Residents of the small fishing village of Tam Thanh in Tam Ky City, Quang Nam Province, have seen their portraits, cartoon characters and the peaceful lifestyle of Vietnam depicted all over their village on walls that were once battered and broken.

The facelift was part of a community arts exchange program between Vietnam and South Korea with the hope of breathing new air into the small coastal village.

The program is the first of its kind in Vietnam, co-organized by the Korea Foundation (KF), the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat), and the People’s Committee of Tam Ky City.

Lasting from June 10 to 28 last year, the project aimed to turn the fishing village into a giant fresco featuring around 100 homes repainted with pictures of cartoon characters, the home owners themselves, and the nature and people of Vietnam.

Drawing inspiration from similar mural villages in their home country, the volunteer South Korean artists hoped to tighten the friendship between Vietnam and South Korea via their paintings.

Below are a series of photos by Le Trung and Tan Vu featuring the beautiful village.

These photos were one of the entries to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper's year-long competition themed “Vietnam – Country – People" concluding in October last year.

A fresco depicting a Vietnamese fruit vendor

A South Korean artist absorbed in her work

Slummy homes in the Tam Thanh fishing village have been brightened up by the lively frescoes.

Vo Ngoc Lien, 70, and his wife appreciate a freshly painted mural on their house.

South Korean artists unwind and take a group photo at the beach after work.

South Korean artist Oh Ye-seul exposes herself to the heat of 40 degrees Celsius in order to finish her painting.

Luong Thi Tuong Vy, 31, and her daughter look on as their portrait is painted on their house.

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