(VNF) - In recognition for his supports for the people of ethnic minorities, painter Truong Han Minh, member of the Standing Board of the Literature and Arts Association of Vietnamese Ethnic Minorities, was recently awarded with the third-class Labor Order.

At the age of 67, Minh has retired for several years. However, the Chinese-Vietnamese painter keeps on painting and has auctioned his water-colour paintings for charitable purpose.

As a master in traditional Chinese watercolor paintings in Vietnam, his paintings can be sold at hundreds of millions of VND each.

Minh has so far donated over VND7 billion to the study encouragement fund. Recently, over 100 of his paintings were exhibited at the Ho Chi Minh city Fine Arts Museum and auctioned at the starting point of USD300-USD6,000 (VND 6.6 million - 138 million) each. After the auction, 50% of collected money was donated to the HCM.City's Fund for the poor.

Painter Minh said that as he has the fortune to live a prosperous and happy life, he wanted to use his work to help the poor.

A flowers painting by Truong Han Minh (source: baodansinh.vn)

Truong Han Minh was born in 1951 in Cho Lon in Ho Chi Minh City. He originally came from Guang Dong province in China. Minh had a passion for painting since early childhood.

Truong Han Minh is also Chairperson of the Chinese Fine Arts Association and a member of Vietnamese Fine Arts Association. He has taught at many Art schools in the City.

His paintings have been displayed at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum; Ho Chi Minh City Museum; Museum of the Ethnology in Vietnam; and in many other countries such as the U.S., France, Australia, Canada, Japan and China./.

( VNF )