For the first time in Vietnam, an art boat cruise exhibiting a quintessential feature of the Red River Delta, Hang Trong folk paintings, will take place aboard one of the five-star Emperor Cruises ( www.emperorcruiseshalong.com ) in Bai Tu Long Bay from 1 February to 2 April.
With the theme ‘Feel Vietnamese Tet through old Hang Trong Folk Paintings’, the precious folk paintings at the exhibition belong to the private art collection of Mr. Pham Ha, co-founder of Emperor Cruises, who is passionate about Hang Trong folk paintings and keen to preserve traditional values and promote unique folk arts for international travellers. It also aims to help travellers discover Vietnam’s cultural heritage and immerse themselves in the art of Hang Trong folk paintings.
The first Hang Trong paintings appeared in the 17th century in the heart of the capital, from Hang Trong to Hang Quat Streets, which was a familiar area for arts and crafts. The last artisan, Le Dinh Nghien, said: ‘For the art of oriental painting, the process of strengthening the paper is very important. It decides the quality of a piece. Traditional ‘Do’ paper is very thin, so we need to add two or three layers to make it easier to colour.’
Apart from Tet themes, the artworks also depict religious and daily life. Hang Trong paintings show traditional habits and customs expressing joy, prosperity, and happiness, such as colourful flowers in spring, countryside markets, wet rice cultivation processes, classic paintings of Tu Binh Tung, Cuc, Truc, Mai (the four prosperity trees and flowers: pine, chrysanthemum, bamboo and apricot blossoms) and Mai, Sen, Cuc and Tung (apricot blossoms, lotuses, chrysanthemums, and pine) which are equivalent to the four seasons in north Vietnam, To nu (Four Young Ladies).
The beautiful and colourful paintings reflect the skilled hands of artisans. Pham Ha, a connoisseur and collector of folk paintings, said: ‘Hang Trong paintings represent the quintessence of Hanoi and the Red River Delta. They are half-printed and half-drawn. Their techniques are sophisticated and not everybody can do it. The technique of draining colours is very difficult, and even some professional painters fail. It looks simple but takes a dozen years to master. That’s why I like Hang Trong paintings so much.’
