Art Galleries in Saigon
Saigon boasts a number of galleries featuring exciting paintings and prints by exceptional contemporary Vietnamese artists.
The best we've seen so far is the Lac Hong Gallery, hidden in the bowels of the Fine Arts Museum.
In addition, the Lac Hong website is essential as a resource for information on contemporary Vietnamese art, with biographies and examples of works by dozens of important Vietnamese artists.
The Lotus Gallery is also noteworthy.
Run by the legendary filmmaker, pediatrician, soldier, and writer (Ao Dai: My War, My Country, My Vietnam) Nguyen Thi Xuan Phuong, her three galleries offer a good selection of contemporary and traditional paintings by Vietnamese artists.
Caveat emptor! There are several things you've got to know before you invest in Vietnamese paintings.
See Buying Vietnamese Art: Four Warnings before you buy.
A selection of Saigon Galleries
Recommended: Lac Hong Art Gallery
97A Pho Duc Chinh Street. Tel: (08) 821-3771. Mobile: 091-820-4675. www.lachonggallery.com
GPS: N10°46.200' E106°41.966'
This is one of five or so independent galleries that have taken up space at the museum.
Owner Tran Ngoc Diep started her gallery in 1990, after a career as a biology teacher and an exporter-importer of books.
Her gallery is full of some of the nicest pieces in the city, running from representational to abstract, in woodblock to oils.
She knows the biographies of the artists, has a real passion for the art, and has what might be the best art website in Vietnam.
While we were there, she had just taken an American customer to meet the artist, and he bought several additional items from the artist himself.
The entrance to her gallery is located at the far left end of the parking lot, as you face the museum.
Recommended: Galerie Lotus
30 Le Loi Street, southwest of Pasteur Street intersection. Tel: (08) 827-9714. Open 8 am to 8 pm. www.lotus-gallery.com
GPS: N10°46.460' E106°42.056'
Owner Nguyen Thi Xuan Phoung has excellent taste, and her life is a story in itself.
She features well-known artists such as lacquer and eggshell painter Bui Ngoc Tu.
She has two other galleries adjacent to each other at 47 and 55 Dong Khoi Street.
Recommended: Gallery Quynh
1 Ly Tu Trong Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1. Tel: (08) 824-8306.
Open: Tuesday - Friday 10 am - 7 pm, Saturday & Sunday 10 am - 6 pm.
www.galeriequynh.com
GPS: N10°46.829' E106°42.216'
Located a few meters east of Thai Van Lung street, owner Quynh Pham's gallery specializes in contemporary non-representational work, and hosts art education outreach programs.
Recommended: Alpha Gallery
10 Chu Manh Trinh Street, District 1. Tel: (08) 822-4946.
Open: Friday 9 am - 12 pm, 2 pm - 5 pm, Saturday 10 am - 5 pm. Other times by appointment.
GPS: N10°46.930' E106°42.269'
Located around the corner from Galerie Quynh, printmaker Bernadette Gruber has established a weekend gallery specializing in etchings and other print forms.
Small, but worth a look.
TuDo Gallery
53 Ho Tung Mau Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1. Tel: (08) 821-0966. Open every day, 9 am -7 pm.
www.tudogallery.com
GPS: 10°46.282' E106°42.237'
Husband and wife owners Dang Hai Son and Tran Thi Thu Ha opened this gallery, the first in Vietnam's new era, in 1989, in their house on Dong Koi street.
Local politics forced their move to tiny Ho Tung Mau street, where they've been diligently working since 2000.
At first, the gallery appears to be derivative, but do explore the stairwell, second storey, and the off-the-wall bins, where you'll find extraordinary pieces.
Then, Ha and Son will come out of the woodwork, and tell the stories of the art and times of these artists.
This gallery is a hidden treasure of Saigon.
Recommended: Breathing Eyes Photo Gallery
125 Cong Quynh Street, District 1. Tel: (08) 895-6195. Open: Daily, 9 am - 9 pm.
www.fotovietnam.com
GPS: N10°45.956' E106°41.378'
Owner Dan Huynh's shop is the nexus of the Saigon photography scene.
In his small gallery, you'll see some of the best photography southern Vietnam has to offer, as well as a number of old cameras, which he sells as well.
