Prix de la Route Mandarine 2026

Tiếng Việt

Paris – late April 2026: The first edition of the Prix de la Route Mandarine, held on January 7, 2026, offered two winners—Lâm Gia Huấn and Nguyễn Nguyệt Anh—an exceptional immersion in Paris from April 5 to 14, 2026, at the heart of a particularly vibrant artistic scene.

Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier has announced that the call for entries for the 2027 edition will open on September 15, 2026.  

Upon their arrival in Paris in early April, and throughout those nine days, the two students were invited to take part in a personalized tour itinerary and received special guidance.

The winners explore the inner workings of an international art fair, Art Paris

Among the highlights of their stay in Paris was Art Paris. Following a triumphant return to the Grand Palais in 2025, Art Paris—the premier spring event for modern and contemporary art—once again took over the nave and balconies of this iconic monument from April 9 to 12, 2026. This 28th edition welcomed some 165 French and international exhibitors from about twenty countries, featuring a committed and discerning program that supports the French art scene in dialogue with artists and galleries from around the world. 

As an international art fair, Art Paris also showcased the Vietnamese contemporary art scene, notably with Galerie Bao and Galerie A2Z.

“We are delighted to welcome the two winners of the 2026 Route Mandarine Prize, Nguyễn Nguyệt Anh and Lâm Gia Huấn, to Art Paris, the spring event for modern and contemporary art that brings together some 165 galleries from 20 countries at the Grand Palais. “It will certainly be a very enriching experience to see how an art fair in the West operates—a place that both promotes trends and serves as a showcase for the international art market,”

said Guillaume Piens, General Curator of Art Paris, a few weeks before their arrival.

The winners explore Paris’s fine arts scene and other iconic sites

The visit to the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris was a particularly moving moment for the two winners, whose art education in Vietnam has been inspired by this prestigious institution for over a century. Alexandre Eliaba, a member of the Friends of the Beaux-Arts de Paris and of the Prize jury, opened the doors of this prestigious institution to them.

The numerous guided tours led by professionals and meetings with figures from the art world allowed them to grasp and understand the inner workings of the art market. In addition to the capital’s must-see cultural sites, their itinerary focused on Franco-Vietnamese relations, including visits to places such as the Palais de la Porte Dorée, the Musée des Années Trente, and the Cité Internationale Universitaire—where the students were housed—and its Southeast Asia Pavilion, which had hosted artists such as Vũ Cao Đàm and Lê Phổ. 

Thanks to personalized business cards provided by the Association of Asian Artists in Paris (AAP), they were able to expand their network and foster numerous professional exchanges.

Opening ceremony of the week at the Vietnam Cultural Center (Paris), April 7, 2026

Đinh Ngọc Đức, Counselor at the Vietnamese Embassy in France and Director of the Vietnamese Cultural Center in France (CCV), presented a preview of the two award-winning works at the Vietnamese Cultural Center (Paris) on the evening of April 7, 2026, in the presence of the two winners.

Exhibition of the two award-winning works in France at Aguttes, April 8–10, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

A historic pioneer and international leader in the Vietnamese modern art market, Aguttes opened its galleries to the Association of Asian Artists in Paris from April 8 to 10, 2026, for an exhibition featuring these two young contemporary artists.

Alongside this program, the award winners took advantage of their free time to explore the capital according to their own interests and delve deeper into their discoveries. This Parisian experience allowed them to take a decisive step forward in their careers by broadening their horizons and discovering the international art scene. 

Upon their arrival in Paris in early April, and throughout those nine days, the two students were invited to take part in a personalized tour itinerary and received special guidance.

The winners explore the inner workings of an international art fair, Art Paris

Among the highlights of their stay in Paris was Art Paris. Following a triumphant return to the Grand Palais in 2025, Art Paris—the premier spring event for modern and contemporary art—once again took over the nave and balconies of this iconic monument from April 9 to 12, 2026. This 28th edition welcomed some 165 French and international exhibitors from about twenty countries, featuring a committed and discerning program that supports the French art scene in dialogue with artists and galleries from around the world. 

As an international art fair, Art Paris also showcased the Vietnamese contemporary art scene, notably with Galerie Bao and Galerie A2Z.

“We are delighted to welcome the two winners of the 2026 Route Mandarine Prize, Nguyễn Nguyệt Anh and Lâm Gia Huấn, to Art Paris, the spring event for modern and contemporary art that brings together some 165 galleries from 20 countries at the Grand Palais. “It will certainly be a very enriching experience to see how an art fair in the West operates—a place that both promotes trends and serves as a showcase for the international art market,”

said Guillaume Piens, General Curator of Art Paris, a few weeks before their arrival.

The winners explore Paris’s fine arts scene and other iconic sites

The visit to the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris was a particularly moving moment for the two winners, whose art education in Vietnam has been inspired by this prestigious institution for over a century. Alexandre Eliaba, a member of the Friends of the Beaux-Arts de Paris and of the Prize jury, opened the doors of this prestigious institution to them.

The numerous guided tours led by professionals and meetings with figures from the art world allowed them to grasp and understand the inner workings of the art market. In addition to the capital’s must-see cultural sites, their itinerary focused on Franco-Vietnamese relations, including visits to places such as the Palais de la Porte Dorée, the Musée des Années Trente, and the Cité Internationale Universitaire—where the students were housed—and its Southeast Asia Pavilion, which had hosted artists such as Vũ Cao Đàm and Lê Phổ. 

Thanks to personalized business cards provided by the Association of Asian Artists in Paris (AAP), they were able to expand their network and foster numerous professional exchanges.

Opening ceremony of the week at the Vietnam Cultural Center (Paris), April 7, 2026

Đinh Ngọc Đức, Counselor at the Vietnamese Embassy in France and Director of the Vietnamese Cultural Center in France (CCV), presented a preview of the two award-winning works at the Vietnamese Cultural Center (Paris) on the evening of April 7, 2026, in the presence of the two winners.

Exhibition of the two award-winning works in France at Aguttes, April 8–10, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

A historic pioneer and international leader in the Vietnamese modern art market, Aguttes opened its galleries to the Association of Asian Artists in Paris from April 8 to 10, 2026, for an exhibition featuring these two young contemporary artists.

Alongside this program, the award winners took advantage of their free time to explore the capital according to their own interests and delve deeper into their discoveries. This Parisian experience allowed them to take a decisive step forward in their careers by broadening their horizons and discovering the international art scene. 

Upon their arrival in Paris in early April, and throughout those nine days, the two students were invited to take part in a personalized tour itinerary and received special guidance.

The winners explore the inner workings of an international art fair, Art Paris

Among the highlights of their stay in Paris was Art Paris. Following a triumphant return to the Grand Palais in 2025, Art Paris—the premier spring event for modern and contemporary art—once again took over the nave and balconies of this iconic monument from April 9 to 12, 2026. This 28th edition welcomed some 165 French and international exhibitors from about twenty countries, featuring a committed and discerning program that supports the French art scene in dialogue with artists and galleries from around the world. 

As an international art fair, Art Paris also showcased the Vietnamese contemporary art scene, notably with Galerie Bao and Galerie A2Z.

“We are delighted to welcome the two winners of the 2026 Route Mandarine Prize, Nguyễn Nguyệt Anh and Lâm Gia Huấn, to Art Paris, the spring event for modern and contemporary art that brings together some 165 galleries from 20 countries at the Grand Palais. “It will certainly be a very enriching experience to see how an art fair in the West operates—a place that both promotes trends and serves as a showcase for the international art market,”

said Guillaume Piens, General Curator of Art Paris, a few weeks before their arrival.

The winners explore Paris’s fine arts scene and other iconic sites

The visit to the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris was a particularly moving moment for the two winners, whose art education in Vietnam has been inspired by this prestigious institution for over a century. Alexandre Eliaba, a member of the Friends of the Beaux-Arts de Paris and of the Prize jury, opened the doors of this prestigious institution to them.

The numerous guided tours led by professionals and meetings with figures from the art world allowed them to grasp and understand the inner workings of the art market. In addition to the capital’s must-see cultural sites, their itinerary focused on Franco-Vietnamese relations, including visits to places such as the Palais de la Porte Dorée, the Musée des Années Trente, and the Cité Internationale Universitaire—where the students were housed—and its Southeast Asia Pavilion, which had hosted artists such as Vũ Cao Đàm and Lê Phổ. 

Thanks to personalized business cards provided by the Association of Asian Artists in Paris (AAP), they were able to expand their network and foster numerous professional exchanges.

Opening ceremony of the week at the Vietnam Cultural Center (Paris), April 7, 2026

Đinh Ngọc Đức, Counselor at the Vietnamese Embassy in France and Director of the Vietnamese Cultural Center in France (CCV), presented a preview of the two award-winning works at the Vietnamese Cultural Center (Paris) on the evening of April 7, 2026, in the presence of the two winners.

Exhibition of the two award-winning works in France at Aguttes, April 8–10, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

A historic pioneer and international leader in the Vietnamese modern art market, Aguttes opened its galleries to the Association of Asian Artists in Paris from April 8 to 10, 2026, for an exhibition featuring these two young contemporary artists.

Alongside this program, the award winners took advantage of their free time to explore the capital according to their own interests and delve deeper into their discoveries. This Parisian experience allowed them to take a decisive step forward in their careers by broadening their horizons and discovering the international art scene. 

“One hundred years ago, Victor Tardieu opened his school in Hanoi at 121 Route Mandarine. He welcomed students from all regions of Vietnam. He trained them and then encouraged them to showcase their work on the international stage—whether in Paris at the Salon des Artistes Français or at the 1937 World’s Fair, or in Rome, for example. “The Route Mandarine Prize, open to Vietnamese students, offers the two winners a tailor-made immersion in the world of international art.”

Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier, president of the Association of Asian Artists in Paris

Surrounded by twelve beneficiaries representing the school’s first two directors, Victor Tardieu (1925–1937) and Evariste Jonchère (1938–1945), professors Jacques Lebas and Nam Sơn, and students Lê Phổ, Trịnh Hữu Ngọc, Mai Trung Thứ, and Vũ Cao Đàm, expert Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier announced her plan to establish an award in the auditorium of the University of Natural and Social Sciences in Hanoi.

In the auditorium decorated by Victor Tardieu, the first director of the School of Fine Arts in Hanoi, the Route Mandarine Prize was presented in a deeply moving ceremony on January 7, 2026, by his great-grandson, Nicola Baudo, Honorary President, to Lâm Gia Huấn, a student at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts, and Nguyễn Nguyệt Anh, a student at the Vietnam University of Fine Arts.

The ceremony took place in the presence of the jury, as well as representatives from the French Embassy in Vietnam—including Romain Busuttil, Deputy Advisor for Cooperation and Cultural Affairs; Nguyễn Văn Minh, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts; the artist Nam Sơn’s grandson, Ngô Kim Khôi, and several prominent Vietnamese collectors.

Composition of the Route Mandarine Jury 

The jury, composed of six prominent figures from the art world—both Vietnamese and French—and Victor Tardieu’s great-grandson, had met the day before, on January 6, 2026, to deliberate.

Its members included:

• - Nicola Baudo, honorary president of the Prize, great-grandson of Victor Tardieu (the school’s first director, from 1925 to 1937), and grandson of Jean Tardieu.

• - Hàn Ngọc Vũ, Vietnamese collector.

• - Hà Mạnh Thắng, contemporary Vietnamese artist.

• - Lê Huy Tiếp, a contemporary Vietnamese artist.

• - Guillaume Piens, General Curator of Art Paris

• - Alexandre Eliaba, Les Amis des beaux-arts de Paris 

• - Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier, an expert in modern Vietnamese art and president of the Association of Asian Artists in Paris (AAP).

Hanoi, January 7, 2026—Exhibition of the 13 finalists’ works in the lobby of the Natural and Social Sciences Amphitheater at Hanoi University.

The 13 finalist projects were featured in a publication in Vietnamese and English and were publicly exhibited in the lobby of the Natural and Social Sciences Auditorium at Hanoi University.

Lâm Gia Huấn and Nguyễn Nguyệt Anh, winners of the 2026 Route Mandarine Prize

During the deliberations in January 2026, the jury—invited by the Association of Asian Artists in Paris—was impressed by the demanding mastery of silk-weaving techniques demonstrated by each of the artists, whose works conveyed genuine inner depth while fostering a dialogue between Vietnamese cultural heritage and contemporary issues. The first work exudes a certain quiet spirituality, while the second evokes an intimate quest for self in connection with nature.

“The Sacred Oratory of Annam illustrates the delicate boundary between the sacred nature of Western religion and the contemplative beauty of Eastern culture. Painted on silk with silver highlights, the portrait of an Annamite woman evokes a deep faith. Seated peacefully before a majestic mountainous landscape, she wears a veil. The work pays homage to the eternal peace that reigns in the Vietnamese soul, opening a mysterious spiritual space where ancient memories find solace.” 
Lâm Gia Huấn 

“Hide and Seek (Cache-cache) was born out of my feeling of being lost in the city. Overwhelmed by concrete and noise, I drifted away from nature and from myself. The forest becomes a peaceful inner space, where small human silhouettes appear and disappear among the trees, allowing me to reflect on different facets of myself during a playful and mysterious journey. Using layers of silk, watercolor, and pigments, I find gentleness and manage to reconnect with nature and with what was hidden within me.”
Nguyễn Nguyệt Anh

Call for Nominations for the 2026 Prix de la Route Mandarine:

The Jury for the 2026 Prix de la Route Mandarine

The jury members include, among others:

- The descendants of Victor Tardieu (the school’s first director, from 1925 to 1937) will be represented by Nicola Baudo, his great-grandson.
- Alexandre Eliaba, Les Amis des Beaux-Arts de Paris
- Guillaume Piens, Commissioner General of Paris
- Hàn Ngọc Vũ, Vietnamese collector
- Hà Mạnh Thắng, contemporary Vietnamese artist
- Lê Huy Tiếp, contemporary Vietnamese artist
- Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier, president of the Association of Asian Artists in Paris (AAP).

Key Dates 

New deadline for submissions: November 7, 2025, at midnight (Hanoi time), via email to the following address: routemandarine@aap.art
Submission of works by applicants: December 30, 2025
Jury deliberation: January 7, 2026, in Hanoi
Exhibition in Paris: April 2026

The Association of Asian Artists in Paris (AAP) 

For the past twelve years, Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier has been working to promote and raise the profile of modern Vietnamese art. After appraising and selling more than 1,300 works, she decided to share her archives to enrich the public’s knowledge of this little-known field. To this end, in 2019 she founded the Association of Asian Artists in Paris, published a reference book, organized conferences, and, in 2025, launched the Prix de la Route Mandarine, designed to support artistic creativity in Vietnam. For the Association of Asian Artists in Paris, this prize also embodies a broader ambition: to strengthen artistic ties between France and Vietnam by supporting a new generation of artists as they break into the international scene.

 The call for entries for the 2027 edition will be launched on September 15, 2026.  

The association extends its best wishes for artistic fulfillment to both 2026 award winners and warmly thanks everyone who contributed to the success of this trip.