Life
Artist paints everyday items to raise funds for people in need
Bảo Hoa
While social distancing is crucial to prevent the spread of COVID-19, having to stay at home most of the time is not a comfortable experience.
To make use of her time in isolation, an artist in HCM City is making and selling her work to help people in need.
The idea came to her as she was stuck at home in a small, blocked off area of the city.
“A lot of my friends that have food businesses, they started to cook meals and to give out to the workers on the frontline who support with COVID and also to give to families that don’t have food,” she told Việt Nam News. “And I was thinking, ‘OK, so I’m locked in here in quarantine, I can’t do much. I’m a designer and an artist – so what can I do?”
In her apartment she had a lot belongings and everyday home items, so Sofia decided she would paint them and sell them to raise funds.
At first, she thought about selling each piece through Facebook groups, but decided an auction would be a better option.
Sofia added: “But then I thought, if I sell them only one time, it’s only one price. So then I thought, ‘OK maybe just do an auction where people can bid, and we will have more and more and more and more money. Because all the money will go to charity, it’s 100 per cent, I don’t take any from it,” she said.
The objects painted are everyday items such as a fan, a dish, a pair of shoes, some chairs, stools, and photo frames. They were all named after the people Sofia said she missed, and those that inspired her.
Bright colours were used, and the finished pieces have a playful style, which Sofia hopes will help to make people feel happy.
“It’s a really sad time now, and the project is for really sad things. But hey, we need to keep our spirits up!” she said.
“It just makes me happy to have a lot of colours around. But I’m also a Scandinavian designer, so the patterns are still a bit simple. Some of the objects have more decorations but some of them still have a clean look.
“I also wanted the designs to be interactive, because when you sit in quarantine you have nothing to do, so two of the chairs are inspired by games. One has a chess board on top, and the other one has a labyrinth.”
She uploaded photos of the objects to an online form, where people can go to place bids and state which charities they want to donate to.
Sofia hopes she will be able to raise at least VNĐ26 million (US$1,136) and maybe more.
“I hope it can be like over 90 million, if we have something really interesting art lovers (to bid),” she said. “Actually, they don’t even need to like art, because they can just want to give to charity. In one way, the object is not the central subject. In one way, the charities, giving to charity is the central subject in this project. But they are both going alongside.”
Having painted all her life and received formal training as a designer, Sofia is no stranger to fine art and has the ability and skills to control how her art will look. But to her art is not associated with prestige, and when it comes to painting, she wants people to let go of the pressure and expectation to do it perfectly.
“When people think they need to paint a painting, they think ‘Oh, I can’t paint! Oh no, I’m so bad at this!’ There is some sort of pressure of having this paper or this canvas, and you need to paint the painting, and you need to be good like an artist to do that,” she said.
Painting ordinary, easily found home items is not only to make use of the free time and limited resources she had in isolation, it is also a way of encouraging people to pick up the brush and “paint anything”, she said.
The time for bidding should have ended at the beginning of August, but Sofia extended it to the end of the month so more people can know about the auction and do their bits for charity.
She hopes the project will illustrate how art can help society in difficult situations.
“For the artists, I hope they do art to give to charity,” she said. “But also for the normal people, I hope that they can see that they don’t have to buy new stuff. They have furniture at home that they don’t like anymore, or clothes, or whatever, like a hair clip. So if you have something, instead of throwing it away, just paint it. And just put some colours to your life.”
Source: https://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/expat-corner/1015261/artist-paints-everyday-items-to-raise-funds-for-people-in-need.html
Cruise ship Zhao Shang Yi Dun brought 721 Chinese passengers to Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam on Tuesday to visit its world-famous Ha Long Bay and other popular tourist sites.
This was the first group of Chinese cruise passengers to pass through the Ha Long international cruise port this year, according to the provincial Department of Tourism.
As scheduled, these cruise passengers will spend one day exploring Ha Long Bay, and another day touring Ha Long City as well as visiting some tourist destinations in Hanoi.
The cruise ship is set to travel to Da Nang City in central Vietnam and Hong Kong before returning to the port of Shekou in Shenzhen, located in Guangdong Province, mainland China.
The first cruise ship from the port of Shekou entering Ha Long City showed a positive sign of Quang Ninh’s inbound tourism and Chinese travelers’ soaring return after the COVID-19 pandemic.
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| The first Chinese cruise passengers are given flowers after they enter Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam. Photo: T . Duong / Tuoi Tre |
Cruise ship Zhao Shang Yi Dun is expected to make five port calls in the city and take over 4,000 Chinese guests to the bay from now until the end of the year.
By March 2024, the Chinese-flagged ship will have brought more than 12,000 passengers to Quang Ninh Province.
The province will also welcome multiple Chinese ships in 2024.
A representative of the Ha Long international passenger port said that the 2023 cruise season started in October, with many international cruise ships from Europe and America docking in the city.
The province has received 60 registrations from international cruise ships to dock at the Ha Long international passenger port in 2024.
Among them are Mein Schiff, Celebrity Solstice, Noordam, MSC Splendida, and Westerdam.
Accordingly, over 70,000 international cruise passengers will visit the province next year.
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Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/ttnewsstyle/20231128/vietnams-ha-long-bay-welcomes-first-chinese-cruise-passengers-this-year/76984.html
Dong Ho Lagoon and a charming long coastline hugging Den Mountain, coupled with numerous tasty dishes such as bun ken (noodle soup), grilled chicken, and stretchy rice noodles make Ha Tien City an ideal getaway for domestic and international tourists, mainly travelers from neighboring Cambodia.
Nguyen Thi Mong Quyen, director of the Ha Tien trade and tourism promotion center, said on Sunday that the city, situated in Vietnam’s Kien Giang Province, shares both land and maritime borders with Cambodia, smoothing the path for the neighbor’s visitors to enter the city.
Over the past few months, the number of Cambodian travelers visiting Ha Tien to explore its natural beauty and savor delicacies has been growing.
“Since the start of the year, Ha Tien City has welcomed over three million domestic and international tourists,” Quyen said.
“In particular, throngs of holidaymakers from Cambodia have toured the city.
“Some 1,000-2,000 Cambodian tourists travel to the city each holiday or festival.”
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| A beach in Ha Tien City woos locals and foreigners. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre |
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| ‘Bun ken’ (noodle soup), a must-taste specialty in Ha Tien City Kien Giang Province, southern Vietnam. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre |
To get ready to welcome Cambodian travelers on the forthcoming Christmas and 2024 New Year holidays, travel agencies in Ha Tien are working to offer new tourism products and adorn the current tourist attractions such as Dong Ho Lagoon, a seaside path skirting Den Mountain, Thach Dong Cave, and Da Dung Mountain.
Tourists are fond of sea bathing, playing water sports, and savoring seafood as well as the city’s specialties.
Du To Tuan, director of travel firm Vietravel’s branch in Rach Gia City under Kien Giang Province, said that Cambodia is a potential tourism source market.
A huge number of tourists from the country have traveled to the province over the past few months.
They often go sightseeing in Ha Tien first, and then take a speedboat ride to famous Phu Quoc Island, he said.
“We are looking forward to welcoming the crowds of tourists to Ha Tien City during the upcoming 2024 New Year holiday,” Tuan said.
“We will roll out various community-based tourism products to diversify services to delight international visitors.”
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| ‘Bok lo hong,’ a popular dish of the Khmer ethnic group in Ha Tien City, Kien Giang Province, southern Vietnam. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre |
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| Visitors enjoy an alpine coaster ride to explore a breathtaking mountain in Ha Tien City, Kien Giang Province, southern Vietnam. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre |
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| Tourists explore the beauty of Thach Dong Cave in Ha Tien City, Kien Giang Province, southern Vietnam. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre |
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| Travelers on an electric three-wheeled motorcycle take a look around Ha Tien City at night. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre |
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Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/ttnewsstyle/20231127/stunning-scenery-delicacies-in-vietnams-mekong-delta-draw-cambodian-visitors/76961.html
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