Helping ethnic minority children tell stories through drawing

Journey to bring painting to ethnic minority students

Mr. Le Van Dao (born in 1989), a Thai ethnic, was born into a poor family in Chau Hong commune, Nghe An. Understanding the hardships and disadvantages of children in the highlands, after graduating with a degree in Fine Arts from the Central University of Fine Arts Education ( Hanoi ), instead of staying in the city, he chose to return to his hometown to teach, carrying with him the aspiration to "sow the seeds" of art for ethnic minority children. With that passion, in 2017, Mr. Le Van Dao founded and maintained the Fine Arts group at Chau Tien Primary School. This is an effort in the context of the lack of material conditions of the mountainous school.

Starting from a simple classroom with not many teaching materials or drawing paper, Mr. Dao still persistently planted the seeds of art in his students. For him, art is not only a subject but also a means for students in the highlands, mainly ethnic minorities, to express their emotions and thoughts. The lives of the students are still full of deprivation, but in that situation, Mr. Dao never gave up. Many times, he used his own money to buy teaching materials, organized extra classes on weekends and focused on preserving the innocence and regional identity in the students' paintings.

The painting "Pounding rice with parents" and the voices of children

That spirit has become the foundation for teachers and students of Chau Tien Primary School to participate in the "Listen to your children talk" contest, an activity under Project 8 "Implementing gender equality and solving urgent issues for women and children", under the National Target Program for socio -economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.

In 2023, under the dedicated guidance of Mr. Dao, Vi Min Chon, a 3rd grade student of the Thai ethnic group, painted the picture "Pounding rice with parents" and won second prize in the "Listen to children talk" contest. The picture recreates a familiar image of labor in his family, a Thai family with many difficulties in a mountainous commune but always full of love and sharing. Vi Min Chon lives with his grandparents, has a difficult family situation, is quiet and shy. It is through painting that he confidently expresses his voice. "I want to send a message to my friends: Please cherish your health and preserve your ethnic identity. I hope my family will always be healthy, loving and close to each other," Chon shared.

Without imposing his views on his students' paintings, Mr. Dao always patiently guides them on how to visualize, arrange the composition and choose colors to make them both simple and outstanding. "A beautiful painting does not need many characters, but needs clear highlights. The most important thing is to maintain the children's emotions and innocence," Mr. Dao emphasized.

According to Ms. Luong Thi Ha, Chairwoman of the Farmers' Association of Chau Hong Commune, former Chairwoman of the Women's Union of Chau Tien Commune (old), shared: "Teacher Dao has created a creative communication model, making painting not only an art but also a means of conveying messages from children".

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/giup-tre-em-dan-toc-thieu-so-ke-chuyen-bang-net-ve-20250813142415899.htm