VIETNAM: Hanoi Jeweller creates portraits of 19 APEC member leaders using precious stones mined in Vietnam

Vietnam's capital city is gearing up to welcome world leaders for a weekend Asia-Pacific summit that also marks the nation's coming-out party. And one artist has spent the last half year preparing gifts worthy of the occasion. Leaders from 19 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) nations will receive their portraits - crafted by Vietnamese citizen Dao Trong Cuong, assisted by a team of 30 artisans. But U.S. President George W. Bush, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other APEC member leaders have never seen portraits like this. Cuong crafted these likenesses using rubies, sapphires, and dozens of other gem varieties gathered in central Vietnam's mines. He blew through an inventory of 1.5 tonnes of precious stones before he was finished. He says it was a labour full of significance for him as a Vietnamese. "I think the leader of a country is the essence of that nation. So, I want to attach the essence of these (APEC) nations to our nation's precious gems, and make these portraits of the leaders of the APEC member economies," said Cuong, who works as a jeweller in Hanoi. It wasn't all smooth sailing. It was crunch time before Cuong unveiled his works of art on Thursday (November 9). A September military coup in Thailand ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, leaving Cuong scrambling to replace his completed portrait with one of new leader Surayud Chulanont. And Japan's September elections also threw a spanner into the works. Cuong's depiction of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was rapidly replaced by a portrait of the new prime minister, Shinzo Abe. Cuong said it was worth the trouble. "It is a gift from my heart as a Vietnamese citizen. I think for these portraits it doesn't matter if they are made of gems or any other material. For the leaders, when they receive them and they recognise themselves they will feel very happy," he said. Vietnam is simultaneously hosting the APEC summit and making its debut on the world stage with approval to become the newest member of the World Trade Organisation by year-end. Its membership in the WTO is tribute to the country's economic success. Preparations for the weekend APEC summit are well underway - with security stepping up around the imposing new glass and concrete National Convention Centre, which cost 260 million USD, in a suburb of Hanoi. It will be the largest international event hosted in the history of Communist-run Vietnam. APEC says its 21 members account for nearly half of global trade, 40 percent of the world's population and 56 percent of the world's gross domestic product. The summit will discuss implementing a free trade and investment pact among APEC members that was first articulated at the Bogor, Indonesia meeting in 1994.

ITN Source | November 17, 2006

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