The craft of making Đông Hồ folk paintings becomes Vietnam’s 17th heritage element inscribed by UNESCO

At 14:38 on 09 December 2025 (local time), in New Delhi, India, at the 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, the Intergovernmental Committee for the 2003 Convention inscribed the heritage element “The craft of making Đông Hồ folk paintings” onto the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. This is the 17th heritage element of Vietnam inscribed by UNESCO on the UNESCO Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The craft of making Đông Hồ folk paintings in Đông Khê quarter, Thuận Thành ward, Bắc Ninh province, originated around 500 years ago. The practising community has created paintings with distinct characteristics in themes, printing techniques, colours, and graphics using woodblock printing. The themes of the paintings often include worship paintings, congratulatory paintings, historical paintings, daily life paintings, and landscape paintings, associated with customs of hanging paintings during the Lunar New Year, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and in ancestor worship and deity worship.

All stages of creating patterns, carving printing blocks, preparing colours, and printing paintings are done by hand. Painting patterns are drawn with brush and Chinese ink on dó paper and carved on sweet-scented wooden blocks. The colours are processed from natural materials: blue from indigo leaves, red from cinnabar pebbles, yellow from pagoda flower and gardenia fruit, white from weathered scallop shells, and black from bamboo leaf ash and glutinous rice straw. Paintings are printed by pressing the blocks onto dó paper coated with a layer of điệp paste using five basic colours. Colours are printed in the order of red first, followed by blue, yellow, white. The black-line block is printed last to complete the painting.

The craft of making Đông Hồ folk paintings in Đông Khê quarter, Thuận Thành ward, Bắc Ninh province, originated around 500 years ago.

According to the Intergovernmental Committee for the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Vietnam’s nomination file for the intangible cultural heritage element “The craft of making Đông Hồ folk paintings” meets the criteria for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, specifically:

1. Đông Hồ folk paintings are closely associated with important festive occasions such as the Lunar New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival, as well as rituals of ancestor and deity worship. Today, only a few families continue this craft, transmitting knowledge and skills within the family and to apprentices through direct instruction and hands-on mentoring. Some stages such as pattern drawing and block carving require intensive training and the accumulation of experience over many years. Woodblock plates are regarded as family treasures, passed down through generations.
2. The number of skilled artisans has sharply decreased (according to the nomination file, only a few households maintain the craft), due to the younger generation’s lack of interest, the difficulty of earning a livelihood, and declining demand for woodblock-printed paintings during traditional festive occasions. The number of highly skilled and dedicated practitioners is too small to sustain the transmission and production of paintings, making the craft urgently in need of safeguarding.
3. The safeguarding plan sets out seven objectives, including opening training classes, inventorying the heritage, designing patterns, diversifying the market, improving access to raw materials, and providing protective equipment for artisans. The proposed activities are feasible, aligned with the objectives, sustainable, and place the community at the centre.
4. The nomination file demonstrates the active participation of the community, especially the practising families, throughout the entire preparation process, through inventorying activities and public events.
5. The heritage element has been included in the inventory of intangible cultural heritage, which is regularly updated with community participation.

Vietnam’s nomination file for the intangible cultural heritage element “The craft of making Đông Hồ folk paintings” meets the criteria for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

Accordingly, the Intergovernmental Committee for the 2003 Convention decided to inscribe “The craft of making Đông Hồ folk paintings” onto the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and encouraged Vietnam to consider integrating this heritage into both formal and non-formal education systems in order to encourage the younger generation to understand and appreciate the importance of safeguarding heritage.

UNESCO’s inscription of the craft of making Đông Hồ folk paintings on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding holds profound significance for the practising community and the Vietnamese public. First, it affirms the unique historical and artistic value of the craft, while motivating artisans to continue preserving traditional skills and secrets that are at risk of disappearing.

In addition, the inscription helps raise societal awareness of the importance of the heritage, fosters the interest of younger generations, and encourages support for safeguarding activities from both organizations and communities. Moreover, this is also an opportunity to promote Vietnam’s cultural image to the world, contributing to nurturing national pride and protecting the diversity of Vietnam’s cultural identity.

To date, Vietnam has had 37 heritage elements inscribed by UNESCO on its various Lists (including 09 World Cultural and Natural Heritage sites, 17 Intangible Cultural Heritage elements, and 11 Documentary Heritage items). Among these, Bắc Ninh province has outstanding heritage elements recognised and inscribed by UNESCO, including: 05 elements of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (Quan họ Bắc Ninh, the craft of making Đông Hồ folk paintings, Ca trù, the Worship of Mother Goddesses, the Hữu Chấp tug-of-war); 01 trans-provincial World Cultural Heritage (the Yên Tử – Vĩnh Nghiêm – Côn Sơn, Kiếp Bạc Complex), including important relics such as Vĩnh Nghiêm Pagoda; and the woodblocks of Buddhist scriptures at Vĩnh Nghiêm Pagoda inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register for Asia-Pacific, becoming a source of honour and pride not only for the people of Bắc Ninh province but also for the entire country.

On behalf of Vietnam and the practising community of the heritage element “The craft of making Đông Hồ folk paintings”, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO Hoàng Đạo Cương, and Standing Vice Chairman of Bắc Ninh Provincial People’s Committee Mai Sơn delivered remarks of gratitude and committed to implementing necessary measures to safeguard the values of the craft of making Đông Hồ folk paintings, expressing appreciation to the Evaluation Body, members of the Intergovernmental Committee for the 2003 Convention, and the Secretariat of the 2003 Convention for their dedicated and impartial work in inscribing this heritage element of Vietnam.