An Australian friend came to Da Nang for two months. He found us because he wanted a skull covering his entire back.
We estimated about six sessions. But we kept thinking: he came all this way to live in a new city, not to spend most of a month in a tattoo chair. So we suggested two artists working on him at the same time. We told him plainly that it would hurt more, and he agreed to try. Numbing cream was there whenever he needed it.
Three sessions later, it was done. He said “Wow,” and walked out happy. You could see it.
We thought that was the end of it. Two days later, he messaged us: he wanted to keep going.
This time it was the rest of his body. His shoulders. A full redo of the neck so it would join the chest piece he already had. A solid background over the whole right arm, to turn the scattered pieces from before into one picture. And finishing a few unfinished areas on his left arm. He didn’t want more separate tattoos. He wanted everything on his body to fit together.
Working with him, we understood something better: a tattoo can change how a person sees himself. He looks so much stronger now.
He also told us that if he had this work done in his own country, it would cost many times more. We’re not telling you this to say we’re cheap. We’re telling you because it reminds us of something: in many parts of the world, if you want a great artist, you wait months, sometimes years, and pay a lot. In Vietnam, great artists are real, and much easier to reach.
Lately I keep looking at Bali. I see more and more people going there just for large-scale tattoos. I don’t want to copy Bali. I just think that when a place does one thing well for long enough, people will travel far for it. I want Da Nang to be that kind of place: somewhere people talk about as a “tattoo trip,” with a beautiful sea to rest by and the tattoo they’ve always dreamed of to take home.
To get there, we are slowly gathering artists with real skill and the same passion. We look for, invite and connect with artists from good to top-level across the region. As for price, we want to keep it fair for international clients: not the cheapest, but enough that someone who traveled far feels it was worth it, and the artist can make a living from the craft. Everything must be clean, safe and explained clearly before the needle touches skin, in English or through a translation tool, so nobody has to guess.
We aren’t there yet. But one back, three sessions and one message saying “I want to keep going” make us believe we’re on the right road.
If you’re also carrying a big tattoo in your mind and don’t know who to trust with it, message us. It’s fine if you don’t know what to get yet, just tell us what you want. And if you’re an artist who thinks the same way, we’d love to talk to you.
Thank you to our Australian friend for trusting us.