Nguyen Dang Thien (L) tattoos a customer at Saigon Ink

A local artist is pushing to make tattoos more tolerated in Vietnam.

By 16, his love for rock music, still barely accepted in Vietnam at that time, had lead to a passion for tattoo art.

He began studying body art on his own in high school.

But tattoos in Vietnam are stigmatized as belonging only to convicts, gang members or ex-soldiers in the former Saigon regime’s army – none of which are looked upon fondly by the general public.

But young Vietnamese have been getting more tattoos these days, including famous singers, actors and musicians.

Thien says local Vietnamese are slowly dissolving the taboos and stereotypes associated with tattoos here by steering clear of themes often represented by prison and army tattoos and focusing instead on philosophy and personal passions.

“Tattoos have been accepted by groups of Vietnamese youth and have become a part of their everyday lives in a very healthy way,” says Thien.

After graduating from the College of Fine Arts in 2001 with a degree in graphic design, the artist taught himself tattoo methods by reading, surfing the Internet and attending tattoo conventions in Thailand and Singapore.

He opened a small tattoo shop in Phu Nhuan District as soon as he graduated, despite the strong protests of his family. But he quickly decided he wanted formal training so he enrolled in classes in Thailand.

Upon returning home, Thien opened a bigger tattoo parlor, Saigon Ink, in District 10 last June.

“Tattoo is an art. It has no limits,” he says.

“Tatoos can express beauty and charm or they can also be simple good luck charms or religious symbols of spiritual value.”

Thien’s customers include both Vietnamese and foreigners, as well as some local celebrities.

Pop star Thuy Tien has acquired her fifth tattoo, a seraph good luck image on her neck, at Saigon Ink.

Charlie Nguyen, director of Dong mau anh hung (The Rebel), got his first tattoo, which memorialized the date he began shooting the film, at Thien’s parlor.

The average price of a Saigon Ink tattoo depends on the type of image, but it usually ranges between US$50- 100 per hour or per small tattoo.

All of Saigon Ink’s equipment, inks and catalogs are from Thailand, the US, China, Singapore and Japan, Thien says.

After the Tet holiday, he plans to open a second shop located in HCMC’s backpacker area.

“My ambition is to develop a tattoo service and build an official tattoo career in Vietnam. I hope to help rub out the bias against tattooing so that an original Vietnamese tattoo culture can begin to take shape.”

By Kim