Looking at the final cut of my first short film project here in Hanoi, it really hits home how much of a fixture Dan has become here in Truc Bach. He is 79 now, and for the last twenty years, he’s made this annual three-month pilgrimage to our neighborhood. If you’ve spent any time at the Fu Hoo coffee shop, you’ve likely seen him—tucked into a corner with his brushes, totally locked into his Sumi ink paintings of the people enjoying their favorite drinks.
What I love about Dan is that he doesn’t just paint the city and its people; he lives and breathes it. We’ve sat together through plenty of coffee, talking about daily life and how much we both love being in Hanoi. But we always seem to circle back to the “why.” For Dan, art is his way of connecting. He’s got this beautiful perspective on Vietnamese ancestor worship, too—seeing his own work as a way of honoring the lineage of his painter parents.
Putting this audio and film together was about capturing that specific energy he brings to the neighborhood. It’s about more than just ink on paper; it’s about a man who, after eight decades of traveling the world, still finds something new to say to the people of Hanoi every single year. I’m glad I finally get to share this glimpse of his world with you all.
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