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The same situation is seen at other galleries. Hai Xuan, a
young painter with her own small gallery on Tho Xuong street
said that Vietnamese people mostly come to the gallery to buy
a reasonably priced painting for decorative purposes. “I used
to pursue a more artistic style and even put on my own solo
exhibitions, but it was tough - I did not make enough to make
ends meet,” she said.
Instead, she has changed tactics and headed in a direction
which better fits the market – commercial art and art classes
for children.
Anh Phuong is typical of Saigon’s art buyers. “I need
some paintings for my living room, bedrooms and the stair-
way,” she says. All she has to do is give details about her
house in terms of measurements and colours, together with
a price range. This information, plus some basic guidance
on preferred styles, will be enough for the salesperson to
provide the art she wants.
Today, the art market is home to a wide variety of copies.
Pham Thi Hai is a 22 year old living in Hanoi. He says he found
a man who makes copies at cheap prices and requested him to
combine two Van Gogh paintings in one piece. Whatever the
request, she says it can be satisfied.
“If you want to appreciate true art, you have to train your-
self and not blame artists for everything,” says Le Thiet Cuong,
a famous painter. He believes that there are artists who are
not yet experienced enough to produce good work, but who
sell regardless. The painter once opened his house as a gallery,
but it is now closed and opens only for his private exhibitions.
CHANGING AUDIENCES
In the past, art galleries aimed at foreign customers who
were considered to be more willing to pay; however, the situ-
ation has changed. Craig Thomas, the owner of Ho Chi Minh
City’s Craig Thomas Gallery, says: “I always find the most dif-
ficult day at the gallery is more fun than any day I spent sitting
in a law office.” He hopes that in time local Vietnamese will be
the most important patrons of Vietnamese art.
He adds: “We are a Vietnamese gallery and our long-term
plan is to appeal to Vietnamese collectors. For the moment,
however, most of our visitors and collectors are foreign resi-
dents of Vietnam and tourists, but we do have a substantial
minority of clients who are Vietnamese and this share seems
to be rising gradually with time.”
Also optimistic, Tran Thi Thu Ha of Tu Do gallery says Vi-
etnamese customers account for 40 per cent of the total cus-
tomers of her gallery, while three years ago they numbered
only around 20 per cent. Her husband also hopes that the
market will become more sustainable. The pair have a num-
ber of valuable works by local artists, including a VND2 billion
painting by Rung and a VND10 billion painting by Nguyen Gia
Tri. They would be happy if Vietnamese people buy and pre-
serve the precious masterpieces domestically.
The couple are currently trying to find someone to take
over the gallery; if they cannot, they intend to sell and oper-
ate a new one in the United States meaning Ho Chi Minh City
will have lost one of the most respected art dealers in town.