Artist recalls his boyhood in paintings

Artist Ton That Bang sings his song “Co gi dau” at the press conference at Phuong Mai Gallery in HCMC’s District 1 - Photo: My Tran

A painting exhibition named “Memories: Leaves and Flowers” by artist Ton That Bang will open at Phuong Mai Gallery, 129B Le Thanh Ton Street in HCMC’s District 1 on Sunday.

The artist uses his brush to recollect his childhood in 30 oil paintings on canvas.

His memories are wooden horses, girls whose dresses are sewn of leaves and skirts weaved of reeds and an old woman with a giant leaf on her head. Some of the subjects stand solidly on the ground, others seem about to topple, while some are weightless. Coins and dices represent life as a game of chance.

Bang says, “Childhood is the time people embrace in their memories and heart. My memories are simple with my mother, my wife and my daughters. I owe them a debt of gratitude as they share everything in this life, protect me and support me to paint.”

The exhibition runs till February 28.

Ton That Bang was born in 1963 in Quang Tri Province and his paintings have been in many group and solo exhibitions in Vietnam, Australia, the U.S., the U.K., Hong Kong and Singapore. He is also a musician and poet.

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Fried hill chicken in Cao Bang

Fried chicken legs are a favorite dish in Cao Bang District - Photo: Lam Van Son

Tourists visiting Cao Bang Province, should try fried hill chicken, a typical dish of the highlands. Minh Hoach Restaurant in Cao Bang Town is an ideal place to sample this local specialty.

Hill chickens are raised free range on the mountainsides foraging for themselves and fed occasionally with rice. So the chickens are strong and their meat is really firm. These birds have red or black feathers, yellow legs and red crests.

Chicken is popular in many kinds of dishes, but most popular are the fried legs. The dish excites gastronomes by its yellow skin, crispness, fragrance and the tough sweet meat.

The dish should be eaten when it still hot with sticky rice.

Steamed chicken with lemon leaves is also delicious. The dish should be done to a turn to keep the yellow of the skin and sweetness with aroma of lemon leaves. The dish should be served with salt mixed with dried onion, pepper and lemon.

Moreover, fried chicken with noodles or fried chicken with mushroom are also very tasty.

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Fried hill chicken in Cao Bang

Fried chicken legs are a favorite dish in Cao Bang District - Photo: Lam Van Son

Tourists visiting Cao Bang Province, should try fried hill chicken, a typical dish of the highlands. Minh Hoach Restaurant in Cao Bang Town is an ideal place to sample this local specialty.

Hill chickens are raised free range on the mountainsides foraging for themselves and fed occasionally with rice. So the chickens are strong and their meat is really firm. These birds have red or black feathers, yellow legs and red crests.

Chicken is popular in many kinds of dishes, but most popular are the fried legs. The dish excites gastronomes by its yellow skin, crispness, fragrance and the tough sweet meat.

The dish should be eaten when it still hot with sticky rice.

Steamed chicken with lemon leaves is also delicious. The dish should be done to a turn to keep the yellow of the skin and sweetness with aroma of lemon leaves. The dish should be served with salt mixed with dried onion, pepper and lemon.

Moreover, fried chicken with noodles or fried chicken with mushroom are also very tasty.

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Fried hill chicken in Cao Bang

Fried chicken legs are a favorite dish in Cao Bang District - Photo: Lam Van Son

Tourists visiting Cao Bang Province, should try fried hill chicken, a typical dish of the highlands. Minh Hoach Restaurant in Cao Bang Town is an ideal place to sample this local specialty.

Hill chickens are raised free range on the mountainsides foraging for themselves and fed occasionally with rice. So the chickens are strong and their meat is really firm. These birds have red or black feathers, yellow legs and red crests.

Chicken is popular in many kinds of dishes, but most popular are the fried legs. The dish excites gastronomes by its yellow skin, crispness, fragrance and the tough sweet meat.

The dish should be eaten when it still hot with sticky rice.

Steamed chicken with lemon leaves is also delicious. The dish should be done to a turn to keep the yellow of the skin and sweetness with aroma of lemon leaves. The dish should be served with salt mixed with dried onion, pepper and lemon.

Moreover, fried chicken with noodles or fried chicken with mushroom are also very tasty.

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Historic and picturesque Cao Bang

Ban Gioc Waterfall is the largest waterfall in Vietnam

Cao Bang province, about 286 kilometers north of Hanoi, has a landscape that begs exploration and a history that demands looking back at.

The province is famous for Pac Po Cave, Ban Gioc Waterfall and Lenin Stream.

We came to Cao Bang in the late noon. The highlands city was not too noisy as the Bac Giang River starts to roar in the early rainy season. When we were there it was the dry season so there was silence.

Karl Marx Mountain in Cao Bang Province - Photos: Lam Van Son

Cao Bang  is about 200 meters high above sea level but some areas of the province reaches about 600 meters to 1,300 meters near the border.

After taking a lunch of wild pork and wild vegetables, we headed to Pac Po Cave where we spent an entire day. The cave is in a rugged rocky mountain, about 55 kilometers north of Cao Bang Township.

The roads wind around the mountainsides in the border region of the province

Pac Po means a mouth where hundreds of streams flow, so the cave has many smaller limestone caverns and fresh streams. Uncle Ho lived in one of the caverns. His cave is eight meters long and five meters wide with many holes to let in sunlight and fresh air. Lit by one of these rays of light was a large rock which the tour guide said was the bed and desk of Uncle Ho.

Near the cave is Karl Marx Mountain and below the mountain is a perfectly clear spring which the former President named Lenin. In front of the cave is a 1,000 square meter yard that is shaded by old trees.

Leaving Pac Po Cave to return to Cao Bang Township, we came to Ban Gioc Waterfall in Dam Thuy Commune early in the morning next day. The roar of the water hitting the cliffs could be heard kilometers away. We had heard it in Trung Khanh so we were keen to see it.

Rafts cruised under the thirty meter tall waterfall that divides into three. At the foot of the falls is a large river, as smooth as glass, lined by different flowers.

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