Prix de la Route Mandarine 2027
Call for Applications
Supporting Vietnam’s Emerging Art Scene
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Supporting Vietnam’s Emerging Art Scene
The Prize is open to any student of fine arts enrolled at an art school in Vietnam in September 2026 for the 2026–2027 academic year.
This philanthropic initiative of the Association des Artistes d’Asie à Paris offers two winners the opportunity to exhibit, each, the winning artwork in France, in Neuilly-sur-Seine (Paris). The exhibition is usually held in early April, during one of the two annual periods when Paris celebrates contemporary artistic creation.
The Association des Artistes d’Asie à Paris (AAP) offers each winner an all-inclusive stay. This grant covers transportation, accommodation, and all organizational and visit-related expenses (complimentary airfare + expenses covered up to €1,000 per winner).
Paris | April 4–15, 2026 – Highlights from the 2026 winners’ trip :
An Immersion in the International Art Market
The winners take part in a tailor-made programme led by expert Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier and her team. The programme includes visits, meetings with gallery owners, artists and art professionals, and opportunities to build a professional network.
They are welcomed as VIP guests at the Art Paris fair at the Grand Palais, chaired by Guillaume Piens, a member of the Prize jury.
It is a unique experience celebrating Franco-Vietnamese artistic friendship.
A Prize Rooted in History…
It was on the occasion of the centenary of the Indochina School of Fine Arts that Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier, art expert, created this Prize in Hanoi in January 2025, with the aim of supporting artistic creativity in Vietnam.
“Open to Vietnamese students regardless of their city of origin, we wanted to offer two winners the opportunity to take a first step into the international art market through a trip to Paris for an exhibition. The Prix de la Route Mandarine invites every young Vietnamese artist to embark on their own journey and push themselves artistically.”
— Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier, President of the Association des Artistes d’Asie à Paris
Since 2014, Aguttes has shed remarkable light on the work of painters who, at the beginning of the 20th century, received a dual Asian and Western education. It was during a conference devoted to Modern Art in Indochina that Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier, who is also President of the Association des Artistes d’Asie à Paris, announced on January 7, 2025, her project to create a Prize supporting contemporary Vietnamese artistic creation.
In the auditorium of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Hanoi, beneath the large restored fresco based on the original by Victor Tardieu, the first director of the École des beaux-arts de l’Indochine, she presented the project, which came to fruition with the success of the first 2026 edition.
Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier, President of the Association des Artistes d’Asie à Paris, announces the call for applications for the first Prix de la Route Mandarine. Paris, September 3, 2025.
Hanoi | January 2026 – Award ceremony for the first edition of the Prix de la route Mandarine :
Le Prix de la route Mandarine : An Immersion into the International Art Market
This Prize is open to any student of the visual arts enrolled in an art school in Vietnam in September 2025 for the 2025–2026 academic year, and is intended to give them a first step onto the international art market. This initiative offers the two laureates the opportunity to each exhibit their awarded work in France, in Neuilly-sur-Seine (Paris). The exhibition will be held in early April, coinciding with one of the two annual moments when Paris celebrates contemporary creation.
With airfare provided, the two winners will be able to attend the opening of the exhibition of their work in Paris. They will also benefit from a program of artistic activities, including meetings with market professionals, visits to museums, and access to must-see events such as current Parisian exhibitions and fairs. In addition, they will receive a grant of €1,000 to support their stay.
Applications Are Now Open
We invite you to read the participation requirements by downloading the application form and the Prize regulations.
The Prix de la Route Mandarine Jury
The jury will include several important figures from the art world, including descendants, artists, collectors, and prominent personalities from the art market.
Key Dates
Application deadline : November 7, 2026 at midnight, by email to: routemandarine@aap.art
Submission of artworks by candidates: December 30, 2026
Jury deliberations: January 2027
Exhibition in Paris: April 2027
The Mandarin Road?
It was on the Mandarin Road in Hanoi that the École des beaux-arts was established in 1925 for its first academic year.
Although the road has changed names several times, its route dates back to antiquity. Today, it is known as Quốc lộ 1, or National Highway 1A. It is the historic road that runs through Vietnam from north to south, connecting Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City via Huế, Da Nang, Nha Trang, and other cities, extending for more than 2,300 km.
As early as the medieval dynasties, this main thoroughfare connected the imperial capital, Thang Long (present-day Hanoi), and later Huế, to the southern provinces. At the time known as Đường Cái Quan, meaning the “Great Mandarins’ Road,” it took its name from the many mandarins responsible for imperial administration who travelled along it for centuries. Civil servants and scholars used this route to visit even the most remote villages.
From 1925 onwards, based in the School’s workshops at 121 Mandarin Road, the first students received an outstanding multicultural education designed to enable them to contribute to the renewal of Vietnamese Modern Art.