A Vietnamese man, who became disabled after a traffic accident, has opened a new page in his life thanks to his profound passion for painting, which has helped him become a “mouth-painting” artist.

Do Minh Tam, who was born in the north-central province of Thanh Hoa in 1973, was in the navy before moving to Ho Chi Minh City where he worked many different jobs to earn a living, newswire Vietnamplus reported.

In 2001, Tam was in a traffic accident which not only destroyed his dreams of buying a house and getting married but also left him fully paralyzed. Tam was only able to move his cervical vertebrae. After one year of treatment at the Ho Chi Minh City Orthopedic Hospital, Tam was sent to a center for disabled people in Binh Tan District, where he discovered his profound passion for painting while receiving physiotherapy.

His right hand then began moving a little and finally he managed to control his wheelchair powered by a battery, which was donated by a charity. Tam, whose only choice was painting with his mouth as he was unable to use his limbs, faced many difficulties trying to move his jaw constantly to tightly hold the brush and draw at the same time.

One year later, Tam could understand the basic knowledge of drawing. Since then, he has been able to perform painting reproductions and draw his own artwork. “It takes from two to six months to reproduce a painting and from one to three years to draw my own painting,” Tam said.

In September 2008, one of his paintings was selected to be showcased at an exhibition of disabled people’s artwork from around the world held in Japan.

Another of his works won first prize at a painting competition jointly organized by the Vietnamese Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs and the German government in October 2010. All of these paintings included an attachment that reads “orally,” meaning drawn with the mouth.

Tam’s paintings have been sold at high prices and welcomed by international buyers from France, Germany, Japan, the U.S., and Switzerland Tam, who currently has around 40 artworks which mainly depict the beauty of his hometown, said he expects to organize his own exhibit, sell a lot of artwork, and then use most of the revenue for charity purposes and to help unfortunate people like him.

One of Tam’s artworks which recalls the time when he was a naval soldier. Photo: Vietnamplus 

Tam’s painting entitled “Xuan” (Spring). Photo: Vietnamplus 

“Pho Co” (Ancient Town). Photo: Vietnamplus 

“Hoang Hon Cao Nguyen” (Dusk on the Plateau). Photo: Vietnamplus

“Tinh Bien” (Love of the Sea). Photo: Vietnamplus

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