PRESS RELEASE

November 30, 2006

U.S. Embassy supports HIV-positive painter's exhibition to mark World AIDS Day

With support from the U.S. Embassy Hanoi and the United Gospel Outreach Church,  painter Nguyen Trong Kien who has been living with HIV for 12 years will hold an exhibition entitled “The World of Dolls Crying” from December 1-10, 2006 in Hanoi.

Painter Nguyen Trong Kien, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Michael W. Marine and representatives of the United Gospel Outreach Church will open the exhibition on Friday, December 1, 2006, at 5:00 p.m., at #45 Trang Tien Street, Hanoi.  The exhibition is part of a series of important events held in Vietnam to mark the World AIDS Day and call for stronger efforts to fight stigmatization and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS.

The exhibition consists of 50 works painted by Nguyen Trong Kien in recent months depicting his sympathy and compassion for children living with HIV/AIDS he met with, cared for and taught painting to in the past two years, especially the little children at Center No. 2 in Hanoi.  Painter Kien hopes to use proceeds from selling the paintings to assist the disadvantaged children and women living with HIV/AIDS.

This is the forth exhibition by Nguyen Trong Kien aiming to raise public awareness about fighting stigmatization and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS.

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