Printing spring on paper made from tree bark: dó paper and Đông Hồ woodblock prints

Where was it born?

Dó paper (giấy dó) is handmade from the bark of a tree called dó. The bark is boiled and pounded, the loosened fibers are dispersed in water, and sheets are scooped up one at a time. Because the long fibers intertwine, the paper is hard to tear even when thin and is said to last for centuries. It was once essential for copying books, writing poetry and printing folk prints. Dương Ổ village in Bắc Ninh Province in the north is known as the center of dó papermaking, but only a handful of households still make it by hand.

The best-known use of dó paper is Đông Hồ painting, the woodblock prints born in Đông Hồ village in Bắc Ninh Province. The paper is coated with powder from crushed shells similar to scallops, creating a distinctive shimmering ground. Colors come from natural materials, such as black from charred bamboo leaves; a separate woodblock is used for each color, printed one layer at a time, and the black outlines are printed last. The subjects are prayers, history and scenes of daily life. The Rat’s Wedding and the mother pig with her piglets are famous, and the prints were traditionally hung at home for Tết (Lunar New Year). In 2025 they were inscribed on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

How to tell them apart and choose

Held up to the light, hand-printed Đông Hồ prints shimmer faintly with shell powder, and the layers of color are slightly out of register. Cheap machine-printed copies are common, so look closely at the paper’s texture and how the colors overlap. Dó paper also comes in items that suit modern life, such as notebooks, postcards, calendars and paper accessories, so it is easy to pick up.

How to buy and bring them home

Humidity and creases are the enemies of paper goods. Keep prints flat rather than rolled, sandwiched between cardboard or in a clear folder, and pack them against the back panel of your suitcase. Framed once you are home, they make lovely seasonal decorations for years to come. A print of the zodiac animal makes a charming gift for the new year, too.