Naughty Gong in Little Vietnam for Inner West Council’s Perfect Match Mural Program

‘Naughty Gong in Little Vietnam’ depicts an elderly Vietnamese gentleman in his nineties working on an ink painting of the One Pillar Pagoda, a significant Vietnamese monument, in his study. Alongside him are characters that include a modern-day Australian-Vietnamese ‘Auntie’ with her handy shopping trolley cart, a Vietnamese street vendor and a woman wearing the traditional áo dài. A tree sparrow nestles among well-loved fruits: mangosteen, rambutan, water apple, coconuts and langsat. Accompanied by the signature dish of bánh xèo, a crispy Vietnamese pancake served at Hello Auntie. The gentleman is adorned by red and yellow lotuses – the national flower. A traditional boat rider steers her boat toward a larger fishing boat in the distance, boats floating on water is an ode to the Vietnamese migrants who travelled to Australia in search of a new place to call home.

‘Naughty Gong’ in the title refers to the artist’s grandad, with ‘Gong’ being the Teochew name for ‘Granddad’.

This artwork was commissioned via Inner West Council’s Main Streets Local Placemaking strategy. Recognition of this precinct as Little Vietnam honours the stories of the many brave migrants who resettled here in the 1980s, enriching Australian society and helping to establish the Inner West as a vibrant multicultural hub.