Former Dutch diplomat donates paintings to Vietnamese museum

Delegates at the ceremony to receive the paintings at the Vietnamese Embassy in the Netherlands. (Photo: Baoquocte.vn)

The former diplomat collected the two lacquer paintings entitled "Kieu hanh" (Pride) and "Nhung nu hon tinh yeu" (Kisses of Love) by painter Phung Pham when she worked in Vietnam from 1997-2001.

She fell in love with Vietnam as well as its landscapes, people and fine arts while she was in the country.

Although Berends left the Southeast Asian country more than 20 years ago, her memories of and love for Vietnam have never faded away.

She came to the Vietnamese Embassy in the Netherlands to express her wish to donate the paintings to the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum so that the Vietnamese public could contemplate the works which Berends had brought with her to many other countries.

The museum's representative highly appreciated Berends's good deed and thanked the Vietnamese Embassy in the Netherlands, especially Ambassador Pham Viet Anh, for their efforts to bring the paintings back to Vietnam.

Painter Phung Pham said he was moved to see the paintings again as they now become parts of the museum’s collection.

Source: VNA