The village of painters

Published: 10:41 Thursday - May 27, 2010

This village became known in 1994 as the “village of painters,” when the Vietnam Art Association organized an exhibition entitled “Co Dong Village Paintings.”

VietNamNet Bridge – This village became known in 1994 as the “village of painters,” when the Vietnam Art Association organized an exhibition entitled “Co Dong Village Paintings.”

To nurture budding painters, some artists who grew up in Co Dong village, Tran Hoa, Hoang Van Viet, Phan Quang Tung, Nguyen Truong Yen and Phung Duy Duc, opened a painting class for village kids in 1996.


The class is divided into two groups, 8-12 years old and 13-16 years old.

The class is free.




Painter-teachers select students for this class every two years. Each selection round attracts from 500-600 contestants, but only 60 are chosen for the free-of-charge painting class.

Co Do village has 11 painters who are members of the Vietnam Art Association and three who are members of the Hanoi Art Association. Over 30 villagers have graduated from art schools.

Some students of this class won many prizes at painting competitions in Ha Tay province (emerged into Hanoi in 2008). The village annually organizes painting competitions for kids.

Painter Tran Hoa is designing a logo for the Co Do painting village.

The Co Do village art museum is built on two hectares, at a cost of 4 billion dong contributed by the State. It opened in January 2010 as a place for displaying artworks by Co Do villagers. The income from these paintings will be reinvested in painting classes.