Located on the grounds of the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Art Museum, Sao La is a non-profit initiative of Galerie Quynh. With a desire to cultivate creative thinking/making, Galerie Quynh is committed to building infrastructure in Vietnam which supports contemporary art practice. Under the aegis of the gallery and with the artistic direction of Nguyen Kim To Lan and Tung Mai, two young Saigon-based artists, Sao La carries two main objectives: making contemporary art accessible to the general Vietnamese public through educational programs, and nurturing Vietnam’s growing creative community. Sao La will serve not only as a platform for exhibitions, film and video screenings, workshops and lectures but also as an informal space for young Vietnamese to experiment, challenge and develop their creative practices.

Found only in the Annamite mountain range of Vietnam and Laos, Sao La is the name of one of the world’s rarest mammals. The word ‘sao’ on its own can signify ‘star’ or pose the questions ‘how?’ ‘what?’ or ‘why?’ ‘La’ suggests a shriek, call or shout.