After a period of temporary closure, in early August this year, Ngu Ha Vien – the garden house near Ngu Ha River - reopened with an engaging program introducing the Thanh Liễu woodblock heritage of Hai Duong.

In the article “Pho Loi River through the Nguyen Dynasty’s Woodblock”, the author Thom Quang cited a historical information: “In Dai Nam thuc luc woodblock No. 154, the carved page 2 recorded that in the year At Mui of Lunar Calendar (1835), Emperor Minh Mang issued an edict for Thua Thien Hue Province to dig Pho Loi River”. Pho Loi River stretches along the route from Hue, starting from the point where it meets the Huong River and then flowing out to Thuan An seaport.

Artisans from Thanh Lieu craft village (Hai Duong) have recently given a performance and recounted the journey of reviving and preserving the traditional art of woodblock printing passed down by their ancestors.

"I want each of my works not only to be beautiful but also to tell a story about Co Tu people, their life, their beliefs and their traditional values left behind by their ancestors,” said Pham Van Ve, a 26-year-old man with a passion for portraying his ethnic identity through wood carving.

From rough, shapeless wood blocks, through a chisel and skillful hands, Mr. Cu Dai, residing in Ta Ay village, Trung Son commune, has breathed life into wood carvings, making them unique.

Thuy Xuan hill area, Hue city is famous for ancient pagodas such as Tu Hieu, Dong Thuyen, Bao Lam, Chau Lam, Dieu Nghiem, etc. Being lost in the clouds and wind with many rows of pine trees rustling on these hillsides in the early morning or at dusk, and listening to the sound of temple bells ringing in the wind and the steady sound of wooden bell echoing from the pagodas make my heart strangely calm and peaceful.

The Nine Urns, a national treasure located in Hue Imperial Palace, feature carved images of Vietnam that may be familiar to those who have visited the site. These images have now been recreated on wood by a group of skilled experts and artists using their unique and impressive techniques.

The stunningly beautiful carved images on Cuu Dinh (Nine Dynastic Urns) inside Hue Imperial City have become even more fascinating and unique as they have been transformed into wood-carved paintings by a group of experts and artists.

Inspired by patterns on Nine Dynastic Urns of the Nguyen Dynasty, which located in Hue Imperial Citadel, nearly 60 wood engraving artworks have been curated and introduced to the public on the morning of March 19th at Le Ba Dang Art Center (Hue Museum of Fine Arts, 15 Le Loi Street, Hue City).

Along with Kien Trung Palace, Thai Hoa Palace, a palace with the largest and most beautiful wooden architecture of Hue Imperial Citadel, has also been opened by the Hue Monuments Conservation Center to welcome visitors on the Lunar New Year of the Dragon 2024.

Having loved woodcuts since she was a student at Hue University of Arts, for artist Tran Thi Thanh Dung, a lecturer at the Faculty of Applied Arts, the wood carving genre has always been an endless source of inspiration for her creativity for more than 10 years.

This season is when herbs are high in medicine and bees make honey. People in the highland of A Luoi then start their hard and dangerous trips looking for vegetables, mushrooms, honey, creek fishes, and so on.

Once following a friend of mine to Hoi An (Quang Nam province), I was quite impressed with the communal house of Cam Thanh commune. From outside, the building has a bold characteristic of the image of a Vietnamese village with a row of upright areca palm trees. In particular, the structure of sturdy wooden columns and bamboo frames, and available natural materials make visitors feel close to their homeland.