Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown: Vivacious in Vietnam
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 centre 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.
The former imperial capital of Hue sits just below what was once the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam and was, near the end of the war, the site of some its fiercest fighting. You’ve seen it in newsreel footage—and recreated (in England) in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket.
It’s one of the few areas of Vietnam I’ve never been.
Hue is, in many ways, a city of ghosts, of memories and spirits—and we play on that in Sunday’s episode. It begins with a camera movement inside a “spirit house,” the dollhouse-size shrines that many believers keep outside their homes and businesses. The Vietnamese are largely ancestor worshippers. Helping your deceased relatives into the next life—and making sure they are happy while there—is important. On special days and holidays, families visit temples and pagodas and leave offerings—often food, sometimes replicas of money or appliances or luxuries—for the departed. Things they liked in life that might make the afterlife more comfortable. Spirit houses, as I understand them, are designed to deal with the problem of hungry, dissatisfied spirits who may not be settled, who have, for one reason or another, left behind unfinished business. The structures sit out front, or near the house or store, usually filled with incense and offerings, in the hope of distracting the spirits away from the main destination.
In the weeks following the initial North Vietnamese taking of the city, many hundreds—if not thousands—of citizens, deemed dangerous or counterrevolutionary or otherwise undesirable, were summarily executed and buried in unmarked mass graves by the communist forces. When the United States Marine Corps and the army of South Vietnam retook the city, it was only at the end of brutal house-to-house fighting and, finally, air strikes. Much of Hue had been flattened in the process. Many, many people were lost, their bodies never identified or recovered. This—the inability to find the physical remains of a relative—is a particular agony to Vietnamese.
For this reason, this episode is haunted by ghosts. We hadn’t intended it to be so. But that definitely emerged as a theme. You feel it as you drive the streets and early morning rice paddies on a scooter, walk the parapets of the ancient citadel, and look at the flag hanging in the mist across the Perfume River. At one point, a young woman I’m having dinner with casually mentions that her mother doesn’t like her to go out after dark. Too many ghosts. Under almost every square of pavement…
And we descend down into the tunnels beneath a small village where a whole generation of children were born—and raised—in total darkness.
I don’t want you to think that this episode of Parts Unknown is some kind of a bummer, a depressing discussion of a war about which there are still strong feelings and disagreements here. It’s not. One of the crazily awesome, incongruous things about Vietnam, which I’ve found from the first time I visited, is how friendly, welcoming, quick to move beyond the past the Vietnamese are. It is an incredibly beautiful country. One filled with passionate, proud cooks. And opinionated, enthusiastic eaters. You will see me with some old friends—and you will, as always in Vietnam, see me eating some amazing food.
And if you thought Phở was the best thing… ever? Wait till you see Bún Bò Huế.
How does Huế differ from the rest of Vietnam?
Anthony Bourdain
Wonderful architecture and very quiet people.
If you stay some time in Huế, after some days you feel quiet, you take your time.
Jean-François Hubert
Traditional Imperial Huế Cooking
How much of that persists? Those Imperial roots that need for variety?
Anthony Bourdain
Yes, the tradition has stayed, and it will stay forever here to cook all these different things all the time.
Boi Tran
We start with Bird’s Nest Soup, a delicacy to which I am usually immune. This one is unusually flavorful. These are swallow’s nests from high up on cliffs near Nha Trang. They’re soaked in water, cooked in chicken stock, and served with crab meat. Lotus seeds, a symbol of purity, nobility and patience, from a nearby lake. Steamed. Crab roe is mixed with red onion, pepper, and seasoning and added to the soup. And simmered.
The special thing about Hue cuisine is that we use very few spices. The ingredients are so fresh and good, they require very little seasoning.
Boi Tran
Gỏi Huế is a traditional dish that’s seldom made these days because of the complexity and the time needed to do it right. A fish stock is made from Cao Bằng, a fish from the Perfume River. Pineapples, onions, chilies, shallots, and coriander. A salad of quickly cooked prongs, rice noodles, ginger, red chili, garlic and galangal. Layer of rice noodle, banana flower, then the prawn, garnishes. The strained fish stock is brought to the table with the salad in separate bowls and combined just before eating.
Much of Vietnamese cooking abides by the principles of Yin and yang, heat and cold. This one, a lobster dish with five spices, balances the coldness of the lobster with the heat of the spices. Red onion, ginger, lemongrass and chilies are added to the boiling water to cook the lobster. Once the lobster’s cooked, it’s presented in a bowl of lime leaves. And the stock is poured over it.
Boi Tran spoils all of us with a succession of dishes.
But the past, as it often does in a place like this, intrudes.
Anthony Bourdain
Smiling, but of course, they remember everything.
They have to remember the war in 1968.
Jean-François Hubert
It’s dealt with a lot of suffering. The people here are very withdrawn in some ways. I was visiting my grandfather’s house, and I got goosebumps because I knew during the war in 1968 lots of people were killed. And they were buried on all the sidewalks there. And I’d walk around there and I feel it. It’s dark, it’s sombre, and the history is there.
Nguyen Qui Duc
Vietnamese-American Radio Broadcaster, Writer, Editor, Translator
Emmy-nominated Documentary Film & Television Director & Executive Producer, HBO, Netflix, CNN, NAT GEO, Discovery Channel, PBS/World Channel
Co-Founder, CEO & Executive Producer at Good Trouble Studios
It’s such an honour to have an actual artefact 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. When we returned one of the following days, that’s when I was able to really feel the weight and the love. It started with the simple gesture of bringing out the finest iced coffee set-up, I’ve seen ever (ask Ha – I drank a lot of iced coffee in Hue). Something about the perfection and detail of it was moving (maybe it was close to the end of the trip). But then when we moved inside and spent time at your son’s shrine – it started catching up to me. When Ha suggested we light some incense for your son, I really took pause and really felt both the sadness of his early departure, but also the strength of his presence. We talked so much about wandering spirits while in Hue, your son is not one of them – he is so well looked after. He has a home and love in his afterlife, next life, and spiritual life. Your maternal strength and personal resilience filled the room. I was warmed by that feeling, but the height of the moment was later. You, Ha and I were talking – soon, Ha and I was crying talking about your loss. But your instinct, knowing something so personal was touching Ha, was to pull her into your embrace and comfort her. She needed it. And only you, maybe more than anyone in the world, could provide that solace and peace for her. Ha appreciated and I was so touched by your selflessness, grace, warmth, and infinite love as a young parent it is a model for me. Having your painting in my house, and keeping an eye on my young family and I is such a gift. Thank you. I’m so lucky to have the memories of the experience with you and a tangible artefact to keep in our home.
These field notes are excerpted from Anthony Bourdain’s Tumblr, posted on October 18, 2014. They have been edited for length and clarity.
Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown © Amazon Prime Video, All Documentary Youtube
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The landmark sale achieved historic results, setting multiple world records and affirming the growing international recognition of Vietnamese modernism. More than an auction, A Quest for Eternity stands as a testament to scholarship, vision, and the enduring cultural legacy of Vietnam\u2019s artists on the global stage."},{"id":7597,"link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?p=7597","name":"boi-tran-the-elegants-of-hue-2015-or-the-inevitable-choice-of-distinction-against-fate","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_8369-scaled.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Boi Tran, \"The Elegants Of Hu\u00e9\", 2015, or The Inevitable Choice of Distinction Against Fate","postMeta":[],"author":{"name":"Dinh Thuc Doan Tran","link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?author=2"},"date":"Jun 13, 2025","dateGMT":"2025-06-13 05:05:40","modifiedDate":"2025-06-23 06:44:29","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-06-23 06:44:29","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=23\" rel=\"category\">Art<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=34\" rel=\"category\">Auction<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=30\" rel=\"category\">Christie's<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=32\" rel=\"category\">Exhibition<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=26\" rel=\"category\">Interview<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=23\" rel=\"category\">Art<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=34\" rel=\"category\">Auction<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=30\" rel=\"category\">Christie's<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=32\" rel=\"category\">Exhibition<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=26\" rel=\"category\">Interview<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-art-gallery' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Art Gallery<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-garden' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Garden<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=christies' rel='post_tag'>Christie's<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=melchior-dejouany' rel='post_tag'>Melchior Dejouany<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":2,"sec":35},"status":"publish","excerpt":"In the hush that follows ruin, some shout; others whisper. Boi Tran paints. The \u00c9l\u00e9gantes de Hue, seven women in flowing \u00e1o d\u00e0i, do not ask to be seen; they endure, as Hue endured. Wounded, quiet, and radiant. Their beauty is not spectacle, but refuge. Melchior Dejouany\u2019s journey into Vietnamese art began not with grandeur, but with the quiet soul of Boi Tran\u2019s lacquer.\nAmong lacquer and legacy, her work is not loud. It is lasting."},{"id":7086,"link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?p=7086","name":"the-melchior-dejouany-collection-a-french-collectors-dialogue-with-vietnamese-art","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/IMG_8278-scaled.jpg","alt":""},"title":"From Lacquer to Light: A French Collector\u2019s Journey Begins with Boi Tran","postMeta":[],"author":{"name":"Dinh Thuc Doan Tran","link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?author=2"},"date":"Jun 6, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-06-06 09:13:57","modifiedDate":"2025-06-23 06:45:18","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-06-23 06:45:18","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=23\" rel=\"category\">Art<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=34\" rel=\"category\">Auction<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=30\" rel=\"category\">Christie's<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=32\" rel=\"category\">Exhibition<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=26\" rel=\"category\">Interview<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=23\" rel=\"category\">Art<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=34\" rel=\"category\">Auction<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=30\" rel=\"category\">Christie's<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=32\" rel=\"category\">Exhibition<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=26\" rel=\"category\">Interview<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-art-gallery' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Art Gallery<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-garden' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Garden<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=christies' rel='post_tag'>Christie's<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=hoang-tich-chu' rel='post_tag'>Hoang Tich Chu<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=le-pho' rel='post_tag'>Le Pho<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=luong-xuan-nhi' rel='post_tag'>Luong Xuan Nhi<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=mai-trung-thu' rel='post_tag'>Mai Trung Thu<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=melchior-dejouany' rel='post_tag'>Melchior Dejouany<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=nguyen-gia-tri' rel='post_tag'>Nguyen Gia Tri<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=nguyen-trung' rel='post_tag'>Nguyen Trung<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=paris' rel='post_tag'>Paris<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=truong-be' rel='post_tag'>Truong Be<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=vu-cao-dam' rel='post_tag'>Vu Cao Dam<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":3,"sec":59},"status":"publish","excerpt":"French collector Melchior Dejouany once called discovering pictorial lacquer \u201cone of the most beautiful revelations\u201d of his life. That revelation began with a painting by Boi Tran, luminous, quiet, and unforgettable, seen at Christie\u2019s Hong Kong in 2012. In her layered technique, he found something deeper: feeling, stillness, soul. Her work opened not just a door into Vietnamese art, but into a story, one that continues across generations, bound by vision, tenderness, and the quiet power of beauty that travels and connects across oceans."},{"id":6912,"link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?p=6912","name":"christies-paris-the-phoenix-glue-and-the-broken-silk-thread-important-vietnamese-artworks-from-the-melchior-dejouany-collection","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG_8977-1-scaled.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Christie's Paris | The Phoenix Glue and the Broken Silk Thread: Important Vietnamese Artworks from the Melchior Dejouany Collection","postMeta":[],"author":{"name":"Dinh Thuc Doan Tran","link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?author=2"},"date":"Jun 6, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-06-06 07:15:41","modifiedDate":"2025-06-23 06:46:18","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-06-23 06:46:18","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=23\" rel=\"category\">Art<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=34\" rel=\"category\">Auction<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=30\" rel=\"category\">Christie's<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=32\" rel=\"category\">Exhibition<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=23\" rel=\"category\">Art<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=34\" rel=\"category\">Auction<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=30\" rel=\"category\">Christie's<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=32\" rel=\"category\">Exhibition<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-art-gallery' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Art Gallery<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-garden' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Garden<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=christies' rel='post_tag'>Christie's<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=hoang-tich-chu' rel='post_tag'>Hoang Tich Chu<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=le-pho' rel='post_tag'>Le Pho<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=luong-xuan-nhi' rel='post_tag'>Luong Xuan Nhi<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=mai-trung-thu' rel='post_tag'>Mai Trung Thu<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=melchior-dejouany' rel='post_tag'>Melchior Dejouany<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=nguyen-gia-tri' rel='post_tag'>Nguyen Gia Tri<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=nguyen-trung' rel='post_tag'>Nguyen Trung<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=paris' rel='post_tag'>Paris<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=truong-be' rel='post_tag'>Truong Be<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=vu-cao-dam' rel='post_tag'>Vu Cao Dam<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":7,"sec":15},"status":"publish","excerpt":"The Melchior Dejouany Collection showcases the brilliance of Vietnamese masters: Nguyen Gia Tri\u2019s layered lacquer dreams, Le Pho\u2019s elegant silks, and Vu Cao Dam\u2019s poetic forms. And yet, it began with a single painting by Boi Tran, a quiet work of lacquer that spoke not of grandeur, but of grace. It was her voice, contemporary, contemplative, deeply human, that first drew him in. Among legends, her presence is not loud; it is luminous."},{"id":2102,"link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?p=2102","name":"hue-to-the-world-boi-tran-garden-a-pioneer-recognised-by-christies-in-1999","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/AF721CC4-FC18-4DBC-8C1E-BC16681789FC-scaled.jpeg","alt":""},"title":"Hue to the World: Boi Tran Art Gallery, A Pioneer Recognised by Christie\u2019s in 1999","postMeta":[],"author":{"name":"Dinh Thuc Doan Tran","link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?author=2"},"date":"Jul 26, 2023","dateGMT":"2023-07-26 12:40:51","modifiedDate":"2025-06-23 06:47:36","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-06-23 06:47:36","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=23\" rel=\"category\">Art<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=34\" rel=\"category\">Auction<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=30\" rel=\"category\">Christie's<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=23\" rel=\"category\">Art<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=34\" rel=\"category\">Auction<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=30\" rel=\"category\">Christie's<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-art-gallery' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Art Gallery<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-garden' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Garden<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=christies' rel='post_tag'>Christie's<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":3,"sec":27},"status":"publish","excerpt":"In December 1999, a letter arrived from Christie\u2019s, full of grace. It crossed borders to honour a pioneering art gallery in Hue, where Boi Tran had quietly nurtured not just art, but meaning. At a time when few heard the voices of contemporary Vietnam, her gallery had already become a sanctuary of beauty, memory, and soul.\nThe letter was not a headline. It was something rarer: a moment of quiet recognition.\nAnd from that stillness, Hue began to speak. And the world began to listen."},{"id":6494,"link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?p=6494","name":"boi-tran-garden-and-the-gift-of-ancestral-recognition-a-tribute-remembered","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/IMG_0196.png","alt":""},"title":"Boi Tran Garden and the Gift of Ancestral Recognition, A Tribute Remembered","postMeta":[],"author":{"name":"Dinh Thuc Doan Tran","link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?author=2"},"date":"Jul 26, 2023","dateGMT":"2023-07-26 07:01:02","modifiedDate":"2025-06-23 06:48:04","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-06-23 06:48:04","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=23\" rel=\"category\">Art<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=25\" rel=\"category\">Culture<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=27\" rel=\"category\">Event<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=31\" rel=\"category\">Tradition<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=23\" rel=\"category\">Art<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=25\" rel=\"category\">Culture<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=27\" rel=\"category\">Event<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=31\" rel=\"category\">Tradition<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-art-gallery' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Art Gallery<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-garden' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Garden<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":4,"sec":29},"status":"publish","excerpt":"Boi Tran Garden blooms with memory, devotion, and the gentle breath of art. Created by painter Boi Tran as a sanctuary for the soul, it is a place where silence speaks, and beauty lingers in every stone and shadow. In 2011, her heartfelt contributions were honoured with the Phan Kinh Honorary Prize, a tribute from her ancestral family, offered in deep gratitude.\nMore than a garden, it is a living poem. A return. A bloom that never fades."},{"id":6390,"link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?p=6390","name":"emeritus-university-professor-vinh-tuongs-letter-madame-boi-trans-artistry-and-brilliance-bequeathed-to-us-a-respect-and-precious-memory-that-lasts-for-good","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/IMG_0203.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Emeritus University Professor Vinh Tuong\u2019s Letter: \"Madame Boi Tran\u2019s Artistry and Brilliance Bequeathed to us a Respect and Precious Memory that Lasts for Good\"","postMeta":[],"author":{"name":"Dinh Thuc Doan Tran","link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?author=2"},"date":"Jul 23, 2023","dateGMT":"2023-07-23 11:59:48","modifiedDate":"2023-07-25 10:49:51","modifiedDateGMT":"2023-07-25 10:49:51","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=23\" rel=\"category\">Art<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=25\" rel=\"category\">Culture<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=31\" rel=\"category\">Tradition<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=23\" rel=\"category\">Art<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=25\" rel=\"category\">Culture<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=31\" rel=\"category\">Tradition<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-art-gallery' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Art Gallery<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-garden' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Garden<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":4,"sec":59},"status":"publish","excerpt":"On behalf of \u201cthe Delegation\u201d, I extend my deep respect and appreciation for a unique opportunity to contemplate your works. Your artistry and great brilliance bequeathed to us a respect and and precious memory that lasts for good."},{"id":6373,"link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?p=6373","name":"ancient-mansions-rebirth","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/IMG_0200.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Ancient Mansions' Rebirth","postMeta":[],"author":{"name":"Dinh Thuc Doan Tran","link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?author=2"},"date":"Jul 22, 2023","dateGMT":"2023-07-22 07:34:16","modifiedDate":"2023-07-29 06:48:17","modifiedDateGMT":"2023-07-29 06:48:17","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=24\" rel=\"category\">Architecture<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=25\" rel=\"category\">Culture<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=29\" rel=\"category\">History<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=31\" rel=\"category\">Tradition<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=24\" rel=\"category\">Architecture<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=25\" rel=\"category\">Culture<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=29\" rel=\"category\">History<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=31\" rel=\"category\">Tradition<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-art-gallery' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Art Gallery<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-garden' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Garden<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":5,"sec":47},"status":"publish","excerpt":"Hue becomes a poem capital in Vietnam thanks to its nature-blended architecture. In some aspects, the renaissance of pillar houses contributes to the reconstruction, preservation and protection of cityscape, cultural awareness and consciousness of this Imperial city."},{"id":6344,"link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?p=6344","name":"budda-master-sugata-thich-chon-huong-and-his-inscription-to-woman-intellectual-boi-tran","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/IMG_9669.png","alt":""},"title":"Budda Master, Sugata Thich Chon Huong and his Inscription to the Woman Intellectual Boi Tran","postMeta":[],"author":{"name":"Dinh Thuc Doan Tran","link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?author=2"},"date":"Jul 20, 2023","dateGMT":"2023-07-20 09:19:40","modifiedDate":"2023-07-29 06:48:59","modifiedDateGMT":"2023-07-29 06:48:59","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=25\" rel=\"category\">Culture<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=29\" rel=\"category\">History<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=31\" rel=\"category\">Tradition<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=25\" rel=\"category\">Culture<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=29\" rel=\"category\">History<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=31\" rel=\"category\">Tradition<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-art-gallery' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Art Gallery<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-garden' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Garden<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=buddha-master-thich-chon-huong' rel='post_tag'>Buddha Master Thich Chon Huong<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=hue' rel='post_tag'>Hue<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=quang-te-temple' rel='post_tag'>Quang Te Temple<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":1,"sec":3},"status":"publish","excerpt":"Honoured to present a typewritten poem by the most venerable Buddha Master, Sugata Chon Huong, reigning over Quang Te Temple, whose devotion would grace Buddhism in Hue and Vietnam, gifted to woman intellectual Boi Tran."},{"id":6263,"link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?p=6263","name":"vinh-phoi-a-pioneering-abstract-expressionist-a-loyalist-to-the-imperial-hue-and-his-handwritten-reference-to-boi-tran-and-the-art-gallery","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/IMG_8911-scaled.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Vinh Phoi, a Pioneering Abstract Expressionist, a Loyalist to the Imperial Hue and His Handwritten Reference Letter to Boi Tran and the Art Gallery","postMeta":[],"author":{"name":"Dinh Thuc Doan Tran","link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?author=2"},"date":"Jul 15, 2023","dateGMT":"2023-07-15 02:06:58","modifiedDate":"2023-07-29 06:50:00","modifiedDateGMT":"2023-07-29 06:50:00","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=23\" rel=\"category\">Art<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=29\" rel=\"category\">History<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=23\" rel=\"category\">Art<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=29\" rel=\"category\">History<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-art-gallery' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Art Gallery<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-garden' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Garden<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=vinh-phoi' rel='post_tag'>Vinh Phoi<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":1,"sec":44},"status":"publish","excerpt":"\u201cIf you yearn for the truth and integrity of something, ask Vinh Phoi.\u201d - Trinh Cong Son"},{"id":6232,"link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?p=6232","name":"director-of-vietnam-national-fine-arts-museum-cao-trong-thiem-and-the-written-massage-to-boi-tran","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/IMG_7610-scaled.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Director of Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum Cao Trong Thiem and the Written Massage to Boi Tran","postMeta":[],"author":{"name":"Dinh Thuc Doan Tran","link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?author=2"},"date":"Jul 4, 2023","dateGMT":"2023-07-04 14:24:34","modifiedDate":"2023-07-29 06:50:34","modifiedDateGMT":"2023-07-29 06:50:34","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=23\" rel=\"category\">Art<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=29\" rel=\"category\">History<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=23\" rel=\"category\">Art<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=29\" rel=\"category\">History<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-art-gallery' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Art Gallery<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-garden' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Garden<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=cao-trong-thiem' rel='post_tag'>Cao Trong Thiem<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=tran-nguyen-dan' rel='post_tag'>Tran Nguyen Dan<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":1,"sec":21},"status":"publish","excerpt":"Here\u2019s wishing you, BOI TRAN, health, beauty and prosperity."},{"id":6208,"link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?p=6208","name":"mai-van-hien-sketcher-of-the-first-banknote-for-vietnam-and-his-letter-to-boi-tran-and-boi-tran-art-gallery-in-1998","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/IMG_0365-2.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Mai Van Hien, Sketcher of the First Banknote for Vietnam and His Letter to Boi Tran and Boi Tran Art Gallery in 1998","postMeta":[],"author":{"name":"Dinh Thuc Doan Tran","link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?author=2"},"date":"Jul 4, 2023","dateGMT":"2023-07-04 11:42:52","modifiedDate":"2023-07-29 06:51:29","modifiedDateGMT":"2023-07-29 06:51:29","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=23\" rel=\"category\">Art<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=29\" rel=\"category\">History<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=23\" rel=\"category\">Art<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=29\" rel=\"category\">History<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":"<a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-art-gallery' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Art Gallery<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=boi-tran-garden' rel='post_tag'>Boi Tran Garden<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=luong-xuan-nhi' rel='post_tag'>Luong Xuan Nhi<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=mai-van-hien' rel='post_tag'>Mai Van Hien<\/a><a href='https:\/\/boitran.com\/?tag=phan-ke-an' rel='post_tag'>Phan Ke An<\/a>"},"readTime":{"min":3,"sec":30},"status":"publish","excerpt":"I hope the gallery will cooperate and work side by side with a humbled semi skilled and below average painter who, 60 years ago (not so many), was trained and educated in a city of exquisite sceneries and graceful people, Hue."}]