To keep Dong Ho paintings always a symbol of identity and the desire to preserve traditional values

Delegates cut the ribbon to open the program "Quintessence of Bac Ninh culture - Colors of Dong Ho". (Photo: Thanh Long)

The program aims to promote and popularize the culture of Kinh Bac region, and at the same time, mobilize UNESCO to include this folk painting craft in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent protection of humanity.

Attending the program were Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ngo Le Van; Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Bac Ninh Province Nguyen Anh Tuan; Member of the Standing Committee, Vice Chairman of the Bac Ninh Provincial People's Committee Le Xuan Loi; Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Cultural Diplomacy, Secretary General of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO Le Thi Hong Van; representatives of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Hanoi People's Committee; and many Ambassadors, Charge d'Affaires, and Heads of international organizations in Vietnam.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Foreign Minister Ngo Le Van said that over thousands of years of history, Vietnamese culture has continuously developed and shone, crystallizing the indomitable spirit, compassion, tolerance and enduring creativity of generations of Vietnamese people.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ngo Le Van affirmed that Dong Ho paintings will always be preserved as a symbol of identity and the desire to preserve traditional values. (Photo: Thanh Long)

Nowadays, culture is not only the source of identity, but also an endogenous resource for sustainable development, an important connotation in foreign affairs activities, through which Vietnam will also contribute its "footprint" to the treasure of human civilization.

According to Deputy Minister Ngo Le Van, on the journey of spreading that identity, Bac Ninh - the land of Kinh Bac with a thousand years of culture, a sacred land and talented people - always holds a special position. This is the origin of sweet Quan Ho melodies, a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity, and also the place where Dong Ho folk paintings, a type of woodcut art imbued with Vietnamese identity, were "conceived".

Quan Ho Bac Ninh performance. (Photo: Thanh Long)

Pointing out the context of strong modernization and globalization, Deputy Minister Ngo Le Van emphasized that Dong Ho paintings are still preserved as a symbol of identity and the desire to preserve traditional values.

Related News

Preserving the intangible cultural heritage value of the traditional festival of Tranh Temple

Each painting and color stroke is a "manifesto" about the Vietnamese people's lifestyle in harmony with nature, containing many profound stories.

Therefore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, Bac Ninh province and other departments, ministries and sectors are making efforts with international friends to make Dong Ho folk paintings an Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent protection of humanity.

“I believe that, with sincere cooperation and love for traditional values, we can together write new chapters for the heritage story, not only to preserve, but also to develop and spread that heritage to future generations,” affirmed Deputy Foreign Minister Ngo Le Van.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Bac Ninh Provincial Party Committee, said that each Dong Ho painting contains a story about the life, dreams and aspirations of Kinh Bac people in particular and Vietnamese people in general. (Photo: Thanh Long)

Emotionally sharing about Dong Ho paintings, Central Party Committee member, Bac Ninh Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Anh Tuan said that each work is not just a painting but also contains a story about the life, dreams and aspirations of Bac Ninh people in particular and Vietnamese people in general.

Through the program "Quintessence of Bac Ninh culture - Dong Ho colors", the province hopes to receive support from everyone, so that by 2025, the craft of making Dong Ho folk paintings will be included by UNESCO in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Protection.

"Bac Ninh province is committed to seriously, fully and responsibly implementing regulations to preserve and develop the craft of making Dong Ho paintings," Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan declared.

On the afternoon of March 26, during the official visit to Vietnam from March 25-26 of Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his wife, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's wife Le Thi Bich Tran presented Mrs. Loo Tze Lui with a Dong Ho painting titled "The Buffalo Herder Playing the Flute". (Photo: Nguyen Hong)

Secretary of the Bac Ninh Provincial Party Committee Nguyen Anh Tuan pointed out the bright spots in the work of preserving and promoting Quan Ho folk songs in Bac Ninh. Specifically, the province has continuously restored the performance spaces of the original Quan Ho villages, developed Quan Ho practice villages; established many Quan Ho clubs; and issued mechanisms and preferential policies for the above localities.

In particular, recently, the MV "Bac Bling" by singer Hoa Minzy reached more than 93 million views after nearly 1 month of release, receiving praise from Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh for breathing life into the nation's traditional art.

Delegates experience making Dong Ho paintings. (Photo: Thanh Long)

Taking place from March 29-30 at Ba Kieu Temple Flower Garden (Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi), the program "Bac Ninh Cultural Quintessence - Dong Ho Colors" is an activity to introduce and promote this unique folk painting genre; at the same time, continue to promote the heritage of Quan Ho folk songs and other traditional art forms of the province.

Within the framework of the program, the exhibition booths will introduce many unique cultural products of Bac Ninh including traditional craft village products, OCOP products, and specialties of "Quan Ho hometown gifts".

This is also an opportunity for Bac Ninh to connect and exchange with Hanoi and other regions across the country and internationally, thereby attracting domestic and foreign tourists to the capital as well as to Kinh Bac land.

Many young people also expressed their interest in learning about this unique type of painting. (Photo: Thanh Long)

Some pictures of the program "Bac Ninh cultural essence - Dong Ho colors":

In 2013, the craft of making Dong Ho folk paintings was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage.

In 2017, Vietnam began preparing a national dossier to request UNESCO to include this type of painting in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent protection.

In March 2020, Vietnam submitted the dossier "Dong Ho folk painting craft" to UNESCO with the hope that the organization would consider inscribing this art form on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent protection.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/de-tranh-dong-ho-luon-la-bieu-tuong-cua-ban-sac-va-khat-vong-bao-ton-gia-tri-truyen-thong-309251.html