Vietnamese (culture or style)

Refers to the cultures that developed in the region situated along the eastern coast of the Indochinese Peninsula known as modern North and South Vietnam. Artistic production in this region features a broad scope and an intermingling of styles, featuring dynastic temple construction that included variations of tower shrines, sanctuaries, porticoes, molded capitals, and recesses, and grandiose and refined sculptural programs featuring monster figures that decorated corners of architraves, figures of lions, solid snake-like ornamentation reminiscent of Indo-Khmer foliage motifs and Dong Song styles, and large icons and relief panels carved in sensual styles suggestive of Chen-la works. From the 15th through 18th centuries, architectural planning incorporated Confucian and Taoist elements and sculptural styles of this period feature elaborately-colored woodwork based upon the dragon-and-cloud decoration of the Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties of China.