Early works with HanoiLink
I founded HanoiLink in May 2006 alongside fellow artists of my generation. It began as an initiative to secure a commercial project—one we ultimately failed to land—yet we decided to remain together as an artist collective. From an initial group of twelve, five of us continue to work together today, more than two decades later.
HanoiLink holds a significant place in my artistic practice; it represents not merely the contemporary experiments of my twenties, but an enduring testament to friendship and an unwavering love for art.
This was the final HanoiLink exhibition of 2019 that I attended in Vietnam before being barred from returning for about a decade. The exhibition’s title sparked a discussion about the significance of the messages artworks convey to society through anonymity.
After the opening, an art discussion was held with Hanoi’s contemporary art community; the dialogue raised questions about legitimacy and personal reputation in relation to anonymity and self-effacement in a society where freedom of expression is restricted.
This exhibition established HanoiLink as a prominent experimental video art collective in Vietnam during the early 2000s.
Two works—including my piece "Cut 36 Times, Flip Twice"—were banned from screening by the Vietnam Cinema Department just one hour before the exhibition opened, despite prior approval. I refused to accept this decision and proceeded with the exhibition.
Before that, I faced an exhibition ban imposed by the Hanoi Department of Culture and Information in 2008. Later, after I had left Vietnam, the Thua Thien Hue Department of Culture and Information excluded one of my works from an art event in 2020.
This experimental film project spanned nearly two years and involved 15 artists from HanoiLink and Hue; funded by the Goethe-Institut, it was screened at the Goethe-Institut Hanoi and the Hue University of Arts.
The exhibition featured 15 projectors and approximately 300 short films, accompanied by two discussion sessions held in Hue and Hanoi. Artists based in Hanoi agreed to reduce their fees to help fund the travel of artists from Hue to Hanoi for the exhibition's opening.
ECVN was HanoiLink's first video art project outside of Vietnam. Supported by M.Y. Art Prospects and curated by Koan Jeff Baysa. ECVN was screened during Asia Contemporary Art Week, held in New York, USA, in March 2008.
The exhibition marking HanoiLink's fifth anniversary has been postponed by a year due to the personal plans of team members. The exhibition highlights HanoiLink's maturation in terms of visual language and influence.
In January 2026, after seven years apart, the five remaining members of HanoiLink traveled to Nepal for a reunion, spending two weeks visiting Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lumbini, and Chitwan. This trip marked the beginning of the group's future plans beyond Vietnam.