The New Hanoian

This place is peaceful enough for my teaching. I love going there with my students :)

I visited this place for the first time today and was completely charmed by it. The building itself is a beautiful piece of architecture, and the space used well. The gallery has an extensive collection paintings, and also some prints and sculptures. The artwork seems to cover every inch of the building's five floors without it seeming cluttered or detracting attention from the individual pieces. The collection represents a broad range of contemporary artists, tastefully selected. The pieces available when I visited ranged from $15 (somewhat affordable) up into the hundreds, for those interested in purchasing something. The cafe on the roof has a lovely view of the temple of literature, and very nice teas, although at very high prices ($3 per single pot!), so be wary if on a budget. The entrance to the gallery is, however, free : )

This is a great little gallery space. They have not your usual buffalo's in rice paddies stuff. I love the ground floor. The Avant Garde Calligraphy was part of a performance piece that they put on about a year ago, and it is fabulous to see. The Long Bien Brige works, are interesting, and although they are most are in "Vietnamese style modern art" you know like, Picasso Bridge and Monet Bridge and Cezanne Bridge, there is some more interesting pieces if you look carefully. They Bridge in resin (I think) is lovely. The other artworks they have in their more "permanent" display are also worthwhile having a look at. They have some affordable prints and calligraphy pieces on the bottom floor, so it's good to take visitors to when they want something a bit different from silk purses and scarfs. Anyway that's my ramble. Enjoy.

Great: What a quiet and lovely place to peruse contemporary art. The artwork style runs the gamut so can appeal to many different art aficionados. Also holds exhibitions of international artists. Not just paintings, also traditional handicrafts such as ceramic, bronze and sculpture.

Enjoyable: Winding your way up the stairs, each floor contains different artists and surprises, behind each door a new visual revelation.

** haven't tried but also has a Cafe with a very beautiful view of The Temple of Literature.

Lovely space with good lighting and interesting works. The owner and staff are knowledgeable and it's a great place to combine with a stroll through Van Mieu during nice weather (and when the school kids aren't crowding inside yelling hello).

My only criticism is that I think having a spa on-site might be an attempt at providing all things to all people - the space could be better used for openings, a small cafe area, or even more art works. Still, not to be missed.