Literature is Art

I've just had a lovely experience. I was umming and ahhing about heading over to the Temple of Literature to investigate the calligraphers that are currently in residence and decided, thankfully, to go.
This is (some of) what I found:

I chose a venerable looking gent and with the help of a random reporter managed to make my request.

Whilst I was sat there looking about in amazement and soaking up the very bohemianly intellectual atmosphere, I noticed a chap next to me being thoroughly worshipped by an artist and people in general, so I asked the reporter who he was. He's the most revered Calligrapher in Vietnam and has a PhD in the subject not only in Vietnamese, but also in Chinese. He had a long beard and was, in my humble opinion, cool.

Here he is overseeing his student's work:

It's a shame the picture's a bit blurry.

His student/artist friend decided after we had talked to each other for a couple of minutes (obviously not understanding a word the other was saying) that he wanted to paint me. So he did:

No money was to be given. It was a gift for the new year. I was touched and now proudly have my picture waiting for a home in my home.

I then got interviewed for national TV about my "feeling" about the street with the calligraphers. I explained it in a very wordy and British way and then she repeated "So, how do you feel?". "Good," I replied more succinctly.

Such a lovely afternoon I even walked most of the way home, past Uncle Ho (first time on foot) and then got ripped off by a cheeky xe om. But it is Têt, so I'll let him off.

Chúc mừng năm mới !