Boi Tran is a painter and something of a throwback, an anomaly, a creature from another, earlier time in the life of the onetime Imperial City. She lives in an area called Thien An Hill, in a magnificently restored compound. These traditional wooden houses were once part of the regal style, with sloped grooves to handle the rainy Hue weather. But most importantly, she features a garden at the center which follows the eastern philosophy that all things originate from a single source and expand in all directions. She also cooks, magnificently from a repertoire of Imperial Hue-era dishes numbering over 100. Back in dynastic times, the Emperors demanded variety: in wives, of whom they would sometimes have over 100, and in food, the menus of the 19th Century Imperial Palaces boasted new dishes every night. Small, flavorful, and beautifully presented. And that culinary tradition, which gave Hue its reputation as a food capital, continues today.

Anthony Bourdain
American Celebrity Chef, Author, Travel Documentarian

I would like to thank you for your hospitality and warm welcome in your home Boi Tran Garden. We were very impressed with your paintings and especially the beautiful garden that you have created. My companion and I really enjoyed the contented evening spent with you thanks to your presence and kindness.

Volker Wissing
General Secretary, Germany Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and Transport
Deputy Minister-President of Rhineland-Palatinate (2016-2021)

I remember very fondly our meeting at your home. Mostly I shared a respect for your pioneer-ship for making Hue’s artistic rebirth a reality.

Thomas J Vallely
Senior Advisor, Mainland Southeast Asia, Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center
Founder, Harvard Vietnam Program (1989), Fulbright School HCMC (1994)
Member, US State Department’s Foreign Policy Board
President, Trust of University Innovation, Vietnam

Boi Tran knows that passion, this peppery spice of time, reveals the flavours of life but that the suffering which it engenders offers more slumber without night than nights without sleep. She lives and paints in her magic garden nestled on Thien An Hill in Hue, proud but comforting, where the wind frightens the centuries old pine trees, and the bashful, even prudish, flowers triumph over the rain. A place where Time's machine, this thief of joys, arrests itself... from time to time for the greatest happiness of the visitor.

There is no history without a place.
There are places without measure and histories beyond all time.
Elegant moments and secret places.
Patches of eternity and jolted thoughts.

To verify this, one must know Boi Tran.

Jean-François Hubert
Christie's Senior Expert, Vietnamese Art

Amongst various subjects expressed in Boi Tran’s creation and passion for art, her favourite interpretation is depictions of the feminine beauty of Vietnamese women, the pure maternity, and poetic nature. Maternity, as always, is the most sacred bond compared to any other human sentiment because of its intenseness and profundity. Deeply rooted in the dearest son's passing, her paintings illustrate the sorrow of losses. One could easily find images such as a mother dearly holding a child in her arms, a woman standing by the ocean desperately waiting for a miracle, or signs of her son to come home or, in some other pieces are the images of a woman looking up to the sky with her hands drawn together as if she is praying for the day of reunion with her child. Completely carried away in her world where sadness, solitude, and reminiscences of the old happy-together days' reign. The facial expression, however, especially her eyes is so radiant with love and faith. Perhaps, when people are taken to the lowest point of desperation, they will learn to realize the beauty from within desperation itself that helps compliment the other extreme of human emotions. As mentioned, nature is another main source of inspiration for artist Boi Tran’s works. Currently residing on Thien An Hill – one of the most beautiful landmarks of Hue where it is known for endless rows of evergreen trees – Boi Tran, with a sensible heart and gifted talent of an artist, fully perceives the artistic and literary beauty of nature that comes right out from her magnificent garden and then conveys that beauty most aesthetically to her works. Lotus and Hoa Quynh (a white orchid that only blossoms when the night falls and fades away when the sun rises) in her art are considered as the two most fundamental principles of life: the highest purity and the uncertainty.

Nguyen Trung
Vietnamese Contemporary Artist

Dear Bem,
You treated us to such a joyful experience in the home of your mother surrounded by her portraits of beauty. You were a magnificent host. Your words came from your heart and entered ours and our words came from our hearts and were meant to enter yours. It was a perfect evening of companionship.
With heartfelt appreciation for our sharing an inspired evening, we send our warm embraces.

Uri D Herscher
American Rabbi, Academic
Executive Committee, WorkingNation
Founding President & CEO, Skirball Cultural Center

There was a visit to another dimension of food glory, a ride out to visit Boi Tran Garden to meet Madame Boi Tran herself, a living legend of an artist and chef. The place, the green, manicured and curated garden and yards with French and local Hue touches plus the food, served like how the Royals once ate (well almost, except we were too noisy and gushed at her platters). My late buddy Anthony Bourdain visited and featured it before, but I had to take the mickey out of his very staid visit “Yes, hahahahaha, that’s how he was, you are on point”, said a very warm and endearing Madame Boi Tran recalling his visit. Bless you Tony, you paved the way here.

Seetoh Kok Fye (KF Seetoh)
Singapore Food Ambassador, Mankasutra Founder, Photographer, Writer, Television Host
Hailed as “Food Guide Maven” by New York Times & “Guru of Grub" by CNN

Thank you so much for the grace, beauty and magnificence of your food and home. It's such an honor to have an actual artifact from the artist who touched me so deeply while I was there. Your grace and hospitality were so appreciated for the television scene we filmed. I know Tony and the whole were very, very moved. I was so touched by your selflessness, grace, warmth, infinite love as a young parent it is a model for me. Having your painting in my house, keeping an eye on my young family and me is such a gift. Thank you. I'm so lucky to have the memories of the experience with you and a tangible artifact to keep in our home.

Ben Selkow
Emmy-nominated Documentary Film & Television Director & Executive Producer
At HBO, Netflix, CNN, NAT GEO, Discovery Channel, PBS/World Channel
Co-Founder, CEO & Executive Producer at Good Trouble Studios

In an excellent state of preservation after these years, artist Luu Ly now bequeaths his precious treasure to artist Boi Tran. By a mere coincidence, the Fall-Winter art class held by artist Than Trong Su linked to the sketchbook and returned to Boi Tran eventually. Luu Ly believes that Boi Tran will take on the perpetuation and introduce these profound sketches to the world.

Hai Nguyen — Van Cam Hai
Writer, Filmmaker, Journalist, Scholar
Director, Global Vietnam Wars Studies Initiative, Ash Center, Harvard Kennedy School