Dear travelers on the road,
Stop to admire the view of put an end to your sadness.
Please buy our paintings, so brightly colored,
With their cozy scenes of pigs and chickens.
Five centuries ago, young girls from Dong Ho village would sing this verse to attract travelers passing by the village's gates. Dong Ho, which lies beside the Duong River some 40km northeast of Hanoi, has long been famous for its rustic prints. Using etched wooden blocks, generations of artisans have produced these distinctive prints, once essential decorations during the Tet Lunar New Year festival.
Now in his late 60s, Nguyen Dang Che can trace his family's involvement in the print-making business back 20 generations. The walls of his small studio are lined with over 100 carved blocks, some of which are 200 years old. Like his ancestors, Mr. Che makes his own paper from the bark of the do tree, then brushes it with a paste made from crushed mussel shells to give it an iridescent shine. The paints themselves are also derived from natural ingredients: red from clay and rocks; orange from gardenia flowers; black from charred bamboo leaves; and the blue from indigo leaves.
As the old folk song suggests, these traditional prints often feature common barnyard animals like roosters, buffaloes, goats, cats, and pigs. Come New Year, people would adorn their homes with cheerful prints that portrayed scenes and animals associated with good luck, family, fertility, happiness and prosperity.
Yet as well as being decorative, these prints were intended to convey popular fables, social values or historical struggles. Some are both instructive and humorous. One popular print, known as "Mouse Wedding", depicts a fat cat demanding bribes of fish from a mouse bridal party.
According to scholars, the popularity of these prints probably peaked in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the past, no less than 17 extended families in the small village of Dong Ho made these enchanting prints. Today, just two families are engaged in this painstaking craft. The rest of the village has turned to a more lucrative pursuit, turning out paper votive offerings.
Pass by Dong Ho today and you'll be met, not by singing maidens, but by rows of ceremonial paper products, set out in the sun to dry. Visit in the 12th lunar month,, however, and it's possible to catch a glimpse of Dong Ho's past. On the 6th, 11th, 12th, 21st and 22nd days of the 12th lunar month, Dong Ho hosts a Tet market. Here, prominently displayed, you'll find the festive prints that made Dong Ho famous.
Getting there
From central Hanoi, cross the Red River over the Chuong Duong Bridge. Go straight for about 1km, then turn right on Highway 5. After 8km, turn left towards Phu Thuy commune. Drive 7 km until you reach Dong Cong Street. Turn Right on Ho Street. Dong Ho village lies off Ho Street, some 35km from central Hanoi.
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More information at Trafest.com.
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