Hundreds of Dong Ho folk painting delighted visitors at an Asian festival at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

At the Vietnamese stall decorated with eye-catching colourful lanterns from Hoi An, attendees could pick Dong Ho drawings and have them printed as gifts.

Woodcut prints, do (poonar) paper and colours made from natural materials purchased in Dong Ho village were used to generate approximately 300 pictures in five hours.

The Dong Ho drawings are black and white, with their backs filled with descriptions of the Vietnam’s handicraft.

They have been a medium for daily activities and religious practices of farmers in the Red River Delta.

Popular works chosen by visitors included paintings of a monkey, a tiger, a boy playing the flute and a wedding between mice.

Tran Thang, head of the Institute for Vietnamese Culture & Education, which organised the stall, said his agency received great support from volunteers.

The festival took place on February 21. It showcased traditional cultures of China, the Republic of Korea, Mongolia and Vietnam.

Themed “Spotlight Asia: Ring in the Year of the Monkey”, the museum’s Lunar New Year festival celebrates Asian art and culture through contemporary choreography, traditional storytelling and hands-on activities taught by local artisans.

This year’s Asian festival is the third in a row hosted by the American Museum of Natural History.

VNA