Kind-hearted tattoo artist spreads charity in Long An

For the first time, a charity event bringing together over 200 tattoo artists from across the country was held in Long An . All funding came from auctioning off merchandise and providing free tattoos for a week.

Recently, a charity event organized by over 200 tattoo artists from across the country, shared on social media, has attracted significant attention from netizens. These tattooed men often face prejudice, yet their actions of personally carrying and delivering gifts to underprivileged families deeply moved everyone.

300 million VND sent to poor people in Long An.

Accordingly, the charity event was organized by Mr. Le Duong Thanh (30 years old, residing in Tan An City, Long An Province). Mr. Thanh recounted: At the age of 19, when he started his tattoo shop, he encountered a lot of discriminatory looks from those around him. Even his own family did not support him, forcing him to close the shop.

Since then, Thanh has harbored the dream of organizing a charity event every year with her own efforts to improve the image of tattoo artists in the eyes of the public.

"Since I was 19, I've been saving every penny to support 40-50 gift packages. I've always tried my best little by little, and now, after more than 10 years, the program has expanded," Thanh said.

Anh chàng thợ xăm tốt bụng lan toả những tấm lòng thiện nguyện tại Long An

A charity event bringing together over 200 tattoo artists from across the country was held in Long An. (Photo: Cong Quang)

Since it was the 10th year, Thanh initially decided to call on other tattoo artists from all over the country to join him. Fortunately, more than 200 tattoo artists responded, offering free tattoos for a week to raise funds.

"In addition, we also organized auctions of paintings by famous ink artists, tattoo machines, ink bottles, etc. All the proceeds went into a common fund. Luckily, we raised over 300 million VND, equivalent to 500 gifts," said Thanh.

Initially, when people saw many people covered in tattoos, Thanh shared that they were also very scared. However, after witnessing the kindness of the tattoo artists, they began to open their hearts.

“Even in Vinh Hung, there are many children who have returned from Cambodia. They often sell lottery tickets during the day and attend charity classes at night, never having had enough to eat or wear. When they received gifts, they were very happy. That image helped all the tattoo artists forget their fatigue,” Thanh said.

Giving up medicine to pursue her dream of tattooing.

At the age of 18, while studying medicine, Le Duong Thanh abruptly dropped out to pursue his passion for tattooing. At that time, tattooing was not yet popular, so he faced a lot of prejudice.

Undeterred, the young man in his 20s spent his days online, teaching himself and starting to practice tattooing to make a living. Once he had acquired some skill, he returned to his hometown to start his own business, only to face disapproval from his relatives and neighbors.

Despite many failures and insults, Thanh clearly knew that his dream was in his blood and nothing could defeat it. To prove his ability, in early 2015, he started registering to participate in tattoo competitions at home and abroad.

After more than 10 years of experience and participation in numerous national and international tattoo competitions, Thanh has won 20 awards of varying sizes and has become a renowned tattoo artist in the profession.

Mr. Le Duong Thanh (in white shirt) presents charitable gifts to families in difficult circumstances. (Photo: Cong Quang)

He was happy that his tireless efforts had paid off. “From then on, I knew that proving that people with tattoos can still be good people is the only way to change people's perceptions. Initially, when I called on my friends to do charity work, we faced a lot of scrutiny. Once, when we went to the border to distribute gifts to poor children, the kids saw our tattoos and screamed 'ghosts, ghosts' and ran away in panic. But now, every child who sees us hugs us and asks for gifts…,” Thanh shared.

Speaking about his future aspirations, Mr. Le Duong Thanh hopes to have enough financial resources and energy each year to carry out the charitable trips he has planned. He also intends to organize a monthly soup kitchen to help needy people and patients in hospitals.

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