Korea shares traditional paper conservation techniques with Vietnamese museum experts
An architectural rendering of Seoul’s Cultural Heritage Center in Hoengseong County, Gangwon Province / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
Korea is bringing its traditional paper conservation expertise to Vietnam for the first time, training museum specialists in techniques designed to preserve fragile historical documents and books.
The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage’s Cultural Heritage Conservation Science Center is conducting the training program from Oct. 14 to 22 at the National Museum of History in Hanoi, targeting 14 conservation professionals from the Vietnamese institution.
The program, organized in connection with the Korea Heritage Service’s official development assistance initiatives, focuses on conserving paper-based cultural heritage through practical, hands-on instruction.
Since 2013, the center has conducted 15 training sessions at 11 institutions across seven Asian countries, including Mongolia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan and Indonesia, training a total of 279 participants.
Vietnam is the latest country to participate in the initiative, which aims to strengthen conservation expertise in countries with limited infrastructure for protecting and managing cultural heritage.
The Hanoi workshop covers several core techniques, including making drying boards, analyzing paper fibers, backing and reinforcing fragile sheets, traditional bookbinding and proper storage and packaging methods.
Participants will practice conservation procedures using "hanji," Korea’s traditional paper, and "dó," a traditional Vietnamese paper made from the bark of the Rhamnoneuron balansae tree.
The use of materials from both countries is intended to provide practical experience while helping participants understand how traditional papers can be treated and preserved.
The training also introduces traditional bookbinding methods, offering museum specialists guidance on preserving not only individual sheets but also the structure and physical integrity of historical books.
The initiative reflects Korea’s broader effort to share its cultural heritage conservation knowledge internationally while helping build professional expertise across Asia.
“The Cultural Heritage Conservation Center will continue to conduct thorough on-site technical training to promote Korea’s advanced conservation expertise globally and foster expert conservators across Asia,” a spokesperson for the agency said.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.