Xeo Chu and his family members present medical equipment to Ho Chi Minh City Medicine and Pharmacy University's Hospital. (Photo: bvdaihoc.com.vn)   

NDO – 14-year-old art prodigy Xeo Chu has donated VND2.95 billion to support those working on the frontline to fight against COVID-19 in Ho Chi Minh City.

The money was collected from two online auctions of his paintings, which were hosed by Xeo Chu and his brother with the support of his family and friends.

On July 21, Xeo Chu and his family handed over 6 ventilators, 2 cardioverters, 1,000 sets of Personal Protective Equipment, and 10,000 N95 masks to the Ho Chi Minh City Medicine and Pharmacy University's Hospital.

In addition, proceeds of VND 388 million from the auctions will be used to buy fruit and vegetables and other foods to support the doctors and nurses of Tam Anh Hospital in the city.

The auctioned paintings were displayed within his ‘Pandemic Paintings' online exhibition, which took place from July 16 to 22. The exhibition displayed 20 works depicting three topics of flowers, paddy fields and the ocean.

Held at a time when Ho Chi Minh City is applying strict social distancing, Xeo Chu’s online painting exhibition and auctions aimed to bring art closer to the public while making donations to the pandemic prevention and control in the city.

Xeo Chu, whose birth name is Pho Van An, was born in 2007 in Ho Chi Minh City in a family with a rich tradition in arts. He started painting at the age of four and has produced more than 300 paintings, many of them having exhibited at home and abroad. His biggest piece, "Ha Long Bay in Cave", measures 200 by 480 cm and carries a US$150,000 price tag.

The talented young painter recently received the De Men (Cricket) Award for Children 2021, hosted by The Thao & Van Hoa (Sports & Culture) Newspaper, for his painting collections on nature and life.

Xeo Chu has also actively participated in social and charity activities. In November 2020, he sold 20 paintings to raise funds for needy children in seven remote schools in the central province of Quang Binh.

Xeo Chu poses next to his paintings that were auctioned to support Ho Chi Minh City’s healthcare workers. (Photo courtesy of Xeo Chu Arts)