He commenced painting at the age of 50. Prior to this, he created sculptures from tree roots and wood. Similar to many naïve painters who primarily create art for their own enjoyment, Nghiem Xuan Binh has consistently maintained his independent perspective on reality and his stylistic vocabulary, without conforming to the expectations of high art or contemporary artistic trends. All his paintings were acquired during fifteen years, starting from the mid-1990s by Natalia Kraevskaia; the majority of the works were purchased in the late 1990s when the artist required funds for his wife's surgery.