Published:  00:00 Thursday - January 21, 2010

The northern province of Bac Ninh is compiling a record the Dong Ho folk art of wood print making to submit to UNESCO for its recognition.

This was announced by Tran Van Tuy, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, which has recently won UNESCO’s recognition of its Quan Ho (duet singing) as an intangible cultural heritage of humankind.

The making of wood prints was originated in Dong Ho village, Thuan Thanh district, Bac Ninh province.

Traditionally, the artworks, reflecting a wide range of themes, especially good luck wishes, historical figures, and folk allegories, become essential part of every Vietnamese family’s celebration of the traditional Lunar New Year festival (Tet).

According to the villagers, the making wood prints dates back to the 11th century during the reign of the Ly dynasty. However, researchers said the craft began under the rule of the Le dynasty.

To create the works, Dong Ho craftsmen used raw materials from nature, including sheets of print paper made from the bark of the “do” tree, burnt bamboo leaves and sea shells to create colours from the earth.

To print the picture, they applied paint to the woodblock and pressed it on a sheet of paper like a stamp. The process was repeated with different colours until the craftsman felt satisfied with the result.

The print was later covered with a layer of rice paste to strengthen the durability of its illustration and colours and afterwards dried in the sun.

As the traditional craft has faded with time, efforts have been made to preserve it, with Nguyen Dang Che, one of the few remaining experienced craftsmen of the village, establishing his own Dong Ho painting centre in 2008.