Hand Papermaking Traditions of Việt Nam

Hand Papermaking Traditions of Việt Nam by James Ojascastro, Veronica Y Phạm, Trần Hồng Nhung, and Robbie Hart

Hand Papermaking Traditions of
Việt Nam

By James Ojascastro, Veronica Y Phạm, Trần Hồng Nhung,
and Robbie Hart

Abstract: Although Việt Nam has one of the oldest papermaking traditions in the world, the plants and methods used in their 1600+ year old history of handmade paper arts remain poorly documented. Since the third century AD, Vietnamese paper has been used for calligraphy, painting, funerary rituals, and packaging for fireworks; however, globalization and the ongoing legacy of war threaten its continued production and use. Of particular concern is the fragmentation of many Vietnamese papermaking processes into geographically disparate components. Extant traditions of fiber harvest and of processing fiber into paper persist but have become poorly connected among geographically separated communities. Loss of either of these components will elicit the loss of not only unique and endemic hand papermaking traditions, but also their many artisanal uses. Here, we document the plants and processing methods employed in five papermaking traditions still practiced in northern Việt Nam and compare them to other East Asian hand papermaking traditions. Additionally, by comparing our field studies with colonial-era documents, we evaluate the dynamics of Vietnamese hand papermaking since the mid-20th century, including declines in its knowledge base and practice. We conclude with recommendations to better support and conserve Vietnamese hand papermaking and paper arts traditions—and the diverse set of plant species on which they depend.

James Ojascastro is an ethnobotanist, papermaker, and origamist who blends science and art to inform his research and inspire his creative practice. He completed his Ph.D. in 2023 at Washington University in St. Louis in partnership with the Missouri Botanical Garden, where he studied the ecological connections between plants and people through the lens of artisanal papermaking. Currently, James lives in Georgia, where he manages field botany and plant conservation programs for the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

Veronica Y Phạm is an multidisciplinary artist, educator, and designer currently teaching at the University of Vermont. Phạm primarily works in papermaking and fiber arts in her studio practice. Her work focuses on traditional craft specific to Vietnamese and Chinese histories to connect ideas of ritual, process, labor, and identity. The materials in her work often become environmental investigations about local ecology and place-based making. Phạm continues to work with traditional and contemporary papermakers in Việt Nam with a focus on collaborative projects and research. Phạm received her MFA in Design Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has shown her work nationally and internationally and has taught papermaking arts at the Minnesota Center for the Book, Chazen Art Museum, Zó Project, Fresh Press Paper, Southeast Asia Summer Institute, and will teach upcoming workshops at Penland School of Craft, and Ow-Bow Paper and Book Intensive.

Trần Hồng Nhung is the founder of Zó Project, a social enterprise with the mission of preserving and developing traditional papermaking in Việt Nam which has more than 800 years of history. After graduating in 2005 with a master's degree in Business Management from the IAE Aix-Marseille Graduate School of Management (France), Nhung decided to come back to Việt Nam to work for the non-profit sector to support local community development in Việt Nam. Nhung established Zó Project with the vision to create a sustainable business as a better way to help communities in the long term. Her collaborative projects with local communities have been successful in the ecological conservation and reforestation of dó trees that use this historical fiber for traditional papermaking. She continues to work on educational projects that help connect the younger generation to preserve and pass down traditional craft knowledge.

Nhung is concerned with social, environmental, and economic development for the ethnic minority groups in Việt Nam where traditional craft practices are their sustainable livelihood. In the last 10 years, this research has led her to collaborate with traditional papermaking communities, artists, and researchers in the hopes that traditional papermaking would be recognized globally as an intangible cultural heritage craft.

Robbie Hart is an ecologist and ethnobotanist who studies how climate change impacts plants and people. He currently leads the William L. Brown Center at Missouri Botanical Garden, a team of researchers dedicated to the study of useful plants, understanding the relationships between humans, plants, and their environment, the conservation of plant species, and the preservation of traditional knowledge for the benefit of future generations.

  • 1. Background
  • 2. Dó (Rhamnoneuron balansae)
    • 2.1. Introduction
    • 2.2 Fiber Harvesting
    • 2.3 Papermaking
      • 2.3.1 Fiber Processing
      • 2.3.2 Formation Aid
      • 2.3.3 Papermaking Tools
      • 2.3.4 Sheet Formation
      • 2.3.5 Drying
      • 2.3.6 Recycled Paper
    • 2.4 Toolmakers for Dó Papermaking
      • 2.4.1 Khung Seo Construction
      • 2.4.2 Liềm Seo Construction
    • 2.5 Uses
      • 2.5.1 Painting and Printing
      • 2.5.2 Worship
      • 2.5.3 Royal Edicts
      • 2.5.4 Gilding
      • 2.5.5 Origami
    • 2.6 Current Status
  • 3. Dướng (Broussonetia papyrifera)
    • 3.1 Introduction
      • 3.1.1 Mường
      • 3.1.2 Nùng
    • 3.2 Fiber Harvesting
      • 3.2.1 Mường Fiber Harvesting
      • 3.2.2 Nùng Fiber Harvesting
    • 3.3 Mường Papermaking
      • 3.3.1 Fiber Processing
      • 3.3.2 Formation Aid
      • 3.3.3 Sheet Formation and Drying
    • 3.4 Nùng Papermaking
      • 3.4.1 Fiber Processing
      • 3.4.2 Formation Aid
      • 3.4.3 Sheet Formation
    • 3.5 Uses
      • 3.5.1 Writing
      • 3.5.2 Burning
      • 3.5.3 Packaging
      • 3.5.4 Coloring
    • 3.6 Current Status
  • 4. Dó liệt (Wikstroemia indica)
    • 4.1 Introduction
    • 4.2 Fiber Harvesting
    • 4.3 Papermaking
      • 4.3.1 Fiber Processing
      • 4.3.2 Formation Aid
      • 4.3.3 Sheet Formation and Drying
    • 4.4 Uses
    • 4.5 Current Status
  • 5. Haupau (Linostoma persimile)
    • 5.1 Introduction
    • 5.2 Fiber Harvesting
    • 5.3 Papermaking
      • 5.3.1 Fiber Processing
      • 5.3.2 Formation Aid
      • 5.3.3 Sheet Formation and Drying
    • 5.4 Uses
      • 5.4.1 Burning
      • 5.4.2 Writing
    • 5.5 Current Status
  • 6. Dó trầm (Aquilaria crassna)
  • 7. Conservation
    • 7.1 Reinforcing Extant Connections
    • 7.2 Restoring Extinct Connections
    • 7.3 Creating New Connections
      • 7.3.1 Origami
      • 7.3.2 Trúc Chỉ and Trucchigraphy
    • 7.4 Botanical Vouchering
  • 8. Conclusion
  • References Cited 
  • Appendix A.
  • Appendix B.
  • Author Biographies
  • Glossary