A portrait of Korean coach Park Hang-seo of the Vietnamese U23 football team is painted on a wall of a household in Tam Thanh commmune. — Photo courtesy Korea Foundation Community Art Exchange Programme

QUẢNG NAM —Tam Kỳ City, in co-operation with the Korea Foundation, has launched the second stage of a mural project in the coastal Tam Thanh Commune.

Vice chairman of Tam Kỳ City’s People’s Committee, Nguyễn Thị Hiền said Korean artists, Vietnamese volunteers and villagers spent 20 days to completing 34 mural paintings on the walls of 50 houses in the commune.

A large mural painting by Korean artists in fishing Tam Thanh commune in Quảng Nam Province’s Tam Kỳ City. A collection of new 34 painting debuted in a ceremony on May 31. — Photo courtesy Korea Foundation Community Art Exchange Programme

Hiền said the project, which is part of the Korea Foundation Community Art Exchange Programme, helped turned the old walls of 100 houses in the commune into 70 colourful murals, depicting portraits of fishermen, local scenes and regional panoramas.

She said the project has helped make the fishing community an attraction for tourists and another tour option after Hội An ancient town, Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary and world biosphere Chàm Island-Hội An in Quảng Nam Province.

An old house wall is decorated with a lively painting. — Photo courtesy Korea Foundation Community Art Exchange Programme

Korean artists also re-decorated some old murals that were painted on old walls of houses and fences from 2016.

The commune, 7km east of the provincial capital Tam Kỳ City, is home to about 6,000 people in seven villages standing along a 6km stretch of beach.

A portrait of a woman on a fence wall in Trung Thanh hamlet of Tam Thanh commune.— Photo courtesy Korea Foundation Community Art Exchange Programme

It been built as a community-based art space as part of a tourism development along a pristine coastline, river scenery and a tranquil environment.

The fishing community welcomes about 500 visitors each day, and 2,000 tourists on weekends.

A girl gestures beside a mural in Tam Thanh commune. More than 100 murals were painted from 2016.— Photo courtesy Korea Foundation Community Art Exchange Programme

Last year, the Tam Thanh art community village was awarded the 2017 Asian Townscape Award for its colourful murals in Fukuoka City, Japan. — VNS