The development of lacquer as a medium for the artist is one of the most significant achievements in the art world of 20th century Vietnam. Although China produced lacquered folding screens with landscape and traditional decorative imagery, a medium for the artist lacquer did not hold appeal. This also seems to have been the case in those other countries that have a traditional production of lacquer handicraft. Thus, it was only in Vietnam that the artist turned to lacquer. Those artists in the forefront of this nascence nurtured the dream that this would be a medium in which Vietnam would excel, and which they could claim as their own. These aspirations can be seen as a product of the twin stirrings of nationalism and modernization. Seventy years have now passed, and those pioneer artists are dead. The Fine Arts Museums of Vietnam, Hanoi in particular and to a lesser extent Ho Chi Minh City, have a bracket of representative lacquer paintings from this early period. Apart from a relatively small circle of connoisseurs, the genre is not well-known outside Vietnam. One should note that the translation “lacquer painting” might be misleading. Although the artist applies the lacquer paint with a brush, the essence of a lacquer painting depends upon the artist’s skill in rubbing or burnishing the lacquer to reveal the image beneath. The Vietnamese Son Mai (grinding paint) accurately describes the process. Unfortunately, in English there is no equivalent term. That lacquer painting is such a recent development and confined to Vietnam, may seem remarkable in view of the fact that since ancient times, lacquer has been used to embellish religious and household objects. Recent archaeological discoveries also show lacquer had been used in Vietnam for several thousand years. So lacquer as a medium for the last seventy years has been nurtured with diligence and pride. Lacquer is a difficult and time-consuming medium and to turn out a single painting may require years of work. The use of the medium by artists has originated in the north since the second quarter of the 20 th century. That it occurred at this time is not a coincidence. It is allied to the spread of modern technology, the growth of a market economy, and wider opportunities for Vietnam to access education and to travel overseas. In 1930, a huge increase in the publication of newspapers, books and magazines in Quoc ngu (Romanized script), brought a new literature much of it to focusing on a debate over certain issues, such as tradition versus change. The impact of these developments was most felt in urban centers. In Hanoi, there was a trend to westernize and to modernize. Without any surprise, it was in Hanoi that artists first turned to lacquer as a medium to express their perceptions of current developments. It was during this period that the Indochina Fine Arts College was established in Hanoi in 1925. The school was founded on the initiative of the French artist Victor Tardieu with the first students graduating in 1930. Students were instructed in the European style of painting. But in addition to offering instruction in oil painting, students were also encouraged to experiment with traditional mediums such as lacquer and silk. This was the first time a program of formal instruction of this nature had been available outside the traditional guild system. This environment ushered in changes to the ancient tradition of lacquer handicrafts. New techniques, colors, production processes and ideas about the use of space brought changes in perception that also opened a window to the possibilities lacquer offered as a medium for the artists. The time was ripe and the talented young artists of the day enthusiastically seized the opportunity to use lacquer in this new way. In 1932, lacquer used on a painting of student Tran Van Can was mixed with pine resin rather than the traditionally used flat tree oil. This combination was more effective in holding the coating of lacquer and also the colors, and when the surface was burnished, the image revealed itself with greater clarity. This discovery is said to mark the turning point in the use of lacquer as a medium for the artist. It further stimulated new ideas among artists who committed themselves to the new medium.