Khuc Toai, also known by its traditional name Lang Choi, lies along the Ngu Huyen Khe River and is long associated with carpentry and the famous Dong Ho woodblock prints.

Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Van Hung is constantly seeking new themes for his wooden mosaic paintings.

For centuries, generations of artisans here have remained committed to woodworking, both to honour national culture and to innovate in ways that keep the craft relevant in modern times.

Among them is Nguyen Van Hung, born in 1962, a Meritorious Artisan who, now in his early 60s, continues to work daily in his workshop, cutting and assembling fragments of wood into paintings rich in cultural symbolism and artistic depth.

Raised in a traditional craft village, Hung became familiar with saws and chisels from a young age, developing an intimate relationship with wood that would define his life’s work.

In 1985, the first wooden mosaic paintings produced by Hung’s family were exhibited at the Giang Vo Exhibition Centre in Hanoi. The works, distinguished by techniques unique to the ancient craft village and by meticulous workmanship, immediately attracted public attention.

They won three gold medals and one silver medal, marking a turning point that encouraged Hung to further immerse himself in cultural research and sustained creative practice.

Wooden mosaic paintings are broadly divided into two types: relief and flat. Relief mosaics feature elements that rise distinctly from the surface, while flat mosaics are assembled to create a smooth, level plane.

Producing a single work involves multiple stages, from selecting themes and sketching designs on paper to sourcing raw materials, processing roots and timber, shaping individual pieces and carefully assembling them into a coherent composition.

According to Hung, creating high-quality works requires not only technical skill but also a solid cultural foundation and a refined sensitivity to colour.

Each painting combines many small pieces made from different types of wood, each carrying its own natural hue: the warm yellow of jackfruit wood, the deep black of ebony, the reddish-brown tones of ironwood, fragrant wood or rosewood, and the pale whites of chinaberry or eucalyptus.

These natural colours allow traditional Vietnamese culture to emerge organically and vividly in his works.

Beyond his personal artistic practice, Hung has also helped sustain livelihoods in the craft village. In 2022, he was among the first to establish the Khuc Toai Fine Woodcraft Cooperative, which now has more than 20 members and provides stable employment for dozens of local workers.

Over more than four decades, Hung has produced hundreds of works depicting rural landscapes, folk life, Quan ho folk singing culture and Dong Ho themes recreated on wooden mosaics, including “The Mouse’s Wedding,” “Buffalo Boy Playing the Flute,” and “Return in Glory.”

Between 2021 and 2024, five of his wooden mosaic paintings were recognised under Vietnam’s “One Commune, One Product” (OCOP) programme at the provincial level. These works, such as “Hung Kings Festival,” “Spring Festival in Kinh Bac,” “Hanoi - Views Through Time,” “Vietnamese Bronze Drum,” and “The Four Seasons,” have won prizes at major domestic fairs and exhibitions.

Nguyen Van Hieu, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Kinh Bac ward, said Hung’s family had brought a new creative momentum to the village with their distinctive wooden mosaic art.

He noted that these were among the first products from Khuc Toai to join the OCOP programme, helping pave the way for other traditional products to gain recognition and added value.

In 2020, Hung was awarded the title of Meritorious Artisan by Vietnam’s President, an official acknowledgement of a craftsman who has quietly devoted his life to awakening cultural colours from the simple, unadorned grains of his homeland’s wood.

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