A destiny

Although artisan Nguyen Dinh Vinh was born and raised in Bac Ninh Province, his original hometown is in Chuon Ngo Village, Chuyen My Commune, Phu Xuyen District, Hanoi, where the traditional mother-of-pearl inlay craft of the village was deeply imprinted in his soul since his childhood.

After eight years of learning the craft, practising and working hard, from artisan Tran Ba Dinh - the person who keeps the “fire of the craft” for Chuon Village, Nguyen Dinh Vinh’s products were highly appreciated by artisan Tran Ba Dinh. That was the motivation for him to continue on his own path.

Artisan Nguyen Dinh Vinh always strives to create unique works

With 24-year experience in the craftmanship, artisan Nguyen Dinh Vinh has made numerous mother-of-pearl inlay products, which always brought satisfacion to customers, especially the works on Uncle Ho.

It must also be said that his “master” - Artisan Tran Ba Dinh - is the person who has been entrusted to make portraits of Uncle Ho and other Party and State leaders the most so far. Perhaps this is once again the fate that makes him love to inlay portraits of Uncle Ho.

Along with the hard work of making the mosaic of Uncle Ho, the one of late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is the one he treasures the most. He felt proud to be able to contribute and put all his efforts in such works.

Depicting culture in history

It is easy to realize that the artworks of artisan Nguyen Dinh Vinh are filled with historical culture. Some of them include “Carp jump crossing the dragon gate,” “The Mahasattva of Truc Lam leaves the Mountain,” “Emperor Quang Trung defeats the Qing army,” “Back to Quan Ho lan.” In particular, he devoted a lot of time, effort and money in two artworks “Fierce naval battles on the Bach Dang River,” which took him nearly 10 years. However, he felt very happy to create a meaningful product, helping convey the historical message and heroic spirit of our ancestors in the fight against foreign invaders,” artisan Nguyen Dinh Vinh shared.

Artisan mosaics attract customers’ attention at the 2024 Bac Ninh Tourism Cuisine Craft Village Festival

History professor Le Van Lan expressed, “On behalf of those who are lucky enough to enjoy the mother-of-pearl mosaic painting ‘Fierce naval battles on the Bach Dang River,’ I highly appreciate this work and the author deserves my thanks”.

After more than two decades involved in the craft, Nguyen Dinh Vinh still wishes to learn from previous generations as well as the agility, new and lively trends of the youths today. He said, “To create a unique mother-of-pearl mosaic product, conveying historical and cultural messages, the craftsman must have the mindset, understand and love the history and culture of the country. The details of the mosaic must show authenticity, vividness, and exude the spirit of the Vietnamese people.”