Pioneer octogenarian Vietnamese artist Mong Bich gets first solo exhibition

Mong Bich specialises in silk paintings of daily life and ordinary people, women in particular, and ploughed a lonely furrow during many years of war when artists were steered towards the army or frontline workers as subjects. Photo: AFP

Aged almost 90, Vietnamese artist Mong Bich picks a spot on the tiled floor of her favourite room, checks the light and sits down to paint.

A "pioneer" who has inspired generations of women artists in Vietnam, Bich has won plaudits overseas and she has a watercolour in the British Museum's collection.