What does it mean to be a Vietnamese?, 2025
Plexiglas, Mirror border foam, acrylic paint, gold flocking
[36x24x1”]
Accumulated ~230 working hours.
This piece aims to recreate the glass painting method in the Southeast of Vietnam. This method is no longer popular in Vietnam, however, I want to approach it with a new look and a more modern version. Using bright and bold colors, the artist will paint on the back of the piece of glass, making the drawing reflect on the front of the other side. This piece showcases different people in society, how they all have different job occupations and dreams, and they all look up to the Vietnamese flag and show their love and respect for the country.
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In Modern waters, 2025
Ceramic, underglaze paints
[8x8x6”]
Accumulated ~120 working hours.
This piece recaptures a cherished childhood memory with my father at the water puppet show. While honoring the original form, the puppet is dressed not in its typical costume, but in an áo dài layered with a vest—a symbol of the modern Vietnamese businesswoman. Bold, vibrant colors symbolizes a brighter future—one where Vietnamese women continue to rise, break boundaries, and shape their own paths.
I aim to give Vietnamese women a contemporary identity through this transformation, one that reflects both professional ambition and strength. The piece challenges traditional expectations that women, especially after marriage, must remain at home to care for the family. Instead, it celebrates the idea that women can lead, work, and care, redefining what empowerment looks like.
Youth Dialogue, 2025
Digital drawing
[ 2376x3168 px]
Accumulated ~8 working hours.
Inspired by the Vietnamese Lunar New Year poetic couplets (câu đối), traditionally written in calligraphy on red paper to convey ancestral wisdom and wishes for luck. Each pair of lines follows a classical structure: the words are contrasting in meaning, yet when combined, they express two parallel and complementary ideas.
The couplet I created reflects my belief in the younger generations' power to uplift their country. It serves as a personal reminder to stay committed to my dream of contributing to a stronger, more connected Vietnam and America.
Burden & Liberation, 2025
Polymer clay, foam, feathers, fabric, pastel color, paint
[12x12x10”]
Accumulated ~90 working hours.
This piece represents the tensions I felt when I had to do so many things in a day. The spiral band represents what I have to do every day, where the cool tone represents my school and other commitments I have, while the warm tone represents how much free time and hangout time I have. While I still enjoy the time I spent doing “cool tone” activities, I still feel the pressure for not having enough time for myself. The figure being squeezed inside represents how much it has drained and squeezed me, making the figure's face distorted, making me sometimes feel like I'm no longer myself. The dove, while trying to escape this trap, its leg being tight to the figure, symbolizes that there is always limitation and constraint stopping it from resting fully.
Unseen: Me, 2024
Handmade paper, beads, gold flocking, silver paint
[18x16x6”]
Accumulated ~100 working hours.
Displayed at the regional 3D show
This piece explores the tension between how I present myself to the world and how I view myself internally. The shared color palette between my figure and the background suggests a melting or dissolving effect, symbolizing how my identity and thoughts feel scattered and overwhelmed.
Each hand surrounding me carries a distinct meaning:
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The left hand celebrates, representing recognition from others for my achievements.
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The bottom hand, pointing outward, reflects how I guide others—directing them toward success.
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The right hand reaches inward, as if trying to pull me out—a self-driven push to overcome shyness and show my true colors.
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The top hand, however, fails to lift the weight, exhausted. My efforts result in closed eyes, worn from sleeplessness and emotional fatigue.
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The center hand attempts to cover and shield me, embodying the desire to hide—from both attention and the pressure of leadership and expectations placed on me by my community.
Together, these elements capture the internal conflict of being seen as strong and capable while privately navigating complex emotional struggles beneath the surface.
Nón Sơn / Crown of the Mountain, 2024
Cardboard, yarns, fabrics
[16x16x18”]
Accumulated ~130 working hours.
Nón Sơn, meaning "crown of the mountain," symbolizes Vietnam's natural beauty and cultural richness. Inspired by the Vietnamese folklore “Sơn Tinh, Thủy Tinh,” a legendary battle between the Mountain Spirit and the Water Spirit, the woven yarn within the traditional conical hat (nón lá) evokes the flowing tension between these two forces.
The two horn-like forms emerging from the hat represent the buffalo, a vital companion in Vietnamese agriculture and a symbol of strength and resilience. The chin strap is made from traditional woven matting, commonly used to welcome guests into one's home. Simple, yet rooted in tradition.
By weaving together these traditional elements in a modern form, this piece aims to celebrate Vietnam’s cultural heritage while reflecting the country’s evolving identity and contemporary spirit.
Nam Quốc Sơn Hà / The Flag of History, 2023
Wood, cardboard, paint, laser-cut, tree branches, tassels, hand-painted silk flag
[39x40x48”, painted flag is 19x19”]
Accumulated ~150 working hours.
Displayed at the regional 3D show
This work brings to life Nam Quốc Sơn Hà, Vietnam’s first declaration of independence, by transforming the historic poem into a layered visual narrative.
The upper portion of the piece features traditional celebratory colors – red, green, yellow, and blue. Using fabric painting techniques, the flag's layered colors create depth and movement. At its center is a character used during the Trần Dynasty, historically used by leaders to mark important declarations.
Beneath the flag lies a mixed-media piece representing soldiers who lost their lives in war. During war, fallen comrades can't immediately be laid to rest. As a gesture of remembrance, soldiers would tie a string—signaling the intent to return and honor them properly.
Positioned below the flag, this installation serves as a powerful metaphor: beneath the symbols of pride and national identity lies the unseen sacrifice that makes such triumphs possible. This piece is created to honor those sacrifices and to pay tribute to the resilience of those who protected their homeland.
Unachievable: Weight of the Climb, 2022
Ceramic sculpture, wood stick, canvas paper, metal pin, underglaze paints
[11x11x20”]
Accumulated ~55 working hours.
This mixed media piece explores the complex relationship between ambition, societal expectation, and personal perseverance. The mountain shape symbolizes success, often an uphill journey driven by hard work and persistence. Yet on the left, a depiction of Sisyphus endlessly pushing a boulder upward serves as a metaphor for the recurring challenges I face. Progress and new obstacles often go hand in hand.
The silhouette of the structure carries a lot of weight, especially due to its ties to femininity. The form is inspired by a 1950s tea-length dress—tight corset, voluminous skirt—referencing the pressure to conform to traditional, feminine, perfect standards. It represents not only the space I’m expected to occupy, but also the constraints placed on me.
Together, these elements speak to the exhaustion of continuous striving, the burden of societal expectations, and the resilience required to keep moving forward, even when the summit keeps shifting.
Cơm Tấm / A Memory Contained, 2022
Ceramic, underglaze paints
[8x8x6”]
Accumulated ~70 working hours.
This two-layered ceramic container, paired with a sculpted model of a broken rice lid, was inspired by my favorite childhood dish: cơm tấm (broken rice). Originally created from rice fragments deemed unexportable, the dish became a flavorful, nourishing staple for laborers—typically served with grilled and shredded pork, pork-and-egg meatloaf, fresh and pickled vegetables, and a rich fish sauce.
I imagined a luxury container from the 1950s, reimagining how upper-class families might have explored this working-class cuisine. The piece features traditional Vietnamese patterns and a vintage color palette, reflecting both cultural heritage and the layered history of food, class, and identity.
My art explores the intersection of Vietnamese cultural heritage and contemporary identity, reflecting on how tradition challenges and inspires the present. Drawing from folklore, history, and personal memory, I reimagine symbols and stories through ceramics, mixed media, fabric, and sculpture, hoping to evoke dialogue about cultural expectations across generations.
Each of my pieces is rooted in a distinct cultural moment—from Vietnam’s first declaration of independence and the quiet sacrifices of soldiers during wartime to the everyday resilience of women navigating both domestic and professional spaces in a traditionally patriarchal society. By blending traditional forms—like the conical hat, ceremonial flags, or water puppets—with modern reinterpretations, I aim to challenge assumptions, honor complexity, and highlight cultural transformation. My work is ultimately based on connection—between gender roles, collective memory, past and present, traditional Vietnam and the diaspora, and between who we are, who we are becoming, and all we can be.
