Creativity — the spark that starts it all
Global Technology Business — the courage to build for the world
Humanity — the dignity and purpose behind innovation
After 13 years in preservation, the VTV, VTV4, VN Today reporters revisited the collection — now displayed in a private residence — to tell its story once again, since its first public showing at the National Library of Vietnam on October 5, 2012
Scan the QR code to watch the VN Today program on VTV
Vietnam retells a global technology story through art — featured on national TV
A Vietnamese art project exploring the human journey behind the modern technology era has just been featured on VN Today (Vietnam National Television).
The Think Different Collection — 21 paintings and one sculpture — celebrates three universal pillars guiding global progress: Creativity — the spark that starts it all; Global Technology Business — the courage to build for the world; Humanity — the dignity and purpose behind innovation.
First exhibited in 2012 with the participation of the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, the project reflects on personal computing, animation breakthroughs, and the values that shaped the tech era.
In 2012, AFP reported on the first exhibition of the collection — recognizing its early ambition to bridge creative culture and global innovation.
Why Vietnam? Why now?
Because innovation is no longer a privilege of geography — but of imagination.
The Deputy Director of Cybersecurity at FPT Telecom, FPT Corporation, upon seeing the collection for the first time, was deeply impressed by the artwork The Disciplines. The piece explores the tension, coexistence, and evolution within the world of computer technology through the two opposing philosophies of “closed” and “open” systems — embodied by Steve Jobs and Bill Gates — which continue to define the global strategies of today’s leading AI technology giants.
For this cybersecurity expert, he shared that he is already applying both philosophies in his specialized work — whichever proves most effective.
Dr. Nguyen Duc Tien, the visionary who conceived and accompanied Vietnamese artists throughout the project, is interpreting the message behind the artwork Globalization, completed 13 years ago — a piece that now seems almost prophetic of Steve Jobs’ foresight about the fierce eruptions among superpowers in their battles for control over technology, manufacturing, and global supply chains.
The work was inspired by an image found on the Internet showing CEO Tim Cook visiting a massive factory complex in China in 2012.
The 80-year-old painter behind the 21 works was never a celebrity.
He could not have imagined that his art would one day echo the names of six American billionaires — among them Larry Ellison of Oracle, now the richest man in the world.
Ellison was once the friend and rival whom Steve Jobs “tortured” every weekend to perfect Toy Story, the film that began the 3D animation revolution.
On the wall beside the old artist, the painting The Artists quietly tells that story.
Think Different – From Vietnam to the World
The feature report “Think Different – Vietnam to World” from the CULTURE MOSAIC program (“No.4”) produced by Vietnam Television (VTV) and aired on the VN Today channel, was broadcast multiple times on October 25, 26, 27, and 29, and at 10:15 PM on November 1, 2025.
Vietnam has a voice in the future of global creativity.
And this is one way we are telling it.
#ThinkDifferentCollection #VietnamToTheWorld #Creativity #Humanity #TechCultureus.
Scan the QR code to watch the VN Today program on VTV
Come and explore the global contemporary values hidden within these paintings
Creative – In 1997, Apple was only 90 days away from declaring bankruptcy, and at the same time, a small startup called NVIDIA had just 30 days left before facing the same fate.
Strangely enough, Jony Ive — the man who, alongside Steve Jobs, helped save Apple through a creative revolution that same year — returned in 2025 as NVIDIA’s Creative Director.
By then, Apple had joined the 4-trillion-dollar market cap club, while NVIDIA had surpassed 5 trillion dollars
Global Technology Business – The two global technology business philosophies — “Closed” and “Open” — defined by Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, have long stood in opposition yet continue to coexist, shaping today’s technology industry. “Today, the two giant technology companies OpenAI and NVIDIA continue doing business following Steve Jobs’ ‘Closed’ philosophy.
Humanity – He once confessed that he had prayed to God many times, asking only to live long enough to see his son graduate from high school. That wish was granted. On the day of the graduation, he offered not wealth, but one of his two old bicycles as a gift. He said that, after his death, he often imagined his son as a doctor, pedaling that bicycle to work somewhere in the heart of Silicon Valley.
We, as Vietnamese artists, humbly see ourselves only as the fortunate ones entrusted to tell the stories of today’s world of technological creativity — stories hidden within 21 paintings.
Perhaps that is why, on Christmas 2017, a letter from the attorney representing Apple — and the legacy of Steve Jobs, on behalf of Steve Jobs’ wife — arrived in response to our message.
It was a recognition of the presence of these works of art. Thirteen years ago, all major national media channels in Vietnam covered this art collection, together with the participation of the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi.
FAQs
Who originated and carried out this art project of 21 paintings and one sculpture?
The project was conceived and realized by a team of three:
— an economist with a PhD Nguyen Duc Tien (born 1974)
— a painter Bui Van Khoa (born 1945)
— and a sculptor Le Dinh Quy (born 1940).
Together, they brought the vision of 21 paintings and one sculpture to life.
Who funded the creation of this art collection?
The collection was made possible through the patronage of Dr. Nguyen Duc Tien, an economist, who researched and articulated the concept for the artists over the course of a year.
He sponsored the full creative process, supported the exhibition, and ultimately acquired the complete collection of 21 paintings and one sculpture.
We would like to view the art collection — how can we do that?
To arrange a visit, please contact the collection owner at:
📧 humanity2tech@h2t.io
☎️ +84 392 222 963
- We will continue the mission entrusted to us — to bring the philosophies of Creativity, Global Technology Business, and Humanity to billions of people worldwide through the new technological revolution of blockchain, AI,… This time, we as artists will reach out to and walk alongside the pioneers of these emerging technologies
From left to right in the photo: the Deputy Cultural Attaché of the U.S. Embassy, the Doctor of Economics — the visionary who conceived and implemented the art project, the CEO and Chairman of Vietnam’s largest technology corporation, FPT Corporation, and the Chairman of the Council for Art Criticism and Theory of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, together cut the ribbon to inaugurate the exhibition of a collection comprising 21 paintings and one sculpture, held on October 5, 2012, in the grand hall of the National Library of Vietnam in Hanoi