Le Thanh Ha and the dream of Vietnamese paper
An artist with unpretentious hair; unconcerned with grooming or outward style. But deep within him lies a soul burning with love for painting. He yearns to uncover the truth about how paper is made in different regions, to create unique characteristics on the paper of each area. In particular, he has become completely engrossed in a unique and innovative style of painting that he himself created: Coconut Paper Paintings!
Content:Khanh Nhu /Technique:Hong ToaiOctober 30, 2025
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An artist with unpretentious, unpretentious work, who doesn't fuss over his appearance or try to project a certain style, yet deep within him lies a soul burning with passion for painting. He yearns to uncover the truth about the paper-making methods of different regions, to create unique characteristics on the paper of each area. In particular, he has become completely engrossed in a unique and innovative style of painting that he himself created: Coconut Paper Paintings!
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Le Thanh Ha was born in 1978 and grew up in the former Vinh City. He graduated from Hue University of Fine Arts. Instead of choosing the easy path of an urban artist, he wandered many places, carrying with him the desire to find the "true material of Vietnamese paper."
And then, the land of Quang Nam - Da Nang, where sunshine and wind blend with the simplicity of the people of Central Vietnam and its rich traditional culture, stirred deep emotions in him. It was a place where, after each fierce storm, he witnessed people chopping down coconut branches scattered haphazardly by the sea. And the idea of making paper from coconut branches suddenly emerged in his mind like destiny.
Paper, where humans first ventured into the world of words and emotions…
Paper also originates from Mother Earth and Father Sky."
Artist Le Thanh Ha
The way he talks about paper and coconuts makes it clear that, for him, art is not just about painting, but a philosophy of life, a reverence for nature, and for the traditional culture of his homeland.
The nickname "Crazy Ha" is given to him by friends, colleagues, and lovers of coconut paper paintings. It is precisely this eccentric, unconventional nature that has created the distinctive style and identity of Le Thanh Ha. He is an artist who loves the countryside, is deeply concerned with traditional products, and diligently creates paintings imbued with Vietnamese cultural values using coconut paper. For Le Thanh Ha, tradition is always a captivating and alluring story. Preserving tradition means preserving one's soul, one's roots.
He began to paint his dreams and aspirations about traditional Vietnamese culture, about the unique beauty of Quang Nam - Da Nang, onto coconut paper that he himself researched and created. Le Thanh Ha's coconut paper paintings are produced entirely naturally, which is why it takes a lot of time and effort for these artists to create their works. From discarded dried coconut branches, Ha handcrafts each sheet of paper. He learned the traditional paper-making technique of the H'Mong people in Mai Chau, combined it with the Rakusui Washi water-based printing method from Japan, and then diligently experimented to create a paper that is both thick and thin, allowing light to naturally pass through like a breath. Each sheet of paper is the culmination of earth, fire, water, and wind; of patience and knowledge; of love and eccentricity.
But that's also why Ha's paintings are so unique. Not only are they different in their completely natural, chemical-free, and industrial-grade dye-free methods, but they're also unique because Ha paints something special on them. One of the important themes in her paintings is portraits of famous figures and historical personalities from Vietnam and around the world. Depicting a portrait on coconut paper is difficult enough, but a portrait of a historical figure is even more challenging and appeals to a select audience... But Le Thanh Ha has overcome all obstacles to do what she believes will bring value.
For Le Thanh Ha, Vietnamese culture has always held a strange allure. He creatively incorporates the lotus flower into his paintings from every angle. He also incorporates dragons, but not in the Chinese style, but rather dragon motifs from the Ly, Tran, and Le dynasties of Vietnam…
Ha is doing something meaningful and rare – bringing Vietnamese history and culture back through industrial art, using materials made by the Vietnamese people themselves.”
Artist Truong Bach Tuong - Member of the Da Nang Fine Arts Association
Perhaps the eccentricity and deep-seated love for his homeland, inherent in the people of Nghe An, blended with the artist's penchant for tranquility and wanderlust, connected to the ancient town of Hoi An and the distinctive cultural features of Quang Nam - Da Nang, have given Le Thanh Ha's paintings a unique quality. Unique in their materials and techniques, unique in their subject matter and expression, and unique because, amidst the hurried and chaotic pace of life today, there is an artist who quietly and slowly pursues his passion and creative philosophy.
Indeed, the unique aspect is most evident when Le Thanh Ha opens a workshop producing coconut paper paintings and is willing to let everyone try making them for free. Anyone interested in learning is welcome to learn, and he teaches for free. He readily shares all the secrets that he has spent countless hours and intellect researching and discovering.
"Passing on a craft is also a form of innovation," he said with a gentle smile.
His students are now in Mai Chau, Ben Tre – where the locals have opened their own "Homeland Paper" workshops, preserving the techniques he passed down. For Ha, the happiness of a creator is not just about having beautiful works, but about seeing their story continued.
For Le Thanh Ha, traditional art always requires creativity and preservation. Each style of painting, each type of material, will produce unique and distinctive products. Regional characteristics also play an important role, contributing to the richness of that culture. Therefore, promoting new elements in traditional art always requires knowing how to preserve the essence of the old. It is from this thinking that Le Thanh Ha's coconut paper paintings always create a difference and carry a certain meaning. The art in his works is not only a harmonious combination of ideas, colors, and patterns, but also reflected by a translucent light and the sublime emotions of the artist. Therefore, although it is a relatively new style of painting, and being made naturally by hand, the price is slightly higher than other works, but Le Thanh Ha's paintings have quickly become known to art lovers.
In 2019, Le Thanh Ha's coconut paper paintings were selected for display at the World Buddhist Art Exhibition – Vesak Celebration. Since then, his paintings have appeared in many spiritual sites: Linh Ung Pagoda, Bat Nha Pagoda, the Marble Mountains… spaces that demand tranquility and subtlety.
Many international artists know him through his exhibitions: French artist Sautel Cago came to Vietnam, visited his Coconut Paper painting workshop, toured and experienced the work with the hope of collaborating with Ha to create some of his works on this special type of paper.
During a trip to Vietnam, I met an artist and learned about the very Vietnamese style of coconut paper painting. I found it fascinating and really liked the technique used to create this type of painting, so I really wanted to meet Artist Ha to experience it firsthand and collaborate with him on some paintings using Vietnamese coconut paper.
French artist Sautel Cago
Without fanfare or extensive PR campaigns, the Coconut Paper painting style has quietly made its way to the world through its uniqueness – a handcrafted product with a modern spirit, embodying Vietnamese identity and spirituality. Looking back at Le Thanh Ha's journey, one can clearly see the characteristics of a..."The modern-day calligrapher of Nghe An":He's a bit eccentric, a bit dreamy, but persistent and utterly sincere. He doesn't see himself as someone seeking fame, but rather someone seeking to rediscover his identity.
Paper was originally created to hold words, aesthetics, and memories. I simply want to restore paper to its true purpose – to tell the stories of Vietnam and its people.
Artist Le Thanh Ha
Today, while many rush to embrace technology and commercialize art, Le Thanh Ha remains unhurried, persistently pursuing his unique path with coconut fiber paper. He not only creates a new material but also awakens cultural memories in each viewer, transforming each piece of coconut fiber paper into a living embodiment of Vietnamese culture.
If someone asks, "Why do people call you 'Crazy Ha'?", perhaps just looking at him diligently working on his artwork, gazing at the coconut powder gently spreading in the sunlight – will provide the answer. That "craziness" isn't boisterous, but genuine, enduring, and imbued with the pride of a Vietnamese artist: taking the soul of his homeland as his source, using the earth and sky as his colors, and using his own hands as a bridge connecting the past with the present and the future.
