TRAVELLIVE 2 - 2018

Bit mat bat
de (Blinded to
catch goats)
- Dong Ho Folk
Paintings
Expressing aspirations
and wishes
The folk paintings is a way for old
Vietnamese villagers to express
their aspirations and good wishes
for future generations. They wanted
nothing but a life of simple bliss, free
from harm by evil forces. The folk
paintings they hung in their houses
are considered "sacred charms" that
worship different gods in hope of a
tranquil life.
Through the paintings, the villagers
also wished for a full and happy life
with good crops, fertile soil, and
many children, especially a son to
continue the family line following
Vietnamese traditional beliefs. The
belief is evidently depicted in the
popular images of a chubby boy
holding a shrimp, a sh or a Buddha's
hand fruit. Some other themes
which express good wishes include a
corpulent pig with suckling piglets,
or a hen surrounded by chickens,
or sometimes just a pair of golden
roosters in Kim Hoang paintings or
a rooster with the words "Dai Cat"
written in Han characters in Dong Ho
paintings.
The folk paintings also brilliantly
portray Vietnam's spiritual life in the
early 20th century when every village
had their own pagoda. The "Thap vat"
painting style is the clearest indication
of spiritual values instilled in villagers
of Northern Vietnam. The paintings
are often small, simple, and only in
black, which are not to be hung, but
burned for the dead.
Some of the most lively folk paintings
depict popular past folk games such
as swinging, cock ghting, tug-ofwar,
chess playing, and catching a
goat while blindfolded. A number of
humorous themes can also be found
on folk paintings as well such as
Danh ghen (Jealousy) and Hung dua
(Coconuts catching). The folk painting
themes also include satirical potrayal
of the bribe culture in Dam cuoi
chuot, a rat's wedding which features
a wedding march of rats delivering
gifts to a big cat in hope that the cat
will leave the happy couple alone.
The folk paintings are among the
last few precious remains of old
Vietnamese rural life, and are a
legacy left behind by our Vietnamese
forefathers. This is a legacy that
will remain over time through
the restoration efforts that many
artisans are doing with Kim Hoang
folk paintings, and through the
essence of folk paintings captured
by contemporary artists in which the
same lines, colors, styles, and themes
are used in modern paintings to
portray a unique national identity.
Dong Ho folk paintings:
ñ Showroom 16 Chan Cam, Hang
Trong Ward, Hoan Kiem District,
Hanoi.
ñ Family of artisan Nguyen Dang Che,
Song Ho Commune, Thuan Thanh
District, Bac Ninh Province.
ñ Family of artisan Nguyen Huu Qua,
YOU CAN VISIT THE FOLLOWING ADDRESSES TO PURCHASE VIETNAMESE FOLK PAINTINGS
Song Ho Commune, Thuan Thanh
District, Bac Ninh Province.
To get to Dong Ho Village: Get on QL5
(route to Hai Phong) and continue
15km, turn left at Phu Thuy Station
and continue 18km to Ho Street,
Thuan Thanh District. From here, turn
left and continue 2km towards Ho
Lake. Or go to the end of Ho Street,
move on to the bank, turn left and at
the second bank watch, you will find a
sign showing you to Dong Ho.
Hang Trong folk paintings:
Family of artisan Le Dinh Nghien,
22 Cua Dong, Hoan Kiem District,
Hanoi.
Kim Hoang folk paintings:
Kim Hoang Folk Painting Restoration
Center , Kim Hoang Village Traditional
House, Van Canh Commune, Hoai
Duc District, Hanoi.
Sinh Village folk paintings:
Family of artisan Ky Huu Phuoc of Sinh
Village (also known as Lai An Village),
Phu Mau Commune, Phu Vang
District, Thua Thien Hue Province.
74
TRAVELLIVE