Exploring Vietnamese culture through vibrant illustrations
DNO - From archival research to immersive fieldwork, Vietnamese artist Do Thai Thanh has gathered a wealth of material to bring the story of Vietnamese culture to life through images.
Immersing in everyday life in Vietnam
Recently, the Vietnamese Du But Publishing House introduced “Vietnam Adventures - Mekong Delta”, a 108-page publication that presents a vibrant “cultural map” of the cities and provinces of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta.
Combining visual storytelling with cultural knowledge, the book reflects a long and dedicated process of research, documentation, and artistic interpretation.
An English edition is expected to be released by the end of 2026.
Among the artists shaping the book’s vivid visual identity is illustrator Do Thai Thanh, a native from Lam Dong Province and now working in Ho Chi Minh City.
For him, the project is an opportunity to understand the Mekong Delta through the pulse of everyday life.
Thanh believes that to tell a compelling cultural story, the artist must live and breathe the rhythm of life in that region.
“There are details that only appear when you are standing right where they originated. Documentary photos cannot replace the feeling of seeing the sunlight reflecting on the water, or hearing the sound of boats sailing on the river”, Thanh expressed.
Driven by this spirit, the team traveled to the locations, talked with artisans and farmers, and listened to their everyday stories.
From these trips, the Mekong Delta emerges through vivid drawings: floating markets, ferry terminals, rice paddies, craft villages, temples and pagodas, even small canals known only to locals. Each location leaves its mark in the sketches made on-site.
Together, these sketches and illustrations transform each page into more than a visual record, they become a celebration of place, memory, and cultural identity.
In doing so, “Vietnam Adventures - Mekong Delta” offers readers not only a journey through a region, but also an invitation to experience the spirit of Vietnam through the language of art.
A visual storyteller inspired by Vietnam’s cultural heritage
With over 20 years of experience, Thanh, the 1987-born illustrator has explored many creative fields, including game and website illustration, product design, and mural art.
Yet it is in cultural and historical book illustration that he has found his strongest calling, using images to bring Vietnam’s heritage and stories to life.
Prior to “Vietnam Adventures - Mekong Delta”, Thanh had devoted nearly a decade to illustration projects inspired by Vietnam’s cultural and historical landscapes.
There was an experiment with isometric perspectives capturing the intimacy of urban life, a compelling visual language to share Vietnam’s cultural stories with a broader audience.
More recently, Thanh has continued to take part in projects that research and digitally reconstruct historical costumes from the era of the Hung Kings, presenting them in detailed 3D forms.
For Thanh, his love for the country has grown gradually through books, music, and countless journeys. Ultimately, what he hopes to achieve is to inspire younger generations to carry forward the cultural legacy of their ancestors, each in their own way.