VietNamNet Bridge – Lich Su Thu Phap Viet Nam (The History of Vietnamese Calligraphy), a book by 31-year-old researcher Nguyen Su, has just been published by Nha Nam Books. It is said to be a work of high quality with lots of illustrations and persuasive data by experts. Su has been a calligrapher since the age of 10, when he started learning the Han Chinese language and script at a pagoda in Ninh Binh Province. He has joined various calligraphy exhibitions at home and abroad. He works full time as a researcher at the Viet Nam Social Sciences Academy and teaches calligraphy during his free time. Le Huong spoke to him about his work:

Researcher: Nguyen Su with a historic artefact.

Please tell us about the content of your book.

It is divided into two parts. The first is a general overview of the history of calligraphy in countries like China, Japan and South Korea.

The second part explores the development of Vietnamese calligraphy, starting from engraving documents on artefacts like bronze drums, stone stelae during the Dong Son Civilisation (700-100 BC) up to the Later Le Dynasty (1428-1789). It also studies the development of different styles of Vietnamese calligraphy.

How did you gather data for the book? How long did it take?

I spent almost four years on the book. I accessed several libraries and various other sources for information on calligraphy in the past. It required a lot of time and patience.

Another main task was travelling to many areas to copy stelae to print on the book as illustrations for different styles in calligraphy.

Were there difficulties? Please share with us a few memorable incidents.

A lot of difficulties resulted from the fact that ancient objects had been wildly looted in localities. So locals doubted my work because they did not understand what I was doing. I had to prepare a lot of papers to identify myself and my job. But sometimes, they demanded more than the papers I had. At the same time, I also received a lot of support from concerned agencies from the central to local levels.

I remember most a trip to the northern province of Cao Bang to copy a stele by Le Loi (1385-1433). I had to climb up hills and walk through streams as the stele is located in a remote area. It took me several days to erect a bamboo scaffolding of 25m high to climb up the stele. It was scary to climb up the scaffolding to make a rubbing with the stone inscription and it was even more scary when it rained. But God blessed me. I finally succeeded in making a copy of the “document”. A local resident gave me a tasty boiled chicken as a gift. I felt very lucky then.

What are some of your findings about the origins of calligraphy in Viet Nam? Are there any similarities and differences between Vietnamese calligraphy and the art in China, Japan and South Korea?

As other researchers have also noted, the art of Vietnamese calligraphy was born at the same time as the introduction of Han Chinese characters into Viet Nam. The art of calligraphy in Viet Nam in general has developed at the same speed as in other countries in the region that use ideograms.

The Vietnamese people have developed their own styles of writing, like those used during the Ly (1009-1225) and Tran (1225-1400) dynasties.

Each dynasty had its own popular way of writing calligraphy and there have been many distinguished calligraphers throughout our history.

Under the Ly dynasty, the preference was for the style used by China’s Tang dynasty (618-907). Under the Tran dynasty, the stronger influence was China’s Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties.

Which was Vietnamese calligraphy’s golden period? What were the factors involved?

The periods that left behind the most historical documents on calligraphy were the end of Le Trung Hung (1533-1789) and the beginning of the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945). These periods can be considered as the golden time of Vietnamese calligraphy.

Dedicated: Nguyen Su climbs up the walls of a cave in Lang Son Province to make a rubbing of a stele. Photos courtesy of Nguyen Su

However, I still highly appreciate the art value of calligraphy in the Ly (1009-1225) and Tran (1226-1400) dynasties. Though there are not many historical documents mentioning the art of calligraphy under these two periods, what we can find is a stable foundation for calligraphy, which was as good as those in other countries.

Please tell us about your daily work? What will you do next?

Everyday, I read books, I mostly research Buddhism. At weekends, I teach calligraphy and Buddhism to some youngsters so that they can understand Buddhist aspects of the Vietnamese lifestyle and practise calligraphy.

I plan to write one or two more books, hopefully this year and the next. That’s my plan. Please wait and see whether I am able to realise them or not.

VNS