Apart from the estimable Fine Arts Museum (see Icons and Landmarks here), Hanoi’s private art scene is getting decidedly most interesting. Here are some of the best examples:
DOCLAB: “Focusing almost exclusively on video art and documentary film, the space is less of a gallery and more of a laboratory, as the name implies … founded in 2009, the space has since garnered acclaim for its non-traditional ‘exhibitions’ of experimental documentary … also roundly supports the learning process, offering workshops, courses, and discussion groups to film students.” (The Culture Trip)
Hanoi Creative City: “The graffiti-splashed space is slowly filling with live-music venues, independent design boutiques and an outlet of Creative Lab by UP, offering arty workshops and classes … in a city where galleries come and go in a matter of months, HCC might finally have the support to develop into the integrated creative hub Hanoi really needs.” (The Australian)
CUC Gallery: “A prominent contemporary art gallery that features a variety of artworks: paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, installations, videos, and prints … these artworks come from a diverse selection of artists that range from fairly new to well-established … collaborates with other art entities both in and outside Vietnam and carefully selects high-quality art pieces to give their audience the best experience possible.” (Vietcetra)
Manzi: “Hanoi’s small but increasingly robust independent art scene is on display at Manzi, an exhibition space and cafe-bar opened by a former lawyer, an IT specialist and an arts graduate in a gorgeously refurbished early-20th-century villa … works by emerging and established Vietnamese artists like Nguyen Huy An, who paints on silk, are displayed throughout the villa’s airy two stories; a shop sells affordable artworks and crafts.” (New York Times)
Nguyen Art Gallery: “Many of the painters use traditional Vietnamese art supplies such as lacquer and charcoal to develop their work … through creative masterpieces, these artists express their interpretation of Vietnamese culture and draw upon spiritual, aesthetic, social, and political concerns that are important to them … they also host regular exhibitions and their artwork can be purchased at the gallery itself or online.” (Vietcetra)