Dong Ho folk paintings officially become intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent protection.

This afternoon, December 9, the Intergovernmental Committee for the 2003 Convention approved the decision to include the Dong Ho folk painting craft heritage in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent protection.

Currently, there are only a few families making Dong Ho folk paintings - Photo: Department of Cultural Heritage

The decision was taken during the 20th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 2003, which is currently underway in India.

This is the 17th heritage of Vietnam to be listed by UNESCO in the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list, the 37th heritage to be listed by UNESCO in the UNESCO lists (including 9 world cultural and natural heritages, 17 intangible cultural heritages and 11 documentary heritages).

There are only a few households making Dong Ho folk paintings left.

According to the 2003 Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the nomination dossier for the intangible cultural heritage of Dong Ho folk painting craft of Vietnam meets the criteria for inclusion in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

That is, Dong Ho folk paintings are closely associated with important festivals such as Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival, as well as ancestor and deity worship rituals.

Dong Ho woodblock carving artisan - Photo: Department of Cultural Heritage

However, today the number of skilled artisans has decreased sharply (according to nomination records, only a few households maintain the profession), due to the young generation's lack of interest, the profession's difficulty in securing a livelihood, and the declining demand for woodblock prints during traditional holidays.

The number of skilled and dedicated people pursuing the profession is too small to maintain teaching and painting, so the profession needs urgent protection.

Vietnam's conservation plan sets out seven goals, including: opening vocational training classes, inventorying heritage, designing models, diversifying markets, improving access to raw materials, and providing equipment. protection for artisans

The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 2003 assessed that the proposed activities are feasible, appropriate to their objectives and sustainable, and place the community at the centre…

Therefore, the Intergovernmental Committee for the 2003 Convention decided to inscribe the craft of making Dong Ho folk paintings on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and encouraged Vietnam to consider integrating this heritage into the education system, both formal and informal, to encourage the younger generation to understand and appreciate the importance of protecting the heritage.

Dong Ho Painting Wedding of the Rats

500 years of Dong Ho folk painting

According to the Department of Cultural Heritage, the craft of making Dong Ho folk paintings in Dong Khe quarter, Thuan Thanh ward, Bac Ninh province, was born about 500 years ago.

The community of practitioners created paintings that were distinctive in subject matter, printing technique, color, and graphics using woodblock printing techniques.

The themes of the paintings often include worship paintings, congratulatory paintings, historical paintings, daily life paintings, landscape paintings, associated with the custom of hanging paintings on Lunar New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival, ancestor worship and god worship.

The steps of creating the model, carving the printing block, coloring, and printing the painting are all done by hand. The painting model is drawn with a brush and Chinese ink on paper and carved on a wooden board.

The colors are made from natural ingredients: blue from indigo leaves, red from red gravel, yellow from pagoda tree flowers and gardenia fruit, white from weathered scallop powder, black from bamboo leaf ash and sticky rice straw.

The painting is printed upside down with 5 basic colors on Do paper covered with a layer of Phalaenopsis. The colors are printed according to the principle of printing red first, followed by blue, yellow, and white. The black line is printed last to complete the painting.

Bac Ninh has 6 heritages recognized by UNESCO

Up to now, the whole country has 37 heritages recorded in UNESCO lists.

In particular, Bac Ninh province has typical heritages recognized and registered by UNESCO including: 5 representative intangible cultural heritages of humanity (Bac Ninh Quan Ho, Dong Ho folk painting, Ca Tru, Mother Goddess worship, Huu Chap tug of war); one inter-provincial world cultural heritage (Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac complex).

Among them are important relics such as Vinh Nghiem Pagoda; the Buddhist scripture woodblocks of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda are included in the Memory of the World list of the Asia-Pacific region.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tranh-dan-gian-dong-ho-chinh-thuc-la-di-san-van-hoa-phi-vat-the-can-bao-ve-khan-cap-20251209175405969.htm