These achievements include Mr. Dinh Viet Thanh, a visiting art teacher at the school, at the 2nd "Painting Vietnamese Cultural Heritage through Art" competition, and two students, Pham Quoc Gia An and Nguyen Luu Gia Khanh, at the 3rd International Painting Competition "Louvre Museum Exhibition France IAP 2025-2026".
1. With his work "Overcoming, " artist Dinh Viet Thanh is one of two artists from Gia Lai province whose work was honored at the awards ceremony of the 2nd "Painting Vietnamese Cultural Heritage through Art" competition - 2025, held in Hanoi on December 3rd. This was a challenging competition, as the organizers selected only 30 outstanding works from a total of 1,320 entries nationwide.
The artwork "Overcoming" (by artist Dinh Viet Thanh).
Speaking with a reporter, artist Dinh Viet Thanh shared that he completed the painting in 2023. The work depicts the close chase of "athletes" to the finish line at the Bay Nui Bull Racing Festival - a unique traditional sports and cultural festival of the Khmer people in An Giang province. With its meaning of community bonding and praying for a bountiful harvest, this festival has become a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. The competition is an opportunity for artists to express their love for cultural heritage through painting, while also encouraging the preservation and honoring of the nation's invaluable heritage.
For Mr. Thanh, this award, though simple, is incredibly meaningful, given that he always has to find a way to balance his teaching time with his time for painting. "There are times when I'm filled with emotion, wanting to pick up a brush and paint immediately, but I can't sit down because I have so much work to do. That's when I feel guilty about my own feelings," Mr. Thanh expressed.
Artist Dinh Viet Thanh inspires students with his artistic thinking and emotional engagement in the creative process. Photo: Phuong Duyen
However, inspiring the members of the Chi Lang High School Art Club quickly dispelled those concerns. Besides guiding them on spatial reasoning, color theory, and theme selection, he often searched for short clips and documentaries about traditional culture to send to the students so they could learn about it before developing their ideas. In addition, he introduced useful content on techniques for traditional woodblock printing and lacquer painting, as well as art graduation projects…
2. The teacher's happiness was further extended when two students from the school's Art Club were recently invited to the awards ceremony of the 3rd International Painting Competition "Louvre Museum Exhibition IAP 2025-2026" - Ho Chi Minh City region, which took place on December 14th.
Accordingly, Pham Quoc Gia An (class 12A2) excellently won second prize in the competition, while Nguyen Luu Gia Khanh (class 11A4) was also awarded the promising student prize. Neither student knew about this competition until they were introduced to it by Mr. Thanh.
From left to right: Gia An and Gia Khánh at the awards ceremony. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.
This year, in its third edition, the competition organizers in Vietnam noted a fourfold increase in the number of participants compared to the first year, with nearly 2,000 entries. The works expressed aspirations to conquer technology and space; love for nature and the country; or simply appreciation for the beauty of everyday life. The best works will be selected for exhibition at the Louvre Museum (Paris, France) on January 16th and 17th, 2026, alongside winning entries from 18 other countries.
Gia An's artwork is "Awakening".
With her free-themed painting titled "Awakening," Gia An impressed with her portrait of a young woman with a pure and innocent beauty, her hair adorned with a white flower crown. Meanwhile, Gia Khánh leaned towards the theme of heritage with her work "Cham Pa Culture in the Central Highlands." As teacher Thanh often commented on his students' paintings, "Each student has their own unique emotional color, and their world is truly special in its own way."
And the feeling of receiving an award for the first time at an international painting competition was just as special. Gia An recounted: “When I entered the auditorium to receive the award, I felt so honored to meet so many students from international schools. I think I am incredibly lucky to have studied Art with Mr. Thanh.” Gia Khánh added: “In the previous classes I took, the teachers usually focused on how to draw beautifully, the composition, and the technique, but Mr. Thanh always prioritized my feelings about the artwork. He often asked his students if they felt happy while painting the picture.”
The artwork "Champa Culture in the Central Highlands" by Gia Khánh.
The teacher always surprises the students with his approachable and friendly demeanor, and also provides psychological and career counseling whenever they need advice. Both Gia An and Gia Khánh said they plan to major in Fine Arts at university, while also participating in other competitions to prove themselves.
For these children, the long journey with painting will never be a lonely one, as they will always have the loving gaze of a dedicated teacher watching over them.
Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/thay-tro-va-hoi-hoa-post576221.html
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