Created in Canva
VIETNAM – JAPAN CULTURAL EXCHANGE Tracing the Colours of Dong Ho A journey through Vietnam’s folk woodblock paintings A Dong Ho artisan among his paintings
Dong Ho village, Bac Ninh
PAGE I Journey to Kinh Bac “Mai village has fine manners, a cool river and the craft of painting.” — Vietnamese folk verse ~500 years of craft Dong Ho village lies on the Duong River in Bac Ninh Province. Its painting craft began around the 16th century. EXPLORE THE VILLAGE Dong Ho village, Bac Ninh Village gate Tiled roofs Artisans
PAGE I Journey to Kinh Bac “Mai village has fine manners, a cool river and the craft of painting.” — Vietnamese folk verse ~500 years of craft Dong Ho village lies on the Duong River in Bac Ninh Province. Its painting craft began around the 16th century. EXPLORE THE VILLAGE Village gate Tiled roofs Artisans Dong Ho village,
PAGE I Journey to Kinh Bac “Mai village has fine manners, a cool river and the craft of painting.” — Vietnamese folk verse ~500 years of craft Dong Ho village lies on the Duong River in Bac Ninh Province. Its painting craft began around the 16th century. EXPLORE THE VILLAGE Tiled roofs Artisans Dong Ho village, Village gate
PAGE I Journey to Kinh Bac “Mai village has fine manners, a cool river and the craft of painting.” — Vietnamese folk verse ~500 years of craft Dong Ho village lies on the Duong River in Bac Ninh Province. Its painting craft began around the 16th century. EXPLORE THE VILLAGE Artisans Dong Ho village, Village gate Tiled roofs
Brush evenly onto the paper, then air- dry in the shade. PAGE II Diep Paper Dó paper is made from the bark of the do tree, then brushed with crushed seashells so it shines softly in the light. Dó paper Paper colours HOW THE PAPER IS MADE 01 Choose thin, strong, smooth dó paper. 02 Crush scallop shells into a fine powder. 03 Blend the powder with cooled rice paste. 04
PAGE III Secret Woodblocks One carved block for every colour Two to five blocks for one painting The black line block is printed last Line blocks are carved from persimmon wood Carved woodbloc ks An artisan carving
Painting tools WHERE THE COLOURS COME FROM
PAGE V Paintings That Tell Stories Every painting carries a wish, a lesson or a story. “Firecrackers pop in the courtyard, rooster paintings glow on the wall.” — Tu Xuong (1870–1907), a poem about Lunar New Year A QUICK LOOK Pig Family Hen & Chicks
A QUICK LOOK Blessing pictures wish for wealth and a happy family. Glory Wealth Wrestling Mouse Wedding
PAUSE HERE The Mouse Wedding PAGE V The Mouse Wedding The mice hold a grand wedding, but first they must bring gifts to the cat. It is a funny story about power and bribery. How many kinds of Dong Ho paintings? 7 main genres worship, blessings, history, stories, proverbs, daily life and landscapes
PAGE VI How a Painting Is Born Five steps that need patience, skill and creativity. An artisan at work FIVE STEPS 1 Design the picture 2 Carve the woodblocks 3 Prepare paper and colours 4 Print each colour, then the black line 5 Dry the painting
PAGE VII Keeping a Heritage Alive Passed down through generations, the craft is still kept alive and practised to this day. Each painting keeps the memories, hopes and humour of the Vietnamese people. UNESCO · 2025 9 · 12 · 2025 Dong Ho folk painting was inscribed on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. Vietnam’s 17th intangible cultural heritage
CONNECTIONS Three Treasures Ao Dai Conical Hat Dong Ho Art THE LAST PAGE Thank You! ありがとう Thank you for tracing the colours of Dong Ho with us. We hope these paintings stay in your memory. Questions?