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B ackstage Pas s Nha Tr ang, Vietnam
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BY ROYA L B R U N E I A I R L I N E S | M arc h - A p ri l 2 01 8
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PASS A curated guide to feast your eyes on the brightest talents in Nha Trang. Words GRACE OOI Images THE ANAM
01 Conical hats weaving, Mai L c.
At Vietnam’s most ambitious new coastal resort, the 213-room The Anam is shepherding guests into the galleries and homes of talented local artists and recently unveiled an artist-in-residence programme. The resort’s commitment to the arts is obvious all over its grounds, where an eclectic collection of hundreds of artworks by local artists hang from its walls and bedeck its pedestals. “Our part of Vietnam is famous for its beaches, its islands, its Cham towers and its seafood,” said The Anam’s general manager Herbert Laubichler-Pichler. “It should be famous for its art, and we hope to help make that happen.” Driven by his interest to get to know the local artists personally, Laubichler-Pichler enlisted Nguy n H ng Vân, who opened Nha Trang’s first art gallery called The Rainbow Gallery, to create the Nha Trang Art Tour, providing the ultimate “insider” knowledge about the destination.
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02 02 Harvest, Bùi Văn Quang. 03 Memory Vietnamese, Tr n Th B o Trân.
As part of this intimate seven-hour tour, H ng Vân and Laubichler-Pichler welcome art lovers into the homes and galleries of acclaimed local artists otherwise inaccessible to tourists, providing a new perspective of Vietnam and its people through their art ranging from oil paintings and metalwork to sculpture and photography. The tour wraps up with dinner at a local Vietnamese restaurant renowned for its seafood. The life story of one of the tour’s artists, Mai L c, epitomises Vietnam’s rapid transformation. Once living under the poorest conditions as a miner, he met a Norwegian couple by chance in 1995. They kept in touch and for his wedding, the couple gave him a camera, completely changing his life. Today Mai L c is a soughtafter photographer who has exhibited his striking blackand-white and colour images of Vietnam’s landscape and its people in Canada, Finland, Austria and other parts of the world. Painter Bùi Văn Quang, a member of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, is also on the tour, showcasing authentic paintings depicting situations from the daily lives of Vietnamese through use of the country’s rich colours. Other artists involved include painters Tr n Th B o Trân and her husband L u Thành Qu , Nguy n H u Bài, Ngô Đăng Hi p and Lê Huỳnh, metalwork artist Bùi Trung Chính and sculptor Đoàn Xuân Hùng.
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04 Am Vang Dien Bien. 05 The Anam's commitment to the arts is obvious all over its grounds.
Last December, the resort staged its inaugural ‘Garden and Sun Artist in Residence’. Artists created works and chatted with guests amid the resort’s lush gardens before the resulting artworks were displayed on 29 December at Au Lac Ballroom with complimentary drinks and canapes. The Nha Trang Art Tour is a recommended starting point for one’s expedition to discover the Vietnamese culture through Nha Trang’s dynamic art scene. It is offered daily from 1.30pm from The Anam and includes transfers, visits to the studios and homes with a guide and the ensuing dinner. Non-staying guests are also welcome to join the tour. Tours are priced at USD77/person in a group of six. Royal Brunei Airlines flies Ho Chi Minh City 4x weekly for easy connections to Cam Ranh. Discover things to do in Nha Trang in www.muhibah.com.bn
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