A teacher from Nghe An province is causing a sensation with his unique paintings on the blackboard.

Become a relative of your students.

Up to this point, after nearly 18 years of service,teacherNguyen Tri Hanh remains the only art teacher at Hermann Gmeiner High School (Vinh City).

At this unique school with three levels of education, Mr. Hanh is currently simultaneously in charge of the curriculum for all grades from 1st to 9th. Throughout his career, despite facing many difficulties, Mr. Hanh has never considered leaving this school.

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My family lives near an SOS Children's Village, so from a young age I knew about the children who grew up there and empathized with their circumstances.

Later, having taught them and spent time with them throughout their high school years, I grew to love the students at the school where I work even more. Perhaps that's why, despite having other opportunities, I chose to stay.

Teacher Nguyen Tri Hanh

Speaking about his work, Mr. Hanh said that, like many other teachers, he tries his best to do his professional job well and strives to become a good, exemplary teacher.

But besides that, at this school, the teacher and many other colleagues dedicate more time to the students at the SOS Children's Village, children who have been orphaned since childhood, having lost both their father and mother.

Sharing stories about his students, the teacher recounted the story of Le Van Phuc (from Hung Nguyen), who lost both parents and lived in the village since he was an infant. When Phuc was still in school, feeling sorry for the orphaned boy, the teacher would often leave delicious food for him at the security guard's room whenever he returned from somewhere. Later, Phuc grew up, went to school, and joined the army. The teacher was surprised to hear Phuc recount how that small act of kindness from the teacher in the past had given him the warmth of a family.

For many years, the teacher has considered Hung, a Hmong student, as a younger brother and family member, always supporting him in his studies, work, and family life. Currently, Hung is a chef and is able to be independent and support himself.

The work of a lifetime

"The teacher with the talent for drawing on the blackboard" is the title that teacher Nguyen Tri Hanh uses for himself, even though many of his works have become famous in the online community and in the "blackboard drawing corner" group: "I'm not an artist. I've received invitations from professionals to participate in exhibitions, but I said that I don't have any works to display. Most of my works 'survive' mainly on social media," Mr. Hanh said about his work.

Teacher Hanh was originally a painting student. After graduating from the Nghe An Provincial College of Culture and Arts, he "changed course" and became a teacher. The worries and stresses of life led him to the profession of drawing on blackboards for hire, mainly for class reunions and gatherings.

Although he could make a living from painting for hire, just about a year after showcasing his paintings on the blackboard, teacher Hanh decided not to pursue this work. Therefore, from being able to paint 15 or 16 pictures a day, he reduced it to a maximum of 3 and eventually started painting for free.

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Once I became involved in board painting, I realized my passion and discovered a different side of myself. Therefore, I transitioned from being a "craftsman" to a "creator," shifting from decorative art to artistic creation, aiming to paint pictures with structure, stories, and the ability to convey my emotions.

Teacher Nguyen Tri Hanh

Choosing to create artwork on the blackboard, teacher Nguyen Tri Hanh believes this is a very difficult task.

Personally, I've painted with oil paints, watercolors, and gouache, but painting with chalk on a green chalkboard was truly not easy: I started like a child, learning and figuring things out on my own because no one in Vietnam had demonstrated it, and no one had taught me. Even in the world, some Asian countries use it, but only for decorative painting on chalkboards.

The difficulty with chalk drawing is that the material doesn't spread color. Therefore, everything from holding the chalk to using different strokes requires specific techniques and creativity from the artist to convey the desired colors.

To create paintings that are loved by the online community and art lovers, teacher Hanh seems to have incorporated all his knowledge and skills into his artwork.

Looking at the teacher's paintings, one can still feel the emotions he has poured into them, as he shared: "The painting 'My Mother' was painted in just one night; it's the regret of a child who hasn't fulfilled their responsibilities. On Vietnamese Teachers' Day, I painted the image of a father carrying his child on an old bicycle to honor and express gratitude to those who are fathers and mothers, those who are considered the first and lifelong teachers. I painted about General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, 'a shining example of character and a simple lifestyle,' and about my colleagues working in remote areas, tirelessly bringing 'literacy to the villages'..."

The paintings are so vivid and "realistic" that even though they only exist for a very short moment on the blackboard, Teacher Hanh's works have spread across social media and been well-received by everyone.

Not stopping there, Mr. Hanh also dedicated time to a personal project called "Spreading the Art of Blackboard Painting," with the goal of bringing this unique art form to all 63 provinces and cities nationwide, and directly teaching and organizing free sharing sessions for teachers in many provinces and cities across the country.

As a teacher and a cultural and artistic figure, Mr. Hanh is nurturing a plan to redraw all the famous historical landmarks to serve as a bridge for conveying cultural values ​​to his students and the community.

With his dedication and passion for the art of painting on the blackboard, and having chosen his own unique path, few would imagine that teacher Nguyen Tri Hanh's creative space is just a small corner in the school's security room.

On that simple blackboard, many completed paintings have been erased to make way for new ones, mostly depicting his students like Phuc and Hung—which, as Mr. Hanh shared, are "paintings of life." The remaining space, he hopes, will one day be filled with the students' continued growth, and he will paint them with vibrant, bright colors, full of trust, love, and hope...

Here are some blackboard artworks by teacher Nguyen Tri Hanh: