Kim Jai-min at his exhibition. VNA/VNS Photo Anh Nguyên

INCHEON — The exhibition may be a long way from Việt Nam, but South Korean artist Kim Jai-min is clearly influenced by the country he loves so much. 

Work by the retired teacher has gone on display at Gallery Yeonjung in Incheon City, South Korea.

With more than 30 visits to Việt Nam under his belt, Kim has shown he affection for the country through his art, creating paintings of Vietnamese people and daily life.

He has turned photos taken in Việt Nam throughout the years into beautiful water colours. Most of them capture the beauty of people in localities such as Mỹ Tho, Vĩnh Long, Cần Thơ, and Châu Đốc.

Visitors were impressed by one of the paintings at the exhibition, which shows a floating market vendor.  VNA/VNS Photo Anh Nguyên

Kim told the Vietnam News Agency that the trips to Việt Nam left him with many fond memories.

“The more I travel, the deeper my feelings for Việt Nam became,” he said.

The retired teacher also revealed that in the past ten years, he started painting from his own photos, mainly to present to Vietnamese living in South Korea, helping them to ease their homesickness.

Kim has also written two books about Việt Nam, published in 1994 and 2005.

He is also the co-author of another book published in 2015, which helps Koreans understand more about the land and people of Việt Nam.

He also participated in a programme organised by South Korea’s EBS TV to promote the image of Việt Nam. —  VNS