"I reserved half of my life for the South," Lam, a Hanoinative who went south on the Truong Son Trail in 1966 and used histalents to motivate people and soldiers, said.
Hoa Si Le Lam –Mot Tam Long Vi Mien Nam (Painter Le Lam – A Soul for the South)showcases 94 portraits of Vietnamese and foreign leaders like PresidentHo Chi Minh, General Vo Nguyen Giap, and Cuban President Fidel Castro.
People and soldiers in the south who devoted their lives to fight against foreign aggression were also depicted.
"Iwas lucky to be taught by artist To Ngoc Van (one of Vietnam's mostinfluential 20th century painters)," the 84-year-old said.
On display are 35 posters in various materials like oil paint, water colour, and silk.
Six of the works at the exhibition are on loan from the Museum of Ben Tre province and four from the Museum of Long An province.
Thehighlight is an oil-on-canvas triptych titled Doi Quan Toc Dai of BenTre (Long-haired Women Army) during the 1960s in the war against the USand the Sai Gon administration.
Ma Thanh Cao, the museum'sdirector, said, "Through artist Le Lam's paintings, viewers canunderstand the southern people's personalities and patriotism as well asLam's deep love for the land.
"And the paintings will teach younger generations about love for the country."
Lam,real name Vu Quoc Ai, graduated in 1964 from the National University ofFine Arts in Kiev, in the then Soviet Union. His first exhibition wasorganised in Hanoi a year later.
Lam has created thousands of portraits and hundreds of paintings which are mostly kept in museums in the southern provinces.
The exhibition at the museum, 97A Pho Duc Chinh Street, District 1, is open to the public.-VNA