3 types of Vietnamese painting

Influenced by Chinese aesthetics, French design and Vietnamese traditional art, contemporary Vietnamese paintings showcase a mix of different styles and backgrounds.

Lacquer Painting

With pieces found from the third and fourth centuries B.C., Vietnam’s ancient art of lacquer paintings still proves to be popular. Building off of the traditional colours of brown, black and vermilion, hot lacquer is applied in layers to a lacquered piece of cloth attached to wood. Once the design is complete, the entire piece is polished to a glimmering sheen.

A Vietnamese Folk Painting showing a parade of rats playing musical instruments.

Silk Paintings

Particularly popular between 1925-1945, the Vietnamese style of painting on silk was known for a subtle softness that stood out from the European-style paintings using heavy oil paints.

Vietnamese silk painting

Folk Prints

Depicting scenes of folk tales, daily life or good luck symbols, traditional folk art is often made by using engraved woodblock prints using bright primary colours on homemade paper. This still of painting is believed to have originated in Ho Village, north of Hanoi, then spread throughout the country.

A Vietnamese Lacquer Painting on wooden panels.