Some of the most popular souvenirs in Vietnam are hand-painted reproductions of paintings by Van Gogh, Degas, Monet, and other old masters. These fakes sell for as little as $40 USD.

Drawings for the tourist market that depict local scenery are often hand copied in the thousands based on templates. One such piece hangs on our living room wall. Provided by building management, it is a pastel sketch of workers in a rice paddy. Take a look at the kind of mistakes that can happen in the copy shop.

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Either the second worker from the left in light blue is missing a head or
a hat is missing an entire body except for one leg.

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Sorry about the glare.

Homegrown Vietnamese artists, such as Ho Huu Thu, do produce splendid original artwork, but even they are being copied by unscrupulous gallery owners. (Newsweek International, March 14, 2005) Like antiques, high prices in impressive surroundings dupe some foreigners into believing they’re buying authentic one-of-a-kind art. Sometimes, the artists themselves participate in the mass production of a certain style or motif if previous ones sold well.

Marv and I would like to purchase at least one piece of original art while we’re here. But given the situation and our amateur understanding of art, it’s possible that we won’t be able to afford the risk.