Hanoi (VNA) – The Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam Centre for Cultural and Scientific Activities opened an exhibition themed “Founding Craftsmen and Confucian Scholars of Vietnam” in the Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature – Imperial Academy) special national relic site in Hanoi on November 9, marking the 950th anniversary of Quoc Tu Giam.
Marking the start of the Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2026, the November 9 - December 5 show spotlights how examination-honoured scholars spread knowledge and built traditional handicrafts, while offering a new lens on heritage as raw material for contemporary art.
Nguyen Van Tu, Deputy Director of the centre, said at the opening ceremony that Vietnam’s examination-based education has trained thousands of talents over more than 950 years. Many of them spread knowledge and developed folk crafts, earning recognition as founding craftsmen.
On display is a set of eight doctoral laureates carved into the Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam steles, each tied to a traditional craft: Luong Nhu Hoc with woodblock printing, Pham Don Le with mat weaving. Tran Lu with traditional lacquer, Nguyen Quang Tan with oil pressing, Phung Khac Khoan with luot weaving, Le Cong Hanh with embroidery, Nguyen Thoi Trung with leather tanning, and Nguyen Chinh with tin leafing. The show also features Confucian scholar Dang Huy Tru, a key figure in bringing photography to Vietnam.
Each craft is presented through historical documents, artworks and live practice by contemporary artisans and artists.
Artist and lecturer Nguyen The Son from the School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts at the Vietnam National University, Hanoi said the event follows nearly a year of research and creation and involves about 40 artists, artisans and art students.
It is linked to the art project “Stories of communal houses in the city” which profiles 20 communal houses dedicated to craft ancestors. Moving those stories from village communal houses into Van Mieu–Quoc Tu Giam connects layers of urban cultural memory and underscores national learning’s role in socio-economic and cultural life.
A visual anchor is artist Tran Hau Yen The’s system of mica-engraved steles across the exhibition space, a deliberate link between traditional stone steles and modern visual language.
Rather than limiting itself to biographies and distinctions, the display pushes heritage through wood engraving, lacquer, embroidery, textiles, sculpture, photography and installation art./.
