Learn about the community project “Art – Stay”

“Art-stay Village” is a community project carried out by a group of famous artists in Chieng Di 1 village, Nong Trang Xanh, Van Ho, Son La. Not only do they donate and persuade people to rebuild traditional stilt houses, the artists also decided to “artize” the ugly cement walls, telling them stories with colors, lines, and life stories of the Thai, Dao, Mong people…

It has only been two short months since the first stilt house in the project was handed over to the people, but it has been a long journey that has recognized our efforts. And with the obvious change in the appearance of the village, we are pleased to introduce to the press and the public the initial achievements, and hope to receive encouragement and help for us to continue this long journey.

Project “Art – Stay”

Chieng Di 1, Van Ho, Son La is just a small village, but it is an interesting land, gathering a variety of ethnic groups, from Thai, Mong, Dao... But this beautiful land of hard-working and poor people is gradually being marked by urban life with boring, dull cement walls, box houses, corrugated iron fences...

That is why “Art-stay” was born after many thoughts and worries of ours. This is a community project, supporting the reconstruction of traditional stilt houses where people were born and raised. We try to erase all the ugly marks of industrialization, encourage and help people to preserve the unique identity of their community.

But all of this would be just a beautiful dream if we didn’t give them more income, because only by improving their quality of life would they have time to think about more beautiful things. So we gave the people the idea of ​​“Art-Stay Village”, and they used their own homes to welcome visitors from near and far. 3 houses have been completed, 2 more are being prepared, and more people will be supported in this project.

As soon as he received the invitation to participate in “artizing” the existing concrete walls in the village, artist Phuong Vu Manh immediately appeared, for 10 consecutive days, he challenged himself to create on the factory wall leading into the village, an indispensable highlight to conquer the public’s vision. Next were artists Nguyen Minh Hieu, Nguyen Doanh Ninh…

And so, for the first time, the public will be able to enjoy art in the middle of a tea hill, in a plum garden, or under a palm leaf roof, behind a peach blossom branch... Everything can change, only art will last forever. We believe that all dreams can come true if we truly dare to dream.

The project authors are artists.

Pianist Pho An My is no longer a strange name to the Vietnamese public, because of her playing skills, and her trance-like performances that challenge the limits of creativity. In 2019, when she accidentally stayed in Chieng Di, she was attracted by the wild and charming beauty of this land, and then decided to stay here as a way to blend in with nature. The community project was born as a necessity, a thank you, a gratitude that artists have for the land that has harmonized and nurtured their souls. In addition, there was the participation of artists such as artist Quyen Thien Dac, painter Phuong Vu Manh, painter Nguyen Minh Hieu, painter Nguyen Doanh Ninh, painter Nguyen Thi Thao Nguyen, painter Tran Thi Thu, painter Huynh Le Nhat Tan, Tran Xuan Hoa.