London-based artist Vu Kim Thanh is famous for his large mural, inspired by lovely memories of the homeland. In 2013, he painted the mural of Ha Long Bay at Viet Rest Restaurant (London). It was a 7-meter-wide oil painting, which covered almost all the walls on the first floor of the restaurant.

In 2022, artist Vu Kim Thanh continued to paint another mural of Ha Long Bay at Viet Rest. Thanks to the paintings covering all of the walls, guests can feel fully immersed in the breathtaking scenery of this natural wonder that was recreated by Thanh.

"My homeland is an endless inspiration every time I hold my brush," said the passionate artist.

The majority of his creations show the signature culture and landscape of Vietnam that contains great historical stories. In particular, Ha Long Bay has become a constant inspiration for creation and marked the career of painter Vu Kim Thanh (Photo courtesy by Vu Kim Thanh).

When sharing the process of creating the giant mural, which he started in 2013 and then continued almost a decade later, Thanh described the satisfaction when all the walls of the first floor of Viet Rest were covered with images of Ha Long Bay.

“It was a big room so the restaurant owner wanted me to continue creating a landscape of Ha Long Bay with oil paintings. The wall on the right is 1.4 m high and 15.6 m and the wall on the left is 19.5 m wide. These murals are 35 m wide in total. In the basement, there is a landscape painting of Son Doong caves."

At Viet Rest restaurant (Photo courtesy by Vu Kim Thanh).

Diners can admire the scenery of Ha Long Bay on the first floor and the entire landscape of the forest, the cave, and the scene of Son Doong cave painted on the wall of the basement when coming to Viet Rest. There is also a VIP room with a mural of Ha Long Bay under the bright moon at night and of TiTov island (named after the Russian cosmonaut Gherman Stepanovich Titov who, together with President Ho Chi Minh, visited the island in 1962).

Also in 2013, Thanh created another interesting wall art of Ha Long Bay for a nail salon in London. He painted two large paintings running on both sides of the wall so that while getting their nails done, customers could still admire the famous landscape.

At a nail salon in London (Photo courtesy by Vu Kim Thanh).

The Vietnamese artist believed that while Ha Long Bay is famous for being the world's wonder, he desires to bring it closer to international friends through oil painting.

“I am very proud that my country is so beautiful and magnificent. Many friends in the world do not know about the wonderful beauty of Vietnam well so it is my responsibility to contribute to introducing it to them," said Thanh.

An Italian film crew filming at Viet Rest restaurant (Photo courtesy by Vu Kim Thanh).

The murals became such a big hit that an Italian film crew chose Viet Rest restaurant for its filming location. When they filmed, the paintings of Vietnamese landscapes were presented clearly in the background. Many diners love taking pictures of the artwork while they go to Viet Rest. It added to the wonderful experience of enjoying Vietnamese food while watching the mountains and forests of the S-shaped country.

A regular diner at Viet Restaurant, Tran Hong Hai, shared that all the members of his family liked oil paintings of Ha Long Bay here.

Customers of Viet Rest took a souvenir photo with Thanh's mural (Photo courtesy of Vu Kim Thanh).

"I often go to Viet Rest restaurant and really like the paintings. After seeing them, I decided to bring my whole family back to Vietnam for the first time in my life. When I was there, I felt as if I was in the fairy world. The overlapping shapes of the cliffs in the sea turn this place into a masterpiece. The islands scattered with various different shapes have aroused my curiosity.

Hai believed that visiting this place was an unforgettable memory and deeply treasured the lasting beauty of Ha Long Bay.

“I am very proud that many people love the representation of Ha Long Bay in London, which is loved by many people. It invited Western tourists and Vietnamese people to exchange memories of visiting the place. Many decided to go to Vietnam after seeing my paintings of Ha Long Bay," exclaimed the painter.

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