Hanoi, May 2 -- Jakarta (VNA) - Tucked away in a quiet street in Pondok Gede on Indonesia's Java island, the home of Lumban Sianipar leaves a lasting impression on visitors. Not for its architecture, but for its interior - a more than 500-square-metre space arranged like a miniature "Vietnam museum", preserving hundreds of memorabilia from his years living and working in Hanoi. At the entrance, a large lacquer painting composed of four panels vividly depicting a traditional Vietnamese rural market immediately draws attention. Sianipar said it is among his most treasured pieces.

Although he has been offered tens of millions of rupiah for the painting on multiple occasions, he has firmly refused to sell it, choosing instead to keep it as a...