Flamingo Contemporary Art Museum Celebrates 10 Years of Art in Nature

Gardens of pine trees, a quiet lakeside breeze, sunlight dappled through branches — this is the setting for something extraordinary. Just over an hour’s drive north of Hanoi, tucked inside Flamingo Đại Lải Resort, the Flamingo Contemporary Art Museum blends nature and art in a way you rarely find. What started a decade ago as an ambitious outdoor exhibition has grown into a vast open-air museum, home to more than 100 artworks scattered across forest paths, meadows and lakeshores.

On crisp mornings or sunny afternoons, visitors wander under tall pines, each turn revealing a new sculpture — some majestic and large, others subtle and intimate — each interacting with wind, light, and the environment. Paintings and installations tucked in container-galleries complement the forest pieces, creating a seamless journey from contemporary works to forest-born serenity.

Between Trees, Water and Canvas – What Visitors See

Walking slowly through Flamingo’s forest is like stepping into a living gallery. The outdoor collection includes dozens of sculptures cast in stone, metal, wood, and other media. Each artwork seems alive — moving with shadows, blending with the rustle of leaves, or shimmering beside the lake during golden hour.

Inside the pine-wooded “container gallery”, paintings, smaller sculptures, and mixed-media installations wait quietly. The contrast between these indoor works and the wildness outside draws attention: art doesn’t just decorate space — it dialogues with it.

At certain times of the year, the surrounding resort and natural setting — lakes, walking paths, forest air — add more layers to the experience. The stillness of the forest, the sound of wind through branches, and even the shifting daylight become part of each visit.

Since the project’s start in 2015 under Art In The Forest, the initiative has welcomed contributions from both Vietnamese and international artists, gathering a diverse range of styles, materials, and artistic voices. Over time, that diversity has transformed Flamingo into one of Southeast Asia’s most distinctive outdoor contemporary-art spaces.

Beyond the Museum — A Living Invitation to Pause and Reflect

The magic of Flamingo does not lie only in its art; it lies in its invitation: to slow down, listen, observe. Among pines and paths, people of all ages — families, couples, solo travelers — roam. Some admire a sculpture, some quietly sit by the lake, some children run along forest trails.

This blending of art and life gives the space a sense of openness. There’s no hushed silence like in a classic gallery — instead, there’s breeze, birdsong, footsteps, laughter. Art is not isolated; it is part of nature, and nature part of art. That’s the subtle power the museum holds.


 

Over ten years of “Art In The Forest”, and five years since Flamingo transformed this vision into a permanent institution, the commitment remains: to make contemporary art accessible, alive, and shared. The result is not just a collection of artworks — but a cultural landscape reimagined.

An Invitation — For Every Kind of Visitor

Whether you are a lover of art, a nature seeker, or someone simply wanting to escape the city for a day, the forest-museum at Flamingo offers something unique. You might find yourself pausing before a metal sculpture catching sunlight, wandering along quiet trails under trees, or sipping coffee beside pine-scented breezes with a painting in view.


 

This is not just a visit — it’s a gentle journey, one that doesn’t rush you to look, but encourages you to feel. And perhaps, in that feeling, you’ll rediscover what art and nature — together — can evoke.