The Vietnam Fine Arts Association, in coordination with the Gia Lai Province People's Committee, this morning opened the 30th Regional Art Exhibition for South Central Vietnam and the Central Highlands at the Gia Lai Province Convention Center.
The exhibition will run through August 15. The annual professional event reviews artistic achievements across participating localities, provides opportunities for painters and sculptors to exchange ideas and present new works, and selects outstanding entries for awards.
According to the organizers, the Vietnam Fine Arts Association received 356 works by 243 artists from five provinces and cities: Gia Lai Province, Da Nang City, Khanh Hoa Province, Quang Ngai Province, and Dak Lak Province.
The works were created using a wide range of media, including oil, lacquer, silk, acrylic, terracotta, watercolor, woodcut, and mixed media. They explore diverse themes, including history, culture, nature, people, contemporary life, and the country's achievements in development and nation-building.
The exhibition's art council selected 257 works by 217 artists for display. They include 132 works by 111 members of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association and 125 works by 106 members and collaborators of provincial and municipal literature and arts associations across the region.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Nguyen Thi Thanh Lich, Vice Chairwoman of the Gia Lai Province People's Committee, said the Regional Art Exhibition has, over the past 30 years, become a prestigious professional forum for painters and sculptors from South Central Vietnam and the Central Highlands.
She said hosting the 30th edition is both an honor for Gia Lai Province and an opportunity to promote the province's people, culture, and identity, while supporting National Tourism Year 2026 and strengthening cultural exchanges and cooperation among localities.
She added that this year's exhibition features many works of artistic value that reflect the growing creative maturity of painters, architects, and sculptors from South Central Vietnam and the Central Highlands.
Many of the works present new ideas and vividly portray the lives, cultures, and people of the Central Highlands as well as the South Central Coast.
At the opening ceremony, the art council announced the award winners.
The work No Trong Cau Truc (Blooming Within Structure) by architect Le Trong Nghia of Gia Lai Province won the A Prize, while the B Prize went to Sau Canh Man Nhung (Behind the Velvet Curtain) by Than Trong Dung of Da Nang City.
The organizers also presented three C Prizes and three consolation prizes.
Architect Le Trong Nghia explained that his award-winning piece No Trong Cau Truc (Blooming Within Structure) reflects the balance between freedom and the frameworks that shape human existence. He emphasized that maturity does not come from dismantling every boundary, but from allowing creativity and life to thrive within the very structures that define them.
