This young girl is from Sapa, Vietnam. She is wearing a school uniform as evidenced by the red tie. I added the conical hat or "non la" which is made of palm leaves and bamboo. This one has the 5 pointed star from the Vietnamese flag. I saw people wearing it in the rice fields which are the background for the portrait.
Sapa is the "City in the Fog" so there were no shadows on her face. My painting partners insisted I add some to give her features more dimension. I also added the smile.
Original photo.
