As Vietnam has become increasingly open to outside influences, its artists have had ever more oppeprtunities...

Young Vietnamese painter Tran Viet Phu's art takes us on a magical, lyrical journey into secret worlds that speak far beyond is environment, far beyond the immediacy of his subjects, and his culture. Phu's art is one that is thoroughly modern, yet it possesses a timeless intensity and spirit.

This autumn, Le Quy Tong holds his 2nd exhibition, showing to art lovers his collection of 22 large sized paintings on the same city that he always loves – Hanoi. A Hanoi of robust creativity, felt with stronger emotions, yet painted with a more romantic approach. We see a Hanoi clearly on the move, fast speeding its construction sites and flyovers.

The curves and the sexual softness often seen in nude paintings seem to be too weak for Tri's emotions. They had to give space to the other spectrum of emotions --- so tense, so extreme, so strong as well as so masculine. That is why even in his paintings of families or mother and sons, we can feel a visual depression, taking us to a life where people have to fight to embrace life and to overcome life's hardship. His paintings are himself, and his large and small families.

The daughter of a Cambodian father and a Vietnamese mother, Limkhim Katy was born in Ho Chi Minh City in 1978 and graduated from the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts University in 2001. Although she is still a very young artist, her paintings show a strongly individual style and approach.

With a collection of 24 paintings done in 2007-2008, Phuong Quoc Tri has lifted his paintings to even a stronger level of emotions, through getting rid of unneeded details of the body figures. In a number of his new works, we can see figures that are like they have been roughly sculpted, showing all their solidness and rawness, quite typical in sculpture. We can clearly see the sculptural nature in Tri’s paintings. The inner twisting with pain formerly seen in his works has become less, giving way to a calmer and quieter view

He started painting often in late 80s and early 90s and his works of art truly surprise us with their unique beauty and energy. His experiments with traditional lacquer during 1960-1970 made his lacquer paintings have a mysterious beauty typical of lacquer, just like his predecessor, master artist Nguyen Gia Tri who is the king of lacquer paintings in Vietnam.

Life is beautiful" is a new slice in the creative process of Vu Dinh Tuan, it consists of a number of serial artworks viz. Egg, HER, Happy Footsteps, Dance, Happiness, Ladies, Somnambulism, A Contemporary Day …the pictures reveal the artist's passionate and serious work as well as his constant search for creative ideas which is both radical and flexible, consistent and incessantly innovative.

Hanoi Calling: One Thousand Years Now takes us through the city streets andalleys, onto its rooftops and balconies, and into the shops and homes of Hanoi residents on the eve of the Millennium.