HANOI, June 24 (Xinhua) -- "Vietnam's tattoo industry is developing very quickly, considered to be art and no longer being discriminated against as something only for bad guys," Tri "Tattoo," a Vietnamese artist told Xinhua recently.
The International Tattoo Convention kicked off on Thursday in Vietnam's capital Hanoi for the first time, drawing artists from China, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, among others.
Over 100 booths providing tattoo services are being showcased at the event, drawing great attention from the country's ink enthusiasts.
"The local community now looks at the tattoo industry and tattooed people with different eyes. Tattoos are becoming a trend," said Tri "Tattoo," who owns many tattoo shops across Vietnam.
"The trend of tattooing has also been changing a lot. In the past, tattooists used only simple colors with simple patterns. Now, more vibrant colors with more complicated designs are applied," he said.
"The first tattoo on my body was a carp, carrying a meaning of good luck." Tri got his first tattoo at the age of 20, now the 34-year-old artist from southern Ho Chi Minh City who has numerous small tattoos on his body, stretching along his left arm.
"The tattoos on my body are a kind of diary. It marks the places where I have been. Every tattoo has its own meaning," he told Xinhua.
"My customers vary in both age and gender. Many young people, middle-aged and even old people come to my shop to get tattoos," he said.
Across the site, Thanh Hang, a 19-year-old lady in a black suit is getting a new tattoo on her thigh.
"Tattoos are a passion. In the past, I had never thought that I would get a tattoo on my body. However, after getting my first one, I kept getting more tattoos," Hang told Xinhua.
"My first tattoo was a monster face on my left arm when I was only 17. My parents strongly opposed it at that time," she said.
"As time passed, my parents came to understand that tattoos are not bad at all. It is a way to show someone's personality," Hang added, saying that now her mother also owns a tattoo of a big lotus on her arm.
Hang said that the new floral shape on her thigh is her 18th tattoo. "Not all who have tattoos are bad people," said the young lady.
Nguyen Van Nhat, 32, who owns a tattoo shop in Vietnam's northern Bac Ninh province, also has an open mind about tattoos.
"Tattoos are an art and both males and females can have them. More and more female customers have been coming to my shop to get tattoos," Nhat said. "I even helped my wife to get one on her chest."
"Tattoos are a way to mark special events. Spouses can have a 'couple's tattoo'," Huy "Bald," 45, told Xinhua.
Showing a small tattoo of an anchor on his left hand, 32-year-old Truong Tuan Nghia from the northern Thai Binh province said that one of his tattoos is to mark the time he served in the Vietnam Navy. Nghia also has three other tattoos on his body with different meanings, including an Indian chief on his arm, which for him means leadership.
During the International Tattoo Convention, which is scheduled to last until Friday, artists will ink their creations on thighs, backs, arms and other parts of the body to impress judges and win awards across 14 categories, ranging from color and cover-up tattoos to the most hyper-realistic tattoos and the best body art displays.
A special award "Queen of Tattoo," worth 50 million Vietnamese dong (over 2, 240 U.S. dollars), will be given to a female artist with the most impressive tattoo based on votes from the judges and viewers.
