Đông Hồ woodblock print “Thánh Gióng” – Saint Gióng repelling the Ân invaders

A young hero on horseback, wielding a torn-up bamboo stalk as a weapon: Vietnam's most famous warrior legend.

History and symbolism

The inscription 董天王大破殷賊 reads "Đổng Thiên Vương đại phá Ân tặc": "The Celestial King of Phù Đổng crushes the Ân invaders". Legend has it that a child from the village of Phù Đổng, mute until the age of three, suddenly grew into a giant to repel the enemy. Mounted on an iron horse, he brandished torn-up bamboo stalks when his weapon broke, then ascended to the sky once victory was won. Gióng is revered as one of the country's four immortals.

Craftsmanship

It comes from the workshop of Nguyễn Hữu Đạo, son and grandson of master artisans from Đông Hồ. The natural colors are pressed one by one with engraved wooden blocks, on dó paper coated with crushed shells (điệp), with the black outlines printed last. Red artisan seal. Hand-printed: slight variations from one print to another.

Decoration & gift idea

Vibrant and full of movement, it makes a striking addition to an office, a teenager's bedroom, or a living room. A symbolic gift of courage.

Đông Hồ prints in brief

A Vietnamese heritage nearly five centuries old, Đông Hồ folk prints originated in the village of the same name in Thuận Thành (Bắc Ninh province). Each image is entirely handmade, from the drawing and block carving to the printing, and its themes – wishes for happiness, scenes of daily life, history, and worship – have made it the traditional image of Têt, the Lunar New Year. In December 2025, UNESCO added this craft, which is still perpetuated by only a few families, to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

Specifications

• Size: 27 × 36 cm
• Orientation: Landscape (horizontal)
• Technique: woodblock print (wood engraving), hand-printed
• Support: dó paper coated with shell powder (điệp)
• Natural pigments
• Signed with the seal of artisan Nguyễn Hữu Đạo
• Sold unframed – the framing shown in the lifestyle photos is for illustrative purposes only
• Origin: Đông Hồ village, Thuận Thành, Bắc Ninh province, Vietnam