Artist Mai Kien’s

"Located in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, Artist Mai Kien’s studio and gallery is tucked away in a tiny alley next to a sewing shop. The first impression from the outside may not be very appealing but once inside, the beauty of her painting takes you to ‘a world of arts’. The studio opened in May 1990 and Mai Kien has been creating her distinctive contemporary lacquer ware artworks. She is one of the first Vietnamese artists to use lacquer in contemporary art. A visit to her gallery is not just about buying her paintings, as she is very happy to take you on a tour of the gallery and show the painstaking process of her labour of love."

http://buimaihienart.com/default.asp

Commuters in Hanoi

Commuters in Hanoi II

Mount Fasipan

Fansipan or Fan Si Pan (Phan Xi Păng in Vietnamese pronunciation (help·info)) is a mountain in Vietnam, the highest in Indochina, at 3 143 m. It is located in the Lào Cai province in Northwest Vietnam, 9 km southwest of Sa Pa Township in the Hoang Lien Son Mountain Range. Fansipan is dubbed "the Roof of Indochina"

Art Vietnam Gallery

"The story of Art Vietnam Gallery and its Director, Suzanne Lecht, is as dramatic and transformative as the recent history of Vietnam itself.When Art Vietnam opened its first gallery in a traditional Vietnamese "tube house" in Hanoi's ancient quarter of "36 Streets," it blended the old with the new and quickly established an international reputation as the authoritative source for contemporary art in Vietnam.

With a track record of identifying and developing exceptional new talent, Art Vietnam became a destination for art tours of the world's leading cultural institutions, private collectors and diplomatic visits.Having outgrown the original gallery, Art Vietnam recently moved from its "tube house" on Hang Than to just around the corner at 7 Nguyen Khac Nhu. Visitors to the new space will find that the evolution of Art Vietnam's style mirrors the breathtaking pace of change of Vietnam itself-- a country steeped in tradition which stands poised on the leading edge of the international art world.

Now housed in a large contemporary space, Art Vietnam Gallery has three floors of video, photography, painting and sculpture, a piano bar and a large outdoor terrace. With international tours and invitations, Art Vietnam Gallery is recognized both in Vietnam and abroad as an avant-garde voice of Vietnam today."

http://www.artvietnamgallery.com/

54 Traditions

"54 Traditions Gallery is the only gallery in Vietnam focusing on the antiques, artifacts and art of Vietnam's 53 minority groups and the Kinh majority people. We have over 1000 objects on display and objects from our collection have been exhibited in museums in Hanoi. We focus on the cultures of Viet Nam’s 53 minority peoples-the things they make and the things they use.What we offer can be called antiques, art, or material culture.

We have a room dedicated to each of the following categories: The Central Highlands, Tribal Textiles, The Shamanic Tradition, Functional Objects and Water Puppets, Older Things.Our approach is “anthropological”- we believe that the value and appreciation of an object is increased when we know what it is , when and why it was made and who made it, who used it, why it looks the way it does.

We also offer select objects from the Viets (the Kinh), the majority culture of Viet Nam, including objects from the recent past and also from the distant past"

http://www.54traditions.com.vn/

Connections Vietnam

Travellers are constantly seeking a genuine cultural experience, but are often thwarted by the next bus load of tourists. Connections Vietnam aim to bring the real flavor of Saigon through meeting, eating, cooking, and learning activities. Through Cook, Dine, Learn and Meet, you can get a real perspective on the city, something that for most visitors would be totally out of reach.

http://www.connectionsvietnam.com/

The Continental Saigon

"1964-1975: Philippe, Mathieu Franchini's son, who had run the hotel until 1964, left Vietnam like his father before him. Then came the time when "Newsmen covering the Vietnam War measured the ups and downs of its course by the fortunes of the hotel, "according to Martin Meade, Joseph Fitchett and Anthony Lawrence in their book "Great oriented Hotels". Or as William Tuohy, Newsweek magazine''s Saigon bureau chief, wrote in his book "Dangerous Company": "After writing our stories, we would gather around the Continental Hotel for dinner and drinks. Many drinks.".