West Java. She previously worked as Editor in Bening Communication, the Commonwealth Parliament Association UK, and diplomacy consulting firm Best Delegate LLC in USA. Less
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