For a 45-minute class elderly models are paid about 1.70 USD. They are proud of their work, to bring in income for their families and to feel useful to society.
The men have been models for many years and understand the requirements for figure models. "A figure model does not need to have good body," college instructor Nguyen Duc Hung said to the news source. "Anyone with a basic figure can be a model." He added that a rough body shape was desirable.
Artist Luong Quoc Thang considers that the model makes a significant contribution to honing students' drawing and sculpting skills. He has created work about his home area's Central Highlands people and cultures.
"One of my models was an old woman from the Ba Na ethnic group," said Thang. "I paid attention to her white hair which she had cut with a knife. The wrinkles on her forehead and her bare feet inspired me a lot."