Filipino illustrator draws support for Saigon Covid battle

"I want to explore Saigon with new eyes and new perspectives to redraw it," he said.

The illustrations are created on iPad with bright colors to express the feelings of the city in the most realistic way, while conveying the vibe of the landscape. Apart from capturing Saigon's iconic landmarks like Tan Dinh Church or Landmark 81, the tallest building in Vietnam, his illustrations also depict day-to-day destinations like coffee shops and street stalls.

Daniel Ansel Tingcungco's illustration of Tan Dinh Church, dubbed the 'Pink Church' by locals. Photo courtesy of the artist.

The author admits the hardest part is choosing a scene to create because "there are hundreds of street corners expressing different moods and emotions in Saigon."

Out of 100 illustrations, Tingcungco is most interested in picture number 82 called "Driving Around Dien Bien Phu Roundabout" since this area is part of his daily commute, while the scene he painted is of a rare deserted Sunday afternoon.

He closes the illustration series with "An Evening on Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street", which the author said "is one of the most important places in Saigon" with its statue of Ho Chi Minh and lotus-shaped fountain.

Daniel Ansel Tingcungco. Photo courtesy of Tingcungco.

"100 Views of Saigon" was completed in June this year, during the time Saigon was enforcing social distancing measures.

He plans to create another illustration project about Saigon and Vietnam and hopes to be able to experience life in other cities in the country.

"I will wait until the pandemic situation is safer. Vietnam has a lot of wonders to discover," Tingcungco said.