Loving the last newsstands in Ho Chi Minh City through the paintings of Le Sa ​​Long

To pay tribute to journalists and newspaper sellers, artist Le Sa ​​Long created the painting series 'Journalism' with respect and gratitude.

A "newspaper market" at 2am through the drawings of artist Le Sa ​​Long

As technology develops, more and more people prefer to read newspapers on electronic devices, and newsstands are becoming less and less common. Nowadays, finding a newsstand in Ho Chi Minh City is not easy.

"As long as newspapers are published, I will still sell newspapers"

Artist Le Sa ​​Long said the number of newspaper stands he knows is decreasing, with only a few dozen left. These newsstands are decades old, and many of the people who sell newspapers are nearly 80 years old.

They are two sisters, Mrs. Huong (75 years old) and Mrs. Lan (78 years old), who have been selling newspapers at the corner of Nguyen Dinh Chieu - Cach Mang Thang Tam (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City) for the past several decades.

The newspaper stall of Ms. Dinh Thi Nga (nearly 70 years old) is at a familiar address to many people - the intersection of Tran Quoc Thao - Ly Chinh Thang (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City).

Mrs. Nga and her husband have been selling newspapers here for nearly 30 years, selling all types of newspapers and publications, from daily newspapers to magazines, comics, books, and newspapers for children...

Mrs. Nga said that thanks to selling newspapers, she was able to send her children to school. Now that the children are married, the couple still works at the newspaper stand and supports each other.

“There are many regular customers here who are intellectuals, artists, and even students who have graduated and still bring their children here to buy newspapers. As long as I continue to publish newspapers, I will continue to sell them,” Ms. Nga confided.

Ms. Dinh Thi Nga's newsstand is a familiar address at the intersection of Tran Quoc Thao - Ly Chinh Thang, District 3.

A newsstand in District 1, in the distance is the Bitexco building.

Ms. Tran Thi Ngoc Anh has opened a newsstand at Thi Nghe market for nearly 35 years.

Ms. Tran Thi Ngoc Anh (72 years old) opened a newspaper stall at Thi Nghe market, ward 17, Binh Thanh district, Ho Chi Minh City, and has been selling newspapers for nearly 35 years.

Some people advised her to “retire” because of her old age, but she still wakes up early to sell newspapers every day because: “I think selling newspapers is a job, if I don’t do it, I will die of boredom. I will sell newspapers until my last breath!”

Right at the gate of Hoa Hung market on Cach Mang Thang Tam street, district 10, Ho Chi Minh city, there is a very special newsstand. Every day, the owner of the newsstand wears a traditional Vietnamese dress. That is Mrs. Trang, about 60 years old.

She said that at home she has hundreds of colorful Ao Ba Ba sets, so she wears one set every day to have some color. Ms. Trang has been selling here for 27 years, since her son was 5 years old, and now her son is 32 years old and has a child.

“Now my income from this job has dropped a lot, but I can’t bear to quit because I have acquaintances who are men over 50 years old. There is an old man from Bay Hien intersection who comes every day to get the Tuoi Tre newspaper before getting in the car to have breakfast and drink coffee with his friends.

“On days when the newspaper is not published, they call loudly, as if they owe them a favor, bringing joy, so I can’t bear to leave such people. I will only quit when the newspaper is no longer published,” Ms. Trang shared.

Because of the affection that newspaper vendors have for readers and the newspaper, artist Le Sa ​​Long created the series Journalism with respect and gratitude.

Mrs. Trang's newspaper stall at Hoa Hung market, district 10

Artist Le Sa ​​Long took a souvenir photo with Ms. Lan (75 years old) - an elderly newspaper seller originally from Hanoi at the intersection of Nguyen Dinh Chieu - Cach Mang Thang Tam

Honoring journalists

Artist Le Sa ​​Long told Tuoi Tre Online that he had painted some of the paintings in the Journalism series a long time ago. Initially, he had intended to paint them as gifts for his friends who were reporters and journalists. Another reason he did this series was because his father, in addition to being an artist, was also a journalist without a card, writing articles for many newspapers.

Artist Le Sa ​​Long said his father once told him that if he had the chance, he should do something to show gratitude to newspaper sellers because they also work hard, staying up late to receive and deliver newspapers.

The Journalism series includes 15 paintings of newsstands, newspaper “markets”, newspaper sellers, people reading newspapers and about 30 portraits of journalists. The paintings are made with many materials, including oil paint, pencil, charcoal… all of which exude the spirit of the characters.

Journalist Luu Dinh Trieu

Journalist Nguyen Viet Chien

Poet Hoai Vu

Many journalists have used portraits drawn by artist Le Sa ​​Long as book covers or printed on book sleeves such as: poet and journalist Nguyen Viet Chien; journalist Luu Dinh Trieu; journalist and poet Hoai Vu...

“I draw journalists with love and respect for the writers who have devoted all their efforts to convey information to readers. I plan to hold an exhibition of my paintings at the end of this year, and will invite the journalists and newspaper vendors I have drawn to attend,” Le Sa ​​Long confided.

Ms. Huynh Kim Nga (1951) with a newspaper stall at the beginning of a small alley at 127 Dien Bien Phu, Da Kao ward, District 1, the oldest newspaper seller in Ho Chi Minh City, passed away in May 2025.

Fruit seller at Nguyen Tri Phuong market reads newspaper

Small alley in Ho Chi Minh City one morning

Journalist Le Van Nuoi

Journalist Le Hoang

HOAI PHUONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thuong-nhung-sap-bao-cuoi-cung-o-tp-hcm-qua-tranh-ve-cua-le-sa-long-20250620221413247.htm