Young architect Nghe An preserves time through sketches

In a small studio located modestly on Nguyen Sy Sach Street, Vinh City, Tran Hoang Kim showed me the sketches he had painstakingly done. The first one he introduced was a sketchTemple of Duke Tran Hung Hoc(Thanh Xuan commune, Thanh Chuong district).

"I drew this picture 8 years ago, during a trip back to my hometown. This temple is associated with my childhood, a place where my friends and I often came to play, run around under the shady trees, and listen to the elders tell stories. Besides this temple, in my hometown Thanh Xuan commune, there are other ancient relics such as Duc Thanh Hai Temple, Dang Family Temple..." His voice dropped, his eyes filled with nostalgia.

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"Perhaps, it was the ancient relics associated with my childhood memories that ignited my passion for heritage sketching, and over the years, I have continued to pursue it as an indispensable part of my life.

Architect, artist Tran Hoang Kim

Born in 1993, Tran Hoang Kim is the youngest of four siblings. After graduating from high school, he entered the Faculty of Architecture, Hanoi University of Civil Engineering. After graduating, he worked in the capital for a long time. But in 2023, when his parents were old and his mother was seriously ill, Kim decided to return to Nghe An to continue his architectural design work and open a small drawing studio in Vinh city, where he could wholeheartedly pursue his passion for painting.

Recalling her early days of writing, Kim shared: "When I was young, my best friend and I loved drawing. When we grew up, we decided to pursue architecture together - where engineering and art intersect. While working in Hanoi, I participated in many heritage sketching activities, traveling all over the country to redraw ancient architectural works. When I returned to my hometown, I realized that in Vinh, sketching was almost forgotten. So I decided to rekindle that passion myself, by visiting historical sites in Nghe An, where each brick and each roof tile carries old stories."

For over a year, Kim has been traveling all over Nghe An, from Vinh city to neighboring districts, recording the beauty of the relics. His first sketches were of Hong Son temple, Quang Trung temple, Dung Quyet mountain, Diec pagoda, Vinh ancient citadel... Gradually, his footsteps expanded, reaching further places such as Hoanh Son communal house (Nam Dan district), Cuong temple (Dien Chau district), Con temple (Hoang Mai town), Qua Son temple (Do Luong district), or familiar relics in his hometown Thanh Chuong such as Bach Ma temple, Vo Liet communal house, Ca temple...

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At first, I just drew for passion, but then when I drew a lot, I felt I needed to do something bigger, not only to preserve but also to contribute to preserving the cultural values ​​of my homeland.

Architect, artist Tran Hoang Kim

The sketch of the Temple of Duke Tran Hung Hoc has now become a symbol of Kim’s long journey. On his paper, the roofs, temple gates, and ancient pagodas appear with a beauty that is both nostalgic and vivid. His meticulous lines not only depict the architecture but also tell the story of a land, of people who have been attached to the heritage for generations. And from those strokes, the love for the homeland becomes deeper than ever./.