Painting on dried lotus leaves: a new flood-based livelihood in An Giang Province

This training is a part of the project “Developing a sustainable value chain of products from lotus silk in Vietnam to support the flood storage strategy for the Mekong Delta, Vietnam”, funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation. The project aims to enhance climate change adaptation capacity, develop flood-based livelihoods, flood storage, and biodiversity conservation for ecosystems and communities in the upper Mekong Delta.

The training attracted 20 participants, mostly local women. Through the training, the project helps improve livelihoods, preserve and promote indigenous culture, and create additional jobs for women from locally sourced raw materials.

Ms. Dieu Lien, a craftswoman specializing in lotus leaf painting, said “I am very happy to be able to create more job opportunities for women, produce products that reflect local characteristics, and contribute to the project’s implementation with many practical and meaningful activities in the area.”

The trainees were very enthusiastic about the training and engaged actively. By the end of the training, each trainee was able to complete impressive, high-quality paintings on dried lotus leaves, and notably, they gained the ability to independently design beautiful products that can be sold.

A painting on dried lotus leaf produced by a trainees after the training © IUCN Viet Nam

Through this training, IUCN hopes that the craft of painting on dried lotus leaves in An Giang will be maintained and developed, contributing to strengthening community livelihoods, and supporting the project’s objectives.

“This model has opened a new pathway for diversifying the lotus value chain, helping to increase incomes and optimize the use of available resources. At the same time, it makes an important contribution to the strategy of conserving wetland ecosystem functions and preserving the distinctive local cultural identity,” said Mr. Tran Thanh Tuyen, Deputy Director, An Giang Provincial Agricultural Extension Center.

In 2026, IUCN will continue to collaborate with provincial agencies in An Giang to implement additional activities to improve livelihoods based on local products, thereby sustaining flood-based farming models and supporting water retention in the Mekong Delta.

Trainees receiving certificates of course completion © IUCN Viet Nam