The exhibit, “The sunshine patch at Cham towers”, the first of its kind in Hanoi, which is running until Dec 6, showcases Champa culture’s hallmark paper carving works.

The exhibit, running at the 4th Floor of Mozek Café, 2 Cua Nam, Hanoi, is put on by youths from Lan Hoi group.

The youths, who are students from local schools and universities, ingeniously combine the Champa paper carving art and light to produce intricate images on coarse cement paper, which is typically used as wrappers or made into bags.

“The exhibit is the fruit of the young people’s hard work, which is indicative of their mental depth and deep love for the art,” commented Vu Manh Tung, the exhibit’s sponsor.

“Champa art is a real treasure which remains enigmatic to most locals and provides endless inspiration to artists,” shared Nguyen Nguyet Minh, a group member.

The Champa period, spanning from the 1st to the 15th centuries, boasts one of the country’s richest cultural diversity.

There are around 162,000 Cham people still residing in Vietnam. Cham architecture and statues were inspired by religion, and flourished since the fourth century and ended along with the fall of the Cham Kingdom in the 15th century.