Hotel de la Coupole Sapa – MGallery Collection has opened Upon the Mountain, Down the Hill, welcoming hotel guests and visitors of Sapa to an exhibition of 28 works by five Vietnamese contemporary artists.
The hotel has worked with Hanoi Studio Gallery to present paintings, sculpture, lacquer works and installations in its Art Gallery Area at lobby level. The gallery and hotel teams chose works that would complement one another and suit the setting, combining Vietnamese materials and artistic traditions with regional subjects and the artists’ individual experiences. The exhibition runs until 25 October 2026.
A bicycle ride and imagined worlds
The exhibition features works by Pham Thai Binh, Nguyen Ngoc Thanh, Nguyen Quoc Trung, Pham Tra My and Pham Thuy Tien, bringing together artists with different practices and approaches to their subjects.
A young couple shares a bicycle ride in Pham Thai Binh’s sculpture Whisper. Binh often finds his subjects in the daily life of northern highland communities, returning to scenes of companionship and affection.
Pham Thuy Tien’s Mơ Tiên series explores youth, innocence and a young woman’s developing inner world. Four works from the seven-work series appear in the exhibition. Drawing on childhood memories, she uses shaped formats, including circular and petal-like forms, to create settings for her imagined worlds.
Both Pham Tra My and Pham Thuy Tien exhibit lacquer works. Tra My has made this traditional Vietnamese medium the focus of her practice, while Thuy Tien works across lacquer, silk painting and installation.
Vietnamese art meets Bensley’s design
Designed by Bill Bensley, Hotel de la Coupole Sapa – MGallery Collection combines French haute couture influences from the 1920s and 1930s with colours, patterns and craft traditions associated with the region’s ethnic communities. Paintings, antiques and collected objects appear throughout the property, making art part of the experience of moving through its interiors.
For travellers from Vietnam and overseas, the exhibition offers another way to discover Northwest Vietnam. Visitors can explore Sapa’s surrounding villages and landscapes, then return to the hotel to see highland life interpreted in sculpture and Vietnamese lacquer used in contemporary works.
“The exhibition offered me a very different perspective on Sapa,” said Ms. Linh, a guest who attended the exhibition. “Art, architecture and elements of local culture blend together very naturally, making it feel like more than just a place to stay, but a destination to discover the art and culture of Sapa.”
Sharing the region’s art and heritage
The exhibition is Hotel de la Coupole Sapa – MGallery Collection’s contribution to Heritage Days, MGallery Collection’s worldwide programme celebrating local art, history and traditions.
Through the exhibition, guests can discover the work of contemporary Vietnamese artists during their time in Sapa. Looking ahead to 2027, the hotel plans to continue incorporating art exhibitions and cultural experiences into its programme, building on its role as a meeting place for artists and visitors.
Upon the Mountain, Down the Hill is on display until 25 October 2026 in the Art Gallery Area at lobby level, Hotel de la Coupole Sapa – MGallery Collection, 1 Hoang Lien Street. Hotel guests, local residents and travellers are invited to visit.
