Do you want to know more about Dong Ho?

Curious to know who makes Dong Ho woodblock prints and how they do it?
To answer these questions and more, please join our founder, Mai Nguyen, for a tour of Dong Ho village! ​Let's go!

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The printmaking village

Located in Bac Ninh province, north of Vietnam, Dong Ho village has a tradition of woodblock prints dated back to as far as the 15th century. Depicting society and living environment, these affordable prints were fondly bought and hung in the house of many Vietnamese, rich and poor alike, for many centuries. People believed that it will bring good luck to their family. 

Sadly, this cultural heritage has seen a steep decline in the last two decades, due to changes in people's lifestyle and aspirations. Artisans could not sell enough prints to sustain the whole village and so only two out of the original 150 families - that of Mr. Nguyen Dang Che and Mr. Nguyen Huu Sam - still carry on with this print-making tradition.

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Co-creating art with nature

A unique aspect of these prints is that they are hand-made from natural materials. The paper comes from the bark of dó tree, its white coating from mother of pearl, red ink from rocks, yellow from sophora flowers, green from chàm plant (also known as indigo plant) and black from the ash of bamboo leaves. Crafted from nature, Ingo kit will be friendly to kids as well as our environment.

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​Our motivation

With Ingo kits, we want to tackle the above issues by transforming this traditional art into a fun, hands-on and valuable education for children, especially in Vietnam. We hope that they will grow up with an awareness and appreciation for Dong Ho prints. Ingo will also help Dong Ho artisans - our business partners - to have a better income and greater motivation to preserve the art for future generations. 

By supporting Ingo, you are helping our cultural heritage to stay alive.