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Crossing the ocean to Hoi An to join a calligraphy class

Fascinated by the brush and ink writing, drawing unique calligraphic and pictorial works, many people from the other side of the globe, whenever they come to Hoi An, Vietnam, are determined to find the famous calligrapher Dong Huynh to become a disciple… to practice calligraphy

See more detail >>> Hoi An calligraphy class daily tour by master Dong Huynh

Located in the center of Hoi An ancient town, Quang Nam, where calligrapher Dong Huynh dedicates himself to his calligraphy works. The calligraphy house has also witnessed countless generations of foreign students being taught calligraphy by him. It has also witnessed and is witnessing dozens of special students, Western students who are passionate about Vietnamese calligraphy.

The Hoi An calligraphy class for foreigners always has many students studying every day. The class is an introduction to calligraphy, but the students are quite old. The youngest in the group has also turned thirty, while most of them are around the same age as the teacher – sixty! There are couples who are husband and wife who have just come from the US, Italy, Germany, and France to travel to Vietnam, while the rest are working in Vietnam. They all share a passion for calligraphy

Robert, a 30-year-old from France who is working in Vietnam, heard about the teacher Dong from his friends and came to register to study. Holding a sheet of cotton paper with basic strokes… just finished writing, Robert excitedly showed it to me: “I’ve written many characters already, can you see it!”. He said and laughed gleefully

In this class, Robert is quite knowledgeable about calligraphy, he thinks that the concept of calligraphy in China and the East corresponds to the term Calligraphy – a type of beautiful writing art that was quite popular in the West many centuries ago. “I like to learn calligraphy because it uses the same Latin alphabet as many countries in the world. After finishing my studies, I can easily write calligraphy in French and English too” – Robert said happily

The Italian couple Fransico – Natasa had just arrived in Vietnam for a vacation and were also introduced to and found the Hoi An calligraphy class to meet teacher Dong. After only 3 lessons, this 35-year-old couple has impressed many people. The husband finishes writing a character, the wife finishes writing a character, and then they compare to see if it is beautiful and similar to the teacher’s yet

However, not all tourists have the opportunity to study for many hours. Teacher Dong shared: For various reasons, Western students usually come to Vietnam once or twice a year, both for tourism and work, and to study calligraphy until they complete the course. Many Western students learn about calligraphy through tours in Vietnam

He also constantly organizes talks and lectures on Vietnamese calligraphy for tour guides and foreign tourists whenever they visit his class. “Each time like this is an opportunity for me to promote Vietnamese calligraphy. It is also an opportunity to share the quintessence of Vietnamese culture with friends from all over the world

The tuition fee for a calligraphy lesson is quite low, Westerners and Vietnamese alike are lovers of calligraphy and are cherishing each word with him, making the art of calligraphy flourish.