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VI
II. Watercolor Portraiture – How Phan Anh Thu Tells Stories About People
A turning point in Phan Anh Thu’s artistic journey came in 2022, when she discovered watercolor at Vietnam Watercolor Art. Plein-air painting trips alongside experienced artists opened up a new way for her to observe landscapes, people, and everyday moments. Through this creative process, watercolor gradually became closely associated with Anh Thu’s artistic language.
Phan Anh Thu during a plein-air painting trip in Singapore
With its transparency, softness, and expressive qualities, watercolor allows Anh Thu to capture what she observes through a deeply personal perspective. From journeys and encounters to images of familiar people, each experience can become material for a story expressed through painting.
Phan Anh Thu practicing painting in Singapore
The combination of direct observation, personal perception, and watercolor gives Phan Anh Thu’s portraits their distinctive character. From a face or an ordinary moment, she searches for nuances that can evoke the stories and emotions behind each subject.
“Thênh Thang Singapore”
From a young woman with a passion for painting who gradually explored her own artistic language, Phan Anh Thu has developed a creative direction centered on people, portraiture, emotions, and stories preserved through encounters. This also became the foundation for projects such as EM and EM 25, in which portraiture serves as a way for Anh Thu to record the people who have left an impression on her life and artistic journey.
III. “EM” and “EM 25” – Art and the Spirit of Giving
In July 2023, Phan Anh Thu presented the charity art exhibition “EM”, marking the beginning of her journey to connect art with community values. More than 80 works were exhibited and sold, with all proceeds donated to support the construction of boarding facilities for children in mountainous areas. For Anh Thu, the project also became a meaningful milestone, demonstrating how art can connect personal emotions with positive contributions to the community.
The “EM” charity art exhibition, 2023
Three years after “EM,” “EM 25” became Phan Anh Thu’s first solo exhibition, created when she turned 25. The exhibition featured 25 portraits depicting people who had left a lasting impression on her journey of growing up and shaping her worldview. They included teachers, friends, loved ones, senior artists, and individuals she happened to encounter in everyday life. Each person carried a story, an emotion, and a distinct place in the young artist’s memory.
The “EM 25” exhibition space
What makes “EM 25” distinctive is the way Phan Anh Thu approaches these portraits as parts of her own story. Through each subject, she records what she has encountered, learned, and felt. Each painting therefore reveals the story of an individual while simultaneously becoming a form of “self-portrait” that reflects the artist’s own spirit and state of mind.
Phan Anh Thu at the “EM 25” exhibition
From “EM” to “EM 25,” Phan Anh Thu’s artistic journey remains closely connected with people and everyday life. These values continue to shape her practice: preserving meaningful encounters, expressing appreciation for those who inspire her, and creating meaningful connections with the community through art.
Notable Works from Phan Anh Thu’s “EM 25” Exhibition
“Đa Diện” – Many Facets
One of the notable works in “EM 25” is “Đa Diện” (Many Facets), a portrait of People’s Artist and classical Vietnamese hát bội performer Khong Minh Khuong. Phan Anh Thu created the work in watercolor on paper, measuring 54 × 73.5 cm. It was inspired by an image captured by photographer Luan Nguyen and later reinterpreted through Anh Thu’s own artistic perspective and visual language.
People’s Artist Khong Minh Khuong and the work “Đa Diện”
The title “Đa Diện” suggests the artist’s way of viewing a person through multiple roles and states of being. Through the image of a hát bội performer, the subject appears in relation to the emotional dimensions familiar to both theatre and life: joy, sorrow, happiness, anger, love, and aversion. In her introduction to the work, Anh Thu also places the performer within a broader reflection on human existence, where everyone moves through different “roles” and carries their own stories.
Phan Anh Thu with “Đa Diện”
In “Đa Diện,” portraiture becomes a meeting point between the subject and the artist. Through one particular individual, Phan Anh Thu continues to explore her reflections on people and the experiences that shape a multifaceted life. This idea also runs throughout “EM 25”: by looking at others, the artist recognizes fragments of her own memories, emotions, and reflections.
“Chú Phát Xích Lô Q5” – Mr. Phat, the Cyclo Driver of District 5
Alongside portraits of artists, “EM 25” also preserves encounters from everyday life through “Chú Phát Xích Lô Q5” (Mr. Phat, the Cyclo Driver of District 5). The watercolor-on-paper work, measuring 54 × 73.5 cm, emerged from a chance encounter with a 71-year-old cyclo driver near Soai Kinh Lam Market in District 5.
Phan Anh Thu and Mr. Phat, the cyclo driver
One afternoon while wandering through Cho Lon to sketch, Anh Thu noticed Mr. Phat sitting by the roadside smoking. During a brief conversation, she learned that he had spent more than 40 years working as a cyclo driver and heard his memories of the neighborhood where he was born and raised. He took her through Xom Voi Market, Cho Lon, and Kim Bien Market, sharing stories about old houses, narrow alleys, and architectural traces that had accompanied him throughout the decades.
Mr. Phat at the “EM 25” exhibition
Through “Chú Phát Xích Lô Q5,” a chance encounter becomes a story of urban memory and the people who have quietly witnessed the city’s transformation. Anh Thu’s approach to meeting, conversing with, and observing her subjects also reveals how her inspiration often begins with simple moments in everyday life. Each portrait therefore carries its own story, shaped by the artist’s presence and emotional response to the person before her.
“Cụ Bà Phố Cổ và Sáo Đất” – The Elderly Woman of the Ancient Town and Her Clay Whistles
Another perspective in “EM 25” appears in “Cụ Bà Phố Cổ và Sáo Đất” (The Elderly Woman of the Ancient Town and Her Clay Whistles), a watercolor-on-paper work measuring 54 × 73.5 cm, created by Phan Anh Thu in 2025. The subject is an elderly woman selling traditional clay figurines and whistles in Hoi An Ancient Town, whom the artist encountered by chance during one of her returns to a place where she had often painted en plein air.
Phan Anh Thu and the elderly woman portrayed in the work
Anh Thu’s first impression came from seeing the elderly woman sitting by the roadside, making and playing clay whistles whose rustic sounds blended into the atmosphere of the Ancient Town. While purchasing some clay pieces as references for her paintings, Anh Thu began a conversation and learned more about the woman, who had practiced the craft since her youth. On some days, she earns a few hundred thousand Vietnamese dong to support herself; on others, she returns home without making a sale. Yet she continues the work as a source of joy and as a way of preserving the craft through the years.
Through “Cụ Bà Phố Cổ và Sáo Đất,” Phan Anh Thu captures a distinctive image of Hoi An: a person deeply connected to a traditional craft, quietly preserving the sounds and memories of the Ancient Town through everyday life. The work therefore carries both the story of its subject and the imprint of an encounter, in which the artist recognizes the beauty of an ordinary life and chooses to preserve it through watercolor.
IV. Phan Anh Thu in Hoi An
Phan Anh Thu’s journey in Hoi An began with the Art Residency at Anmira Hoi An, where she had the opportunity to spend time living, observing, and experiencing the distinctive rhythm of the Ancient Town. Rather than approaching Hoi An solely through its familiar imagery, she turned her attention to moments unfolding in everyday life: people, landscapes, street corners, and traces of local culture that remain present from day to day.
Phan Anh Thu at Anmira Hoi An
During her residency, these direct experiences became creative material for Anh Thu to develop new works. Her process continued to begin with people and encounters while expanding to embrace the surrounding environment. A figure on the street, an old house, a scene from everyday life, or an unexpected moment could all become the starting point for a painting.
Phan Anh Thu’s painting corner at Anmira Hoi An
Through watercolor, Phan Anh Thu transforms these impressions into layers of color and emotionally resonant imagery. Hoi An emerges through the perspective of someone living within its surroundings, where landscape and people together form memories of the Ancient Town. In particular, portraits developed through observation and conversation allow her to approach Hoi An through the depth of everyday life, revealing more than the visual appearance of a destination.
Phan Anh Thu at Anmira Hoi An
V. “Inspirations of Ancient Hoi An” Exhibition
“Inspirations of Ancient Hoi An” brings together artistic perspectives shaped by the artists’ experiences of living, observing, and creating in Hoi An. Through direct encounters with the landscape, people, and local life, each artist captures a distinct impression of the Ancient Town through their own visual language.
Phan Anh Thu at Anmira Hoi An
The exhibition features Pham Thuy Tien, Mot Qua Tac, Lam Gia Huan, and Phan Anh Thu. The four artists offer different approaches, ranging from landscapes and cultural memories to people and personal impressions developed during their Art Residency at Anmira Hoi An.
The “Inspirations of Ancient Hoi An” exhibition space at Anmira Hoi An
For Phan Anh Thu, Hoi An continues to unfold through encounters and observations of everyday life. Watercolor becomes the medium through which she records the images, nuances, and emotions she encounters within the Ancient Town. In particular, people serve as a point of connection between the artist and the place, with each individual opening a story about life, memory, and the impressions that remain with her.
“Inspirations of Ancient Hoi An” can therefore be seen as an encounter between the artists and Hoi An. The works preserve impressions formed during a period of living and creating here, inviting viewers to rediscover a familiar Hoi An through fresh artistic perspectives.
Exhibition Information
- Dates: September 12–30, 2026
- Venue: LAM Kitchen, Anmira Hoi An – Village of Arts & Culture
- Address: 276 Cua Dai Street, Hoi An Dong Ward, Da Nang, Vietnam
- Participating artists: Pham Thuy Tien, Mot Qua Tac, Lam Gia Huan, Phan Anh Thu
- Admission: Free admission
VI. FAQ About Phan Anh Thu and “Inspirations of Ancient Hoi An”
Who is Phan Anh Thu?
Phan Anh Thu is a young artist born in 2000 in Kim Long, Hue. She is known for her watercolor works, particularly portraiture, and for pursuing artistic projects centered on human stories and community values.
What medium does Phan Anh Thu primarily work with?
Watercolor is Phan Anh Thu’s primary medium. She uses it to portray people and express impressions shaped by her observations of everyday life.
What distinguishes Phan Anh Thu’s artistic style?
Phan Anh Thu’s work focuses on people, emotions, and the stories behind each subject. Through watercolor, she captures impressions from personal encounters and experiences, creating portraits that carry traces of both the subject and the artist herself.
What are “EM” and “EM 25”?
“EM” was a charity art exhibition initiated by Phan Anh Thu in 2023. More than 80 works were sold, with all proceeds dedicated to supporting the construction of boarding facilities for children in mountainous areas.
“EM 25” was her first solo exhibition, featuring 25 portraits of people who had left an impression on her personal and artistic development. Through these subjects, Phan Anh Thu also documented her own emotions, memories, and reflections.
How is Phan Anh Thu involved in “Inspirations of Ancient Hoi An”?
Phan Anh Thu joined the exhibition following her Art Residency at Anmira Hoi An. During her stay and creative process, she observed Hoi An’s landscapes, everyday life, and people, developing works that express her personal impressions of the Ancient Town through watercolor and human imagery.
When and where does “Inspirations of Ancient Hoi An” take place?
The exhibition runs from September 12 to September 30, 2026, at LAM Kitchen, Anmira Hoi An – Village of Arts & Culture, located at 276 Cua Dai Street, Hoi An Dong Ward, Da Nang, Vietnam.
What is the meaning behind the evolution into Anmira Hoi An – Village of Arts & Culture?
As the brand enters a new chapter under an independent management model, it officially embraces the name Anmira Hoi An – Village of Arts & Culture.
This evolution is rooted in a profound belief that art is woven into every aspect of life: in the way we perceive the world, connect through conversation, or simply pause to watch light fall across a wall. The new name reflects Anmira’s dedication to creating gentle and inspiring artistic dimensions while opening new possibilities for sharing meaningful stories of culture and creativity.
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Contact Information
Anmira Hoi An – Village of Arts & Culture
Address: 276 Cua Dai Street, Da Nang, Vietnam
Tel: +84 235 3923 999
Email: reservations@anmiraresort.com
Website: https://anmiraresort.com/