With patient strokes of a chisel, white sapwood planks, and layers of Chinese ink soaked into dó paper, a centuries-old craft is being brought back to life - Thanh Lieu woodblock printing.
In a digital age where traditional crafts are fading amid rapid modernization, VietNamNet launches a special series honoring those who preserve Vietnam’s intangible cultural heritage - beginning with Thanh Lieu woodblock printing (500 years old), Nam Cao silk weaving (400 years), and the water puppet guild of Nguyen Xa, home to the largest Teu puppet in Vietnam.
For centuries, the sounds of chiseling and rhythmic carving echoed through Thanh Lieu (formerly of Hai Duong, now part of Hai Phong’s Tan Hung Ward). Between the 15th and 19th centuries, Thanh Lieu, along with Lieu Trang and Khue Lieu, was one of Vietnam’s three leading centers of woodblock printing, producing thousands of scriptures, documents, and seals - becoming a cradle of Vietnamese knowledge.
As time passed, that golden era faded into obscurity - until Nguyen Cong Dat, born in 1992, decided to revive the craft with passion, persistence, and deep cultural pride.
Artisan Nguyen Cong Dat (in black) restores the woodblock tradition of Thanh Lieu.
Echoes of a glorious past
According to the Dư địa chí of Hai Duong, the founder of Thanh Lieu woodblock printing was Luong Nhu Hoc, a 15th-century scholar born in 1420. After two diplomatic missions to China, he brought the woodblock technique back to Vietnam and taught it to the three villages of Thanh Lieu, Lieu Trang, and Khue Lieu. The area soon became a printing hub for Dai Viet, with men carving blocks and women and children handling printing - creating prosperity for the region.
Only around 20 of the hundreds of craftsmen were skilled enough to carve Buddhist and Confucian scriptures - requiring fluency in classical Chinese and masterful technique. These artisans created woodblocks containing the nation’s intellectual essence - some of which are now national treasures, such as the Hai Thuong Y Tong Tam Linh, Buddhist scriptures from An Binh Pagoda, and the Nguyen Dynasty woodblock collection, now recognized as a UNESCO Memory of the World.
But by the early 20th century, modern printing had rendered the traditional method obsolete. The chisels fell silent, the masters passed on, and the craft dwindled to a few silent households.
From youthful curiosity to cultural mission
Growing up in a land steeped in heritage, Dat carried a strong pride in his hometown. As a high school student, he often wondered: how could a village with such historical significance become forgotten?
In 2010, while studying at Hanoi Open University, Dat began seriously exploring the craft. What started as curiosity became a scholarly pursuit - learning classical Chinese, poring over ancient texts, and visiting pagodas and libraries to trace the craft’s lineage.
He traveled to more than 100 pagodas to examine preserved scriptures and prints. Each weathered page, each fine carving, was a clue helping him reconstruct the village’s forgotten legacy. Dat compiled over 200 names of former Thanh Lieu artisans - names that might’ve been lost without his perseverance.
Beyond collecting, he consulted with researchers, cross-referenced sources, and mapped out the industry’s historical timeline. He uncovered major findings: In the early 19th century, Thanh Lieu craftsmen carved woodblocks for the Nguyen Dynasty in Hue; others created seven massive scripture collections - over 700 plates - at Tram Gian Pagoda in An Phu, Hai Phong. These discoveries proved Thanh Lieu had once been home to Vietnam’s finest artisans.
From chisel to ink, a centuries-old craft is finding life again in Thanh Lieu.
Reviving a fading craft - stroke by stroke
Dat understood that research alone could not save the tradition. He began learning the craft from scratch: selecting wood, soaking and drying it, flattening planks, then carving both characters and images. Every step demanded calm, meditative focus.
The preferred material - persimmon wood - had to be soaked for 3–6 months to remove resin, then air-dried before being shaved into 2.5–3cm thick boards. Classical Chinese scripts were handwritten, then transferred onto dó paper, inked, and pasted onto the wood. Once the paper was peeled off, the ink left an outline for carving.
The most delicate tool was Thanh Lieu’s signature invention: the horizontal chisel (dao ngang) - a curved blade with a buffalo horn handle designed by Luong Nhu Hoc. This allowed artisans to carve intricate, grain-sized lines unmatched by tools in China or Japan.
"Each character takes hundreds of strokes. To carve well, the craftsman must have a still mind and steady hands - like in meditation," said Nguyen Cong Dat.
The printing process involved Chinese ink, dó paper, and loofah fiber. Books were stitched with paper thread and bound with natural lacquer, allowing them to last centuries. Thanks to this meticulous technique, many Vietnamese woodblocks have survived intact for 300–500 years.
Dat also recreated old tools, collected vintage prints and blocks, and returned them to his village - creating living relics of a once-glorious craft.
Yet Dat’s greatest ambition isn’t merely to preserve the past - but to revive woodblock printing in modern life.
He co-founded the Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Thanh Lieu Woodblock Printing. Together with other artisans, he organizes workshops for students, sets up small classes to teach carving and printing, and recreates the entire process for the public - showing why this heritage deserves to be cherished.
He also creates modern works: woodblock prints of Turtle Tower, Khue Van Pavilion, Hoi An Ancient Town, My Son Sanctuary - allowing tourists to take home a piece of Vietnam’s soul, hand-carved with love.
Dat once brought Thanh Lieu’s story to South Korea at an international conference on woodblock printing. There, international experts were astonished by the precision of the horizontal chisel and Vietnam’s distinct technique.
His next dream is to build a dedicated center for Thanh Lieu woodblock printing - a museum and hands-on workshop where visitors can witness the process, touch the tools, and print their own wooden masterpieces.
This center would house ancient woodblocks, traditional tools, contemporary creations, and the stories of master artisans from centuries past. To Dat, it’s a way to give back to his homeland - and let the heritage breathe with today’s pulse.
He knows the path is difficult. Traditional crafts struggle against technology, face limited markets, and few young people are willing to commit. But for him, it’s more than a job - it’s a cultural lifeline.
"I’m afraid that if our generation doesn’t act, this craft will vanish forever. Woodblocks are the spiritual DNA of Vietnamese culture. We must keep telling its story," he said.
In the age of digital dominance, Nguyen Cong Dat’s journey is a testament to the power of belief, perseverance, and cultural pride. He’s not just reviving a craft - but helping an entire heritage rise from silence to song.
From patient chisels, polished wood, and inky paper, a legacy lives again - not just in the artisan’s hands, but in the hearts of Vietnamese people who still treasure their cultural roots.
Vietnamnet.vn
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