The buffalo, the zodiac sign for 2021, is the theme of a painting exhibition that opened at the Da Nang Fine Arts Museum in central Da Nang city on January 21.

The event showcases 30 oil and acrylic pictures created by painter Ngo Thanh Hung, depicting the buffalo in the Vietnamese culture as an industrious, smart, strong, and brave animal via bright colours and unique painting techniques.

The buffalo is the second animal sign in the 12-year cycle of the Vietnamese zodiac and also a symbol of the wet rice civilisation in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam.

According to folk beliefs, buffaloes help humans with physically demanding works in agriculture like ploughing, raking, and carrying rice. They are also the main character in major traditional festivals like the Tich Dien (ploughing) or buffalo fighting festivals.

Nguyen Thi Trinh, Deputy Director of the Da Nang Fine Arts Museum, said the exhibition aims to warm up the atmosphere ahead of the Lunar New Year (Tet) and help visitors learn more about the role of the buffalo in the Vietnamese culture.

Hung, born in 1982, is currently a lecturer at the Da Nang University of Architecture and a member of the city’s fine arts association.

The exhibition will last through January 31.