Preservation Treatment of Deteriorated Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks

Woodblocks are wooden plates engraved with reversed Han or Nom characters for printing books, commonly used in Vietnam during the feudal period. They include engraved plates of official texts and histories of the Nguyen Dynasty, classic Confucian texts, and pre-Nguyen engravings. This collection is valuable in many aspects, authentically reflecting Vietnam's political, economic, cultural, and social life across various themes: history, geography, politics, society, military, law, education, literature, and poetry. It is a reliable source for researching and comparing historical materials, serving the study of modern Vietnamese history. With a large quantity of 34,619 plates containing valuable content and craftsmanship, this rare and precious collection was recognized by UNESCO as a Documentary Heritage in the Memory of the World Program on July 31, 2009. This is Vietnam's first World Documentary Heritage.

Due to being formed over two hundred years ago and being directly affected by various factors such as harsh climate, prolonged wars, multiple relocations, and inadequate preservation facilities, the Nguyen Dynasty woodblocks have been severely damaged and degraded. Consequently, the Forest Industry Research Institute has collaborated with the State Records and Archives Department and the National Archives Center IV to undertake the preservation treatment of the Nguyen Dynasty woodblocks – a World Documentary Heritage preserved at the National Archives Center IV, Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province.

Current Condition of the Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks

The Forest Industry Research Institute has researched and used Paraloid B72 chemical for the hardening treatment of deteriorated woodblocks. This method has been researched and used in many developed countries such as Japan, South Korea, and France. Treating woodblocks with Paraloid B72 not only halts their deterioration, enhancing their hardness and ensuring the ability to extract information (use and print), but also contributes to the restoration and reassembly of these deteriorated woodblocks.

Woodblock Preservation Treatment

As of 2021, the condition assessment and treatment of 1,000 deteriorated woodblocks have been carried out. After the chemical treatment process, the woodblocks are aired, refined (crack repair, insect damage treatment, etc.). The results show a significant increase in the hardness of the woodblocks. Post-treatment woodblocks still ensure the ability to print. The results show sharp characters without blurring.

Woodblocks Before and After Preservation Treatment

(a) Before treatment; (b) After treatment

• The results have contributed to raising awareness among heritage managers and the public about heritage preservation and training preservation skills for officials at the National Archives Center IV.
• Through this preservation and restoration, it helps recover the engraved information on the woodblocks to supplement the missing Nguyen Dynasty woodblock database, serving the extraction and use for various purposes by agencies, organizations, and individuals.