Son Mai Sai Gon 2011 (Sai Gon Lacquer) features more than 50 works in different styles, using the traditional material of lacquer.

Being a native of the northern province of Ha Tay (now part of Hanoi), the influence of Le Xuan Chieu's birthplace can be seen in his art works.

The lecturer of the HCMC Fine Arts College highlighted work is Ho Guom (Sword Lake), featuring Vietnamese girls in traditional costume ao dai (traditional long dress) at Ho Guom, a landmark of Hanoi.

Like Chieu, landscapes and beautiful women are also sources of inspiration of veteran artists like 83-year-old Hoang Tram's Ha Long (Halong Bay) and Ca Le Dung's Xom Cau Van (Cau Van Village).

This year's exhibition features works of artists born in the 1980s, including students of the Fine Arts College Tran Thi Ngoc Linh and Vu Thi Thuy Dung. The youngest participant, Linh of the college, brings a modern breath and image to her lacquer work. Linh's Toi Dang Lang Nghe (I Am Listening) portrays a girl in modern clothes listening to music with an earphone.

Held for the first time last year, the event falls on December 21 of the lunar calendar, the day that honours the memory of the ancestor who founded Vietnamese lacquer-making.

The exhibition remains open until February 12 at the Applied Arts Gallery at HCMC Fine Arts College, 5 Phan Dang Luu Street, Binh Thanh District.