Preservation efforts made as folk paintings face disintegration

Many people across Vietnam are working to preserve folk painting genres which face extinction.

Folk paintings were once associated with the spiritual life of Vietnamese people as they were usually used for worship or decoration during the Lunar New Year festival. 

Famous genres include Dong Ho (northern Bac Ninh province), Hang Trong and Kim Hoang (Hanoi), Nam Hoanh (central Nghe An province), Sinh (central Hue city), and glass paintings (southern region). 

An artisan puts final touches on a Dong Ho painting
An artisan puts final touches on a Dong Ho painting

Nguyen Huu Qua, an artisan in Dong Ho village of Bac Ninh province’s Thuan Thanh district, said in folk painting’s prime, the entire village was busy around the Lunar New Year occasion. 

But life has changed, and not many people buy Dong Ho paintings any more, forcing artisans to make votive paper objects to survive, he said.

Nguyen Sinh Phuc, deputy head of the Junior College for culture, arts and tourism in northern Yen Bai province, also raised concerns about the oblivion of the Dao ethnic people’s paintings. 

Local people sold old worship paintings away and bought new ones. New paintings, drawn with modern materials in a simpler way, have undermined the original values of traditional paintings, he said. 

Phuc added the making of worship paintings could also be lost due to a shortage of young people who can maintain the craft. 

However, there are still people preserving folk paintings. While Le Dinh Nghien and his son Le Hoan have upheld the painting genre of Hang Trong, families of Nguyen Dang Che, Nguyen Dang Giap and Nguyen Huu Sam are working to keep Dong Ho paintings alive. Artisan Ky Huu Phuoc has also applied himself to creating folk paintings in Sinh village of Hue city. 

Meanwhile, Nguyen Thi Thu Hoa, Director of the Hanoi Ceramics Museum, has invested many years in a project revitalising Kim Hoang paintings, a genre that has long been abandoned by local artisans. 

This project aims to restore 50 old painting designs and create new ones, she said, noting that her staff will confer with the elderly in Kim Hoang village of Hanoi about the painting making, find the same type of paper as the traditional one, and learn the original printing method. 

The project has received support from Kim Hoang villagers, Hoa added. 

The Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, based in Hanoi, has also studied the country’s folk paintings and collected about 2,670 relevant objects. 

It has made copies of Hang Trong paintings and sought Sinh painting woodblocks. The museum is also collecting products of the painting genres which no longer exist, a museum representative said.

VNA

Other News

Ta Xua named Asia's leading emerging tourism destination 2026

Ta Xua named Asia's leading emerging tourism destination 2026

In recent years, Ta Xua, dubbed "the paradise of clouds", has emerged as one of the mountainous destinations attracting strong interest from young travellers, particularly for its spectacular sea of clouds stretching across the mountains in the northwestern region.

Digital transformation key to preserving, promoting ethnic cultural values

Digital transformation key to preserving, promoting ethnic cultural values

Training local young people in filming, audio recording, digital storytelling, data preservation and responsible use of AI can help build a new generation of cultural custodians. This, in turn, can help transform cultural heritage into a resource for economic development while contributing to the country’s broader development.

Indigenous culture becomes tourism asset in northern highlands

Indigenous culture becomes tourism asset in northern highlands

With growing recognition of indigenous knowledge, customs and cultural values as unique assets, ethnic communities in the northern mountainous region are shifting from simply providing tourism services to becoming creators and owners of tourism products, confidently telling their own cultural stories

UNESCO ready to work with Vietnam to implement International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development initiative: Representative

UNESCO ready to work with Vietnam to implement International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development initiative: Representative

Jonathan Wallace Baker, UNESCO Representative to Vietnam, noted that the official proclamation of the 2027–2036 period as the "International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development" comes at a particularly important moment. As the international community works to accelerate progress towards the 2030 Agenda while beginning to consider what comes after 2030, the Decade provides a ten-year framework to strengthen the place of culture in development.

Traditional culture finds new life in contemporary Vietnam

Traditional culture finds new life in contemporary Vietnam

Under Resolution 80-NQ/TW, dated January 7, 2026, November 24 was designated Vietnam Culture Day, to be observed annually. The occasion aims to give the public opportunities to participate in, create and enjoy cultural activities, helping spread positive values and foster pride in Vietnamese culture.

Vietnam prioritises MICE tourism as strategic product

Vietnam prioritises MICE tourism as strategic product

For the MICE tourism sector in both Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam, growth can no longer be driven merely by increasing the number of events; instead, the focus must shift to enhancing the value of each event and the competitiveness of each destination.

Potential of ethnic minority women's football

Potential of ethnic minority women's football

Women’s football movements in local communities have been quietly growing, but they’ve now built up enough momentum to inspire organisers to launch the first Vietnam Ethnic Minority Women’s Football – VTV Cup in 2026.

Phong Nha - Ke Bang named among Vietnam's 11 most beautiful destinations

Phong Nha - Ke Bang named among Vietnam's 11 most beautiful destinations

According to the magazine, boat trips into Phong Nha Cave and strolls through Paradise Cave (both family-friendly) offer a tantalising glimpse of their astonishing scale, but the real adventure lies deeper within the park, where cavers wade through underground rivers and weave among stalagmites.

Tourism seeks new growth momentum under Resolution 26

Tourism seeks new growth momentum under Resolution 26

Tourism effectiveness should be measured not only by visitor numbers and revenue, but also by spending, length of stay, repeat visits, job quality, visitor satisfaction and environmental carrying capacity, said experts.

Vietnam welcomes nearly 2 million international visitors in August, up 19.7% from July and 18.4% year-on-year. (Illustrative photo: VNA)

Vietnam tourism maintains strong growth, expands international markets

The National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance reported that Vietnam welcomed nearly 2 million international visitors in August, up 19.7% from July and 18.4% year-on-year. The figure represented 63.6% of the tourism sector’s full-year target of 25 million arrivals.

First ladies of Vietnam, Myanmar visit Van Phuc silk village

First ladies of Vietnam, Myanmar visit Van Phuc silk village

Ngo Phuong Ly, the spouse of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam, said the two countries share similarities in silk weaving and can enrich their cultural heritage through exchanges and experience sharing.