A Taiwanese businessman has bought a painting created by a Vietnamese artist to express his support for Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago in the East Vietnam Sea.

The painting was displayed at an exhibit running from September 19 to 30 in Ho Chi Minh City. The exhibition showcased paintings by Vietnamese painter Uyen Huy.

The Taiwanese purchased the painting entitled “Giu bien” (Defending Seas) and two other artworks, each worth VND120 million (US$5,660).

“Giu bien” features the image of Uncle Ho and Vietnamese naval soldiers who persistently protect the country's island and sea sovereignty.

It was painted during the time China illegally placed the Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil rig in Vietnamese waters, which received strong protests from local and foreign people, from early May to mid-July.

The Vietnamese painter said that he is discussing with another foreigner the purchase of his other painting, “To Quoc Va Bien” (Homeland and the Sea). 

In July, Joan Lebold Cohen, an American art historian and photographer specializing in Chinese art and cinema also bought a painting by local artist Nguyen Giang Anh to express her support for Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa.

The painting depicts a white dove – the symbol of peace – being pierced by a Chinese drilling rig and boasting an S.O.S. signal that bears Vietnam’s national flag and brief, forceful messages such as “China Must Respect International Law.”

Beijing started illegally placing the Haiyang Shiyou 981 drilling rig in Vietnamese waters on May 1 despite vehement opposition from Hanoi and the wholehearted support for the Southeast Asian nation from other countries.

After 75 days, China officially moved its platform and all the Chinese vessels that had protected the rig out of the Vietnamese waters on July 16.