The person who revived Dong Ho paintings
Born in 1963 in Dong Ho village (now Song Ho ward, Thuan Thanh town, Bac Ninh province), Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Huu Qua is the 10th generation in the Nguyen Huu family - one of the two remaining families in Dong Ho painting village that still preserves the ancestral profession. He is also the second son of the late Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Huu Sam - a great name in traditional folk paintings, so Mr. Qua grew up in an atmosphere filled with the scent of sticky rice paste, scallop shells, and do paper - the ingredients that make up the essence of Dong Ho paintings.
From the age of 7 or 8, his parents taught him how to help with tasks such as coloring and drying paintings. By the age of 12, he had mastered almost all the stages of making paintings, from color printing techniques to line printing, from how to recognize the painting mold to the art of finishing the painting. After graduating from the University of Finance and Accounting, it seemed that his path would turn to another profession, but his passion for folk paintings brought him back to the pen, the engraving and the Do paper.
In 1986, he was a member of the Dong Ho painting production cooperative, and when the cooperative dissolved in 1990, he and his wife - artisan Nguyen Thi Dung (born in 1965) determined to follow in their father's footsteps, rebuilding the profession in the midst of its decline.
Not only loyal to traditional techniques, artisan Nguyen Huu Qua is also a pioneer in creating, restoring and developing Dong Ho paintings to suit the new era. His family has preserved hundreds of traditional engravings left by his father, and at the same time created thousands of new engravings, including works imbued with historical spirit such as Ly Thai To Ha Chieu Doi Do, Tam Duong Nhanh Phuc, Uy Chan Son Ha...
He has worked hard to bring Dong Ho paintings into modern spaces - from hotels, restaurants, resorts to packaging designs, calendars, postcards, decorative partitions... Together with architects and graphic artists, he has designed large-scale paintings on laminated Do paper, preserving the traditional identity while still meeting contemporary aesthetic needs.
Mr. Qua shared: “There is no easy job, but this job is especially hard. The difficulty is to preserve the old, the national spirit, but also to innovate to be able to survive.”
Family traditions preserve the "national soul"
In particular, Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Huu Qua is also a “fire-bearer”, transmitting positive energy and love of culture to those who come into contact with him. His 5-room house is not only a place for producing paintings but also an attractive cultural destination, welcoming thousands of domestic and foreign tourists every year. Visitors coming here not only get to hear him introduce fully and in detail the history of the formation of Dong Ho paintings in a warm, expressive voice, but also be enthusiastically guided by him to experience the process of creating a painting with a “national soul”.
Generations in his family – from his wife, son to grandchildren – have been taught the craft thoroughly and meticulously, and now many family members are proficient in painting.
In 2020, he was honored as a Meritorious Artisan. In 2024, his son was awarded the title of Artisan of Bac Ninh province. This is the result and recognition of the steady continuation of the family tradition.
Mr. Qua shared: “Preserving and developing the traditional profession of our ancestors is not only a personal responsibility but also the result of familyeducation , of the family tradition passed down through many generations. It is in this traditional family environment that each child grows up being nurtured and imbued with love for the profession from a young age, imbued with the cultural values of the origin. Therefore, continuing the profession is not simply a means of livelihood but also a journey to preserve a part of the national soul, to preserve traditional cultural values.”
Inheriting the family tradition, artisan Nguyen Huu Dao (born in 1990) – son of the excellent artisan Nguyen Huu Qua – has become an excellent successor, continuing the journey of preserving and developing this traditional painting genre. Since his childhood, he has been inspired by the artistic passion of his grandfather, the late excellent artisan Nguyen Huu Sam, and his devoted father – people who have devoted their whole lives to each wood carving line, each rustic color imbued with the soul of the countryside.
Not only stopping at restoring precious ancient engravings, Nguyen Huu Dao and his father tirelessly create and spread Dong Ho painting art to the domestic and international community. Their perseverance, dedication and desire to preserve and pass on their craft not only contribute to preserving a unique cultural heritage, but also ignite national pride and nurture a love of art for future generations.
To preserve and develop the traditional craft of his ancestors, artisan Nguyen Huu Qua actively promotes Dong Ho paintings internationally. In 2015, his family donated 26 paintings to the Vietnamese Embassy in China and held a private exhibition at the East China Normal University Museum (Shanghai). The family also brought paintings to the Russian Federation and the United States, participated in Vietnamese cultural programs, and introduced this unique folk painting genre to international friends.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of him and his family, Dong Ho paintings have gradually regained their position and are more interested by the younger generation. Folk patterns are applied in fashion , graphics, and applied arts. Currently, the craft of making Dong Ho folk paintings has been submitted to UNESCO for submission to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding at the Conference of the Intergovernmental Committee of the 2003 UNESCO Convention in New Delhi, India (scheduled from December 8 to 13, 2025) to be recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding of Humanity. A positive signal for the sustainable revival of traditional paintings.
Faced with the sad reality that only two families in Dong Ho village still practice the craft, artisan Nguyen Huu Qua could not hide his concern: "If it were not for respecting the craft of my ancestors, if it were not for my father's passion, I would not have followed the profession until now." He and his family both determined that preserving Dong Ho paintings is not only the responsibility of the craftsmen, but also an obligation to the national culture.
His family has organized hundreds of classes for thousands of students at home and abroad, combining experiential tourism with painting practice. These activities not only help spread the value of folk paintings, but also create a more sustainable output for traditional handicraft products.
Dong Ho paintings have long been a symbol of the Vietnamese soul, of folk art full of philosophy and humanity. In the age of technology, traditional values are easily forgotten, but the family of Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Huu Qua is like a family that preserves the national color, both persistently preserving and dynamically creating for development.
From ancient engravings to modern designs, from young successors to international tourists visiting the painting village, his family's journey is not only the story of a profession, but also the story of a cultural heritage that is reviving every day - with the love, dedication and unwavering passion of a family of artisans.
Dong Ho paintings are not just an art product. They are an identity, a memory, a bridge connecting the past with the present. And in the heart of the ancient painting village, the family of Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Huu Qua still stands firm as a living testament to the strong vitality of Vietnamese folk culture so that "the national color shines brightly on die-cut paper".
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/nep-nha-gin-giu-mau-dan-toc-147537.html
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