(This showcase belongs to Chapter I: The Seed - The Genesis)

In the eighth lunar month, as the harvest draws to a close and the fields rest, people of old hold festivals to give thanks to Heaven, Earth, and ancestors, celebrating a bountiful crop and wishing for blessings ahead. On the night of the mid-autumn full moon, beneath clear skies and cool breezes, families gathered under the eaves to admire the moon, process with lanterns, and send forth wishes for a peaceful, fulfilling life.

In Eastern thought, the moon is far more than a natural phenomenon; it embodies cool Yin energy, intuition, wholeness, and the rhythmic cycle of time.

Continuing the flow of Chapter I: "The Seed - The Genesis" if the "Sàng Sảy | Sifting & Winnowing” journey reminded us of the arduous toil under sun and dew, where grains of rice undergo shelling, pounding, winnowing, and sifting to shed the chaff and reveal their pure essence, then "Treo Trăng" arrives as the joy of reaping and the celebration of an abundant harvest.

"Treo" (Hanging) is a deeply folk-rooted act, much like the traditional practice of hanging a lantern under the eaves as Mid-Autumn returns. This custom of hanging lanterns is not merely decorative; it is a ritual of kindling hope: hanging light to dispel darkness, and elevating faith in peace, prosperity, and good fortune for the entire family.

Featuring multi-material works by artists Lê Thiết Cương, Nguyễn Quốc Thắng, Bình Nhi, Dím (Nguyễn Quốc Hùng), alongside creative designs by the 39 Concept team.

We warmly invite you to visit the "Treo Trăng | Hanging The Moon” space, join 39 Concept in the Mid-Autumn feast, and welcome a brand-new "season of the moon."

“No other conflict saw as many sketches as the Vietnam War. War sketches are a unique, specialized genre in Vietnamese painting. Most of the artists were soldiers themselves; they painted their own lives, painted themselves, and were an integral part of the war rather than outsiders looking in. For them, a passion for art, devotion to their craft, and patriotism were one and the same. Loving art and loving the nation were inseparable—neither forced nor performative, but as entirely natural as breathing.

These wartime sketches carried the ultimate price of life and death. That is why, even after more than half a century, looking at them still feels as though they were drawn just moments ago. They remain 'hot,' vivid, and overflowing with the atmosphere of war; one can almost 'hear' the roar of bombs and bullets echoing from every stroke. From 1954 to 1975, ultimately, the entire nation walked a single, unified path—the path of waging war to reunite the country.

[...]”

— From "Conversations with Painting" by artist Lê Thiết Cương

Looking back through history, these wartime sketches serve as more than mere visual records of a turbulent era; they stand as a living testament to art's profound companionship with the nation's journey. Art in those days did not stand idly on the sidelines, but marched straight to the front lines, ever faithful beside the soldiers.

In praise of “The grains of Rice” Vietnam is one of the rice granaries in Southeast Asia. Rice cultivation involves much hard work. There is a Vietnamese saying which goes:

“You who taste a bowl of rice,

Do you feel in the fragrant grains,

All the pains I’ve taken to grow then?”

So much hard work is required, yet the farmers are not sure whether they have a bumper crop, because all their efforts depend on,,,the Heaven, Nobody knows where He is, but everybody is afraid of him. From generation to generation, every Vietnamese farmer knows this incantation:

We beg the Heaven to make rain fall

So that we have water to drink,

Rice fields to cultivate

A bowl of rice

A piece of stewed fish…

The age-old dreams of the farmers contain merely some water, a bowl of rice, and a piece of fish. These fundamental things are not easy to get at all. There was a time when farmers suffered from chronic hunger. Thanks to the doi moi process, Vietnam now ranks second among rice exporters in the world. This good news reveals that poverty and hunger have been reduced. To make rich, however, we need to rely on our resources, the most valuable of which is the “brain”. Only when Vietnam exports its “brain” can it be able to transform into Dragon and take off. A single hi-tech product measures just a few grams but it exceeds tens of tons of rice in terms of value. 

In the meantime, we need to rely on the grains of rice. At present or in the future, we still need them.

[...]”

— Foreword to the book “Hạt Gạo” (The Grain of Rice), written by poet Trần Đăng Khoa.