The man who brings the country to the city
If you’re searching for living proof that age is but a number, look no further than 75-year-old Nguyen Van Minh, who has dedicated most of his free time in recent years to beautifying the walls of hẻms (alleys) 62 and 64 on Nguyen Khoai Street in District 4.
The dream come true
Over the past two years, hẻms in District 4 have slowly been covered with adorable graffiti by Mr. Minh. People living in these hẻms all know this old artist who rides a bicycle, carrying colorful bottles he uses to paint the walls.
Mr. Minh went to the University of Fine Arts in Saigon, but his studies were disrupted by the war. After those trying years ended, he started teaching, but his passion for the paintbrush remained and still does today.
“I had insomnia for many years. At night, I couldn’t sleep so I walked around. I saw some houses in the hẻms were only painted inside and the outside blank wall was very dirty and ugly. As a lover of beauty, there were paint buckets in the house, so I took them to paint graffiti,” he said. “Pretty much all the residents loved it, so I continued.”
The talking pictures
In busy Saigon, where you can find tall gray walls and ugly, meaningless pictures, it’s difficult to find pictures that bring peace like Mr. Minh’s pictures.
I asked him why he chose to draw pictures of country life. He said: “Saigon is where everybody in this country moved to. I draw the country life’s scenery to make people feel peaceful when they look at it, to feel as if they are still living in their hometown.”
He draws not only for his love of art, but also for his love of life and people. He loves the people who have to leave their families. He wants to comfort them with these peaceful pictures of their hometown.
Every picture has words — it may be poems, famous quotes or just descriptions.
He said: “We are all poor people, we don’t have many chances to meet the art, so I have to note in my pictures. Maybe someone sees my pictures, but they don’t understand the hidden beauty. Understanding what I draw, people will love my pictures more”.
Mr. Minh also makes notes with lovely reminders like:
“Remember to put trash in the garbage.”
“Small alley, drive slowly.”
He said he is proud to make these hẻms cleaner and safer through his pictures.
Everyone who sees his pictures loves his work. He said his art is not made to satisfy himself; it is born straight from the daily life and born for people.
The uncompleted pictures
He has a small house at the end of hẻms 64, Nguyen Khoai Street. He owns nothing valuable other than two bicycles, which he uses for work, and an old guitar.
I asked him: “Is there anyone who pays you for drawing?”
He answered simply: “They just encourage me to draw, not pay. Sometimes, some locals come to give me painting tools. A few days ago, some people came to film me drawing. They said to buy me painting tools, but I haven’t seen them back. Now I still have to buy paint by myself, so I have to save money”.
He said that some people who said he was crazy and threw money through the window. He said he thinks they just do not understand, so he does not mind. The importance is that he always knows that his work is right, and lots of people agree with that. It makes him happy.
He just worries about two things. First, he wants the youngsters who have the same passion to continue his work. He is getting older, so he needs someone who loves this work to share his experience and help him to paint all the walls of Saigon’s hẻms. Second, he wishes he would have enough paint to draw bigger pictures. Some picture like Cái Răng floating market he hasn’t done yet as he does not have enough painting tools.
I asked him when he would end this job, he answered without thinking: “I will draw till the day I can’t hold the brush. Saigon has so many hẻms, I can’t draw all of them!”
I went silent, feeling something choke in my throat. I asked myself, this place has brought up and taken care of many people, but who will treat it like Mr. Minh? How many more walls will he draw on? And after he stops drawing, who will take his place to make Saigon more beautiful with no profit? He kept silent, too.
Suddenly, he asked me: “Do you want me to sing?”
“Yes.”
Don’t let me wait for too long, he took a guitar for the corner of the house, he played it while he sang, his eyes looked through the windows.
Minh Tu.
