Dong Ho Painting Village – Discover Vietnam’s Traditional Folk Art

About 33km away from Hanoi to the east and close to the south bank of Duong river dike, Ho or Dong Ho village is a traditional craft village in Hanoi Vietnam. This is the cradle of the famous folk wood carving line, with paintings that have long entered the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people.

For centuries, Dong Ho folk paintings have been much more than decorative artworks. They have been part of Vietnamese spiritual and cultural life, particularly during the Lunar New Year, when families traditionally bought colorful prints to decorate their homes and welcome a new year. If you are looking for an authentic cultural experience beyond Hanoi’s Old Quarter, Dong Ho Painting Village is well worth adding to your Hanoi tours.

Introduction to Dong Ho Painting Village

Dong Ho Painting Village is located in the area historically known as Song Ho Commune, Thuan Thanh District, Bac Ninh Province, approximately 33 km from Hanoi. The village lies close to the southern bank of the Duong River dike and has long been associated with one of Vietnam’s best-known folk art traditions.

In current administrative references, the area is identified within Thuan Thanh Ward, Bac Ninh Province, while many travel resources and historical references continue to use the familiar name Dong Ho Village or Dong Ho Painting Village.

The village is particularly important because Dong Ho painting was not developed as an individual fine-art tradition created for galleries. Instead, it grew from a community-based craft in which generations of local families participated in designing, carving, preparing paper, producing pigments, and printing pictures.

The craft is believed to have originated approximately 500 years ago. The traditional images were closely connected with Vietnamese customs, beliefs, celebrations, and ordinary rural life.

For generations, Dong Ho paintings were especially popular around Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. Families would purchase colorful prints and place them on walls as part of their seasonal decorations. The pictures were appreciated not only for their visual appeal but also for the meanings they conveyed: prosperity, happiness, fertility, family harmony, good fortune, and hopes for a better year.

This connection between art and everyday life is one of the reasons Dong Ho Painting Village remains so culturally significant today.

What is Dong Ho Painting?

Dong Ho painting, whose traditional name refers to Vietnamese folk woodblock printing from Dong Ho Village, is a distinctive form of Vietnamese folk art created using carved wooden blocks and handmade paper.

Unlike a conventional painting in which an artist applies colors directly to a blank surface, Dong Ho folk paintings are produced through a printing process. An original design is created first, then the image is transferred onto wooden blocks. Separate blocks can be prepared for different colors, while another block is used for the strong black outlines that define the finished composition.

This means that the creation of a single Dong Ho painting requires several different skills. The person who designs the image must understand composition and symbolism. The craftsperson carving the wooden blocks needs patience, precision, and an understanding of how the image will appear when printed. The artisan preparing the paper and pigments must also know how to achieve the right texture and consistency.

The process is therefore a collective expression of traditional craftsmanship rather than simply a method of reproducing an illustration.

UNESCO’s description of the craft emphasizes this handmade character, from drawing the design and carving the printing blocks to preparing natural pigments and printing the image on specially prepared paper.

The visual language of Dong Ho painting is immediately recognizable. Strong outlines, simple compositions, bold colors, and symbolic figures give the works a lively character. The paintings often avoid excessive detail and instead communicate an idea through a few carefully chosen forms.

This simplicity is intentional. Dong Ho artists developed a visual style that ordinary people could understand easily, while the symbolism behind each image could communicate wishes, beliefs, humor, social observations, or traditional values.

Printing paper and color of Dong Ho painting

In addition to the characteristics of the lines and composition, the folk style of Dong Ho painting is also in the color and paper material. Dong Ho painting paper is called a scallop paper: people crush the scallop shell, a kind of thin shellfish in the sea, mixed with the glue (the glue is cooked from glutinous rice flour, or sticky rice, sometimes cooked with tapioca – The glue used to sweep the painting background is often diluted from glutinous rice flour or tapioca, the glue cooked from sticky rice flour is often used to paste) and then use the pine leaf broom to sweep the paper.

Pine leaf brooms create jars running along sweeping lines and natural scallops for white with glittering small pieces under the light, people can add other colors to the glue during the process of making scallop paper. Colors used in paintings are natural colors from plants such as black (coarse coal or bamboo charcoal), green (copper rust, indigo leaves), yellow (lily), red (red gravel, wine), etc. These are fairly basic colors, do not be mixed and because the number of colors corresponds to the number of wood carvings, usually Dong Ho paintings only use 4 colors.

The Meaning of Dong Ho Painting

Dong Ho painting has a lasting vitality and is particularly attractive to many generations of Vietnamese people as well as foreign tourists because of the themes on the paintings reflecting the rustic, simple and close life associated with Vietnamese culture.
They are chickens, buffaloes, toads, rats, goofers, funny games on the spring-like blindfolded goats, swinging, wrestling, etc. The drawing is simple, clear, generous, not elaborate in details. Artisan Nguyen Dang Che said that the use of colors in paintings also has its own meaning and must be suitable for each different topic: the red background for jealousy to describe the heat and anger and suffocation of the air at that time, the yellow background for the joyful scene was filled with spring colors on the New Year’s paintings, the light pink background for peaceful village pictures, etc.

 Best Time to Visit Dong Ho Painting Village

According to traditional Dong Ho village tourism experience, the last months of the lunar year and the early spring months are particularly interesting times to visit.

This period coincides with the cultural atmosphere surrounding Tet, Vietnam’s Lunar New Year, when Dong Ho paintings historically played an important role in household decoration.

The cooler weather in northern Vietnam can also make a countryside excursion more comfortable than traveling during the hottest months.

However, Dong Ho Painting Village can be included in a Hanoi cultural itinerary throughout the year. Travelers interested in craftsmanship do not necessarily need to visit only during Tet season, especially if their main purpose is to learn about the printing process and local culture.

If you are planning a visit, it is advisable to arrange the experience in advance, particularly if you would like to meet an artisan, observe the traditional printing process, or participate in a hands-on activity.

Do you have ever been experienced an authentic class in Dong Ho painting village with us, refer here.

How to Get to Dong Ho Painting Village

From Hanoi, the traditional route described in local travel information follows National Highway 5, the road toward Hai Phong. After approximately 15 km, travelers can reach the area around Phu Thuy station, then turn left and continue for roughly 18 km toward Ho Street in the former Thuan Thanh area.

From there, turn toward Dong Ho Village and continue for approximately 2 km.

Visitors can also follow the route toward Ho Street and then access the dike road, where signs can guide travelers toward Dong Ho.

Your original travel information also mentions taking bus 204 from Hanoi to Thuan Thanh, with a fare of approximately VND 22,000, followed by a taxi or motorbike to Dong Ho Village. Because public transport routes, fares, and administrative arrangements can change, travelers should confirm the latest information before departure.

For international visitors staying in Hanoi, however, a private transfer or organized day trip is generally more convenient. It avoids navigating rural roads independently and allows more time to focus on the cultural experience itself.

A local guide can also add considerable value because many elements of Dong Ho painting are symbolic. Understanding why a particular animal, color, or composition appears in a painting can turn a quick visit into a much more meaningful cultural experience.

Practical Tips for Visiting Dong Ho Painting Village

When visiting Dong Ho Painting Village, allow enough time to interact with the local craft rather than treating the destination as a quick photo stop.

If possible, arrange a visit that includes an explanation of the traditional printing process. Ask about the wooden blocks, the materials used to create the colors, the preparation of scallop paper, and the meaning of the images.

When purchasing a Dong Ho painting, ask about how it was made and whether it follows traditional techniques. Understanding the production process makes the artwork much more meaningful as a souvenir.

Photography can be an important part of the experience, but travelers should always ask before photographing artisans, private homes, or workshops.

The village is a living community rather than a theme park, so respectful behavior is essential. Take time to observe, listen, and interact with local people rather than treating the village simply as a backdrop for photographs.

Frequently Asked Questions About Dong Ho Painting Village

What is Dong Ho Painting Village famous for?

Dong Ho Painting Village is famous for traditional Vietnamese folk woodblock prints made using carved wooden blocks, handmade paper, and natural pigments. The paintings often depict Vietnamese rural life, animals, festivals, family values, wishes for prosperity, and humorous social stories.

Where is Dong Ho Painting Village?

Dong Ho Painting Village is in Bac Ninh Province, approximately 33 km east of Hanoi. Historical references identify the village with Song Ho Commune in the former Thuan Thanh District, while current provincial information refers to the area as Thuan Thanh Ward, Bac Ninh Province.

How far is Dong Ho Painting Village from Hanoi?

Dong Ho Painting Village is approximately 33 km from Hanoi by the traditional route. Depending on traffic and the exact starting point in Hanoi, the journey generally takes longer than the distance alone suggests.

What are Dong Ho paintings made from?

Traditional Dong Ho paintings are printed on handmade paper traditionally coated with scallop powder. Natural pigments can be produced from materials such as plants, minerals, ash, and other natural substances.

Why is Dong Ho painting important?

Dong Ho painting is important because it reflects Vietnamese folk culture, beliefs, rural life, humor, family values, and traditional craftsmanship. The craft has been practiced for centuries and was inscribed by UNESCO in 2025 on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

Can tourists make their own Dong Ho painting?

Yes. Depending on the workshop or tour arrangement, visitors can have the opportunity to learn about the traditional printing process and try creating their own print under local guidance.

What is the best time to visit Dong Ho Painting Village?

The final months of the lunar year and early spring are especially interesting because Dong Ho paintings have traditionally been associated with Tet and seasonal home decoration. However, the village can be visited throughout the year.

Can I visit Dong Ho Painting Village as a day trip from Hanoi?

Yes. Dong Ho Painting Village is close enough to Hanoi to be included in a full-day cultural itinerary. It can also be combined with other traditional craft villages, temples, and countryside attractions in Bac Ninh.

Experience Dong Ho Painting Village with Hanoi Local Tour

Dong Ho Painting Village provides a rare opportunity to see Vietnamese culture through the hands of local artisans.

Here, traditional art is not separated from everyday life. The paper, pigments, wooden blocks, stories, symbols, and printing techniques all reflect a cultural tradition that has been passed down through generations.

For international travelers exploring Hanoi, a visit to Dong Ho Painting Village is an opportunity to leave the city behind for a few hours and discover a quieter, more authentic side of northern Vietnam.

You can learn why scallop paper has its distinctive texture, see how natural colors are prepared, understand how carved wooden blocks create the final image, and discover the stories hidden behind familiar Vietnamese animals and village scenes.

Most importantly, you can experience a tradition that is still being preserved at a time when UNESCO has recognized the urgent need to safeguard it for future generations.