Hand Papermaking Traditions of Viet Nam

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.