The colorful robes flutter in the wind, the cheerful chatter of women, young men and women, and couples wanting to capture the New Year's moments by the village communal house, along the village road, and by the ancient well... Blending into this traditional spring love song, the 2026 Giong Horse sculptures by artisan Nguyen Tan Phat, each with its own unique expression, welcome a year of "Success and Prosperity," opening up many inspirations, hopes, and aspirations.
Metaphors derived from the image of the horse
Painting and sculpting zodiac animal figures for the New Year is a tradition among many artists and artisans. While Nguyen Tan Phat consistently presents unique, grandiose, and extravagant zodiac animal sculptures to the public each year, this year's "herd" of 26 horses stands out not only for its superior scale but also for the ever-expanding creativity of this artist from Duong Lam.
Inspired by the legendary image of Saint Gióng riding an iron horse, the collection of 2026 horses by Meritorious Artisan Nguyễn Tấn Phát, welcoming the Year of the Horse 2026, has brought the legendary horse's hooves out of the epic realm and into contemporary life.
When asked if 2026, being the year of the Fire Horse, meant he decided to "go big," Nguyen Tat Phat smiled. When asked how he managed to build such a large herd of horses, given his year-round busy schedule with projects, teaching, and networking events, Nguyen Tat Phat fell into pensive silence.
Looking at the remaining horses in his "collection," Nguyen Tan Phat slowly recounted the preparations and the tireless nights spent crafting each one. The "Giong" collection is the result of community collaboration. Many artisans, skilled craftsmen, and young artists in Duong Lam, and even tourists, participated under the close guidance of artisan Nguyen Tan Phat. The image of craftsmen from many generations working together in the lacquer workshop is vivid evidence of the continuation of the traditional craft.
As someone serious about creative activities, and someone who "thinks ahead" by preparing for each year so that the zodiac sign is not just an illustration, being the zodiac sign for the new year is not just a "seasonal" event for him, but a way of renewing himself year after year.
For him, it's not simply the zodiac animal of the new year, but a spiritual symbol, a way of telling a story about his profession, his village, and the journey of traditional artists amidst a turbulent era.
When talking about horses, Nguyen Tan Phat's eyes light up with delight and passion. In Vietnamese culture, the horse is associated with many layers of meaning. It's the iron horse of Saint Giong, the means of transportation for messengers traveling long distances, a familiar image in poetry, legends, and folk memories. The horse is also a symbol of great ambition and journey; therefore, if he had to choose an image to represent the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people, he would choose the horse.
It's not because horses are beautiful, but because they are creatures that embody both labor and idealism. Throughout history, horses have not only pulled plows or carried goods. They have entered legends, poetry, heroic deeds, and humanity's aspirations for adventure.
Horses don't stand still. They are born to walk, to overtake, to conquer, to overcome long journeys. For Nguyen Tan Phat, this image resonates deeply. Born and raised in Duong Lam – an ancient village where tradition is present in every home – he quickly understood that practicing traditional crafts is not a smooth journey. It's a journey between what already exists and what is emerging, between a preserved past and a future that needs to be explored.
“Practicing traditional crafts is like a persistent horse ride, navigating between the past and the future. If you only cling to the old ways, you might stagnate, but if you chase after the new too quickly, the craft will lose its roots,” he reflected. Therefore, the horse has become a “guiding principle” for his creative works in recent years. The horse in his works always has “bridle”—that is, tradition—but that horse also needs a “path”—which is creativity.
“Returning to the Year of the Horse, for me, it’s not just a 12-year cycle, but a spiritual ‘convergence point’,” Nguyen Tan Phat emphasized. Throughout his more than 20 years in the profession, the “traditional village artisan” has gone through many stages: from craftsman to artisan, to teacher, to researcher, and most recently, to systematizing traditional crafts with an academic mindset.
The horses created by Nguyen Tan Phat this year are not decorative horses. They are horses with inner lives. Viewers can easily find very "human" states in them: a horse bowing its head, calm as if contemplating; a galloping horse carrying the aspiration to break through; a horse standing firm, strong and healthy, suggesting perseverance and resilience; or horses in herds, close together, reminiscent of the community of traditional craft villages.
With a calm, clear voice like the strokes of lacquer, Nguyen Tan Phat affirmed: "I call this year's collection of works 'Horses - the journey of a craft village.' Each horse represents not only me personally, but also the artisans, craftsmen, and young people in Duong Lam who are diligently making a living from their craft."
In today's world , where everything can be 3D printed, cloned, and mass-produced, a handcrafted lacquer horse, polished hundreds of times by hand, is a statement about the value of honest labor.
Innovate to go far.
Nguyen Tan Phat started creating his zodiac animal collection quite early. At that time, he didn't aim to create seasonal Tet gifts, but rather stemmed from a very professional concern: Why did the zodiac animal imagery, so closely associated with Vietnamese life, lack a sufficiently strong contemporary visual language?
From buffaloes, tigers, cats, dragons, snakes… to this year's horse, he has meticulously studied each zodiac animal. This process involves rediscovering folk imagery from Dong Ho paintings and village temple sculptures, then engaging in dialogue with modern art to find a way of expression that resonates with today's spirit.
Interestingly, the public has embraced these works in a very down-to-earth way. Many people buy them not just to display during Tet (Lunar New Year), but to keep them as a part of their memories. Some families quietly collect all 12 zodiac animals over the years. Some incorporate lacquer sculptures into modern interior spaces. Some works are chosen as diplomatic gifts, carrying stories of Vietnamese culture to formal gatherings.
Over time, Nguyen Tan Phat's lacquer zodiac animal collection has gradually become a form of "spiritual history" for many contemporary Vietnamese families. Each zodiac animal marks a year, a period, a transformation in life. Art, in this case, does not stand outside of life, but quietly accompanies it.
Since then, every Tet holiday, Duong Lam becomes vibrant in a different way. Tourists come to the village not only to admire the ancient houses, but also to see the zodiac animal exhibition, meet artisans, and experience lacquerware. The ancient village thus gradually takes on a new appearance – a creative village, where heritage is not only preserved but also continues to thrive through contemporary forms.
At times like these, "I feel very strongly that each horse, dragon, tiger... when it is born, it belongs not only to me, but also to the Tet atmosphere of the village."
Duong Lam is no longer just an ancient village, but is becoming a creative village where heritage and contemporary art meet. That's what makes me feel like I'm not just doing this for myself, but contributing a brick to the cultural future of my homeland," Nguyen Tan Phat shared with a bright smile on his face.
However, hidden deep within this inquisitive and creative individual are the anxieties and concerns of an artist who always places creativity alongside existence. Coming from a family of artisans, Nguyen Tan Phat understands the challenges facing traditional crafts. According to him, without an academic foundation, the craft can easily be swept into the whirlwind of commercialization, quick production, and hasty sales, losing its inherent depth.
Therefore, alongside practicing his craft, he chose a path of formal education. Completing his Master's degree in Fine Arts wasn't for the sake of prestige, but to better understand the position of Vietnamese lacquerware within the regional and global art scene. Alongside his creative work, he participates in research on traditional art and lacquerware, joins councils and projects for the preservation and creation of heritage, and contributes to systematizing knowledge about traditional lacquerware.
With his strong foreign language skills, Nguyen Tan Phat is also one of the few artisans who can directly communicate with international scholars, museums, and collectors. This opens up new opportunities for dialogue regarding Vietnamese lacquerware, not only from a product perspective but also from an academic standpoint.
He emphasized: "I'm not studying to get a degree, but to understand my profession in a global context; to engage in dialogue with museums, scholars, and collectors, and to build a theoretical framework for Vietnamese lacquerware."
Recognition came to him last year when he was awarded the title of "Outstanding Artisan" by the President of Vietnam . As one of the youngest artisans to receive the award, and also holding a Master's degree, Nguyen Tan Phat views the title as a milestone of responsibility rather than a personal honor.
"For me, the title isn't about standing higher than anyone else, but about standing firmer in the face of responsibility to the profession," Nguyen Tan Phat affirmed.
As spring arrives and the horse is born, the artist conveys a simple wish: that every Vietnamese person, upon seeing the image of a horse, will remember that we are a nation of journeys. We have overcome many hardships and today we still need to continue our journey, but we never forget where we come from.
The horse in Nguyen Tan Phat's lacquer paintings therefore always carries the past on its journey to the future. Concluding the conversation, in the dreamy spring sunlight carpeting the laterite stone walls, peeking out from behind cherry blossom branches, Nguyen Tan Phat gazed into the distance and said: "This spring, I wish each person a horse in their heart, strong enough to go, deep enough not to get lost."
Regarding Duong Lam, I believe that as more horses continue to be created by skilled artisans, this village will not only live on memories, but also on creativity.”
It seemed as if a herd of horses was galloping past him, while his thoughts drifted towards another spring approaching, with the idea of a new zodiac sign taking shape.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/ngua-mua-xuan-and-the-journey-to-find-the-deep-of-a-profession-733772.html
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