Memories: Artist Minh Vuong inttroduces his personal exhibition at his house in HCM City's District 3. — Photo nld.com.vn

HCM CITY (VNS) — Many veteran artists in HCM City have opened private exhibition rooms in their homes that feature sculptures and other artistic works of themselves in order "to leave something to posterity."

At the home of Meritorious Artist Minh Vuong, for example, hundreds of old and new photos taken of his performances in cai luong (renovated theatre) are displayed, including two large-size photos, one featuring a 14-year-old Vuong receiving the prestigious Khoi Nguyen Vong Co (Khoi Nguyen Traditional Tunes) Award in 1964.

The other photo shows Vuong holding two golden statues of the Golden Apricot Award presented by the Nguoi Lao Dong ( The Labourer) daily.

Vuong was one of the first artists in HCM City to open a private exhibition room for the public.

On the walls of the room are many newspaper stories about his first performances on the cai luong stage.

"I want my fans, my relatives and my friends to see my efforts and my achievements, as well as my glory days," Vuong said.

Vuong said he would add more exhibits, including costumes that he wore while performing many popular cai luong dramas over the years.

Vuong, 65, continues to attract audiences, performing in more than 1,000 cai luong dramas.

The artist said that he had also presented one of his jackets and hats to the Tai Tu Traditional Music Festival organised in Bac Lieu last April.

Meritorious Artist Ngoc Giau will open her exhibition room at her home in HCM City's District 2 soon.

"I'll display hundreds of my photos and more than 100 dresses I wore in many cai luong dramas," Giau said. "There'll be photos taken when I was a small girl, and photos on the stage and in later years."

Giau, 68, is well-known for her roles playing national heroines in both traditional dramas and spoken dramas.

Each year, she performs in HCM City and southern provinces, as well as abroad.

A married couple, Meritorious Artist Thanh Dien and his wife, Thanh Kim Hue, are also cai luong artists and have spent more than 20 years taking photos of stage artists.

"We have many thousands of photos of cai luong and spoken drama artists," Dien said, adding that he had asked for permission to display the most striking photos at his house's exhibition room.

"After getting approval, fans can visit our house to see photos of their idols," Dien said.

For Meritorious Artist Thanh Sang, the authorities of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province's Long Dat District last year gave him a house so that he coud display mementoes of his career and life. Long Dat is Sang's birthplace.

"But I need time to prepare. I'll announce the opening day when I complete everything," he said.

Friends of his are now making a bust of Sang that they will present at a later date. — VNS