More than a decade ago, Mr. Nam became famous nationwide because he proposed to give the Hanoi People's Committee 1,000 Vietnamese bamboo trees bent into the shape of a "long giang" dragon to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi.
His dedication to the festival was awarded a certificate of merit by the Hanoi People's Committee. Not stopping there, he also created many timeless works of art from bending bamboo.
Burning passion for Vietnamese bamboo
In a small house deep in Yen Nhan hamlet, Mr. Nam has grown many bamboo roots. Some are clumps, some stand alone, many have been shaped into beautiful shapes with beautiful names such as Twin dragons worshipping the moon, Four dragons uniting, One dragon descending the world… From the innocent bamboo roots, through his hands, they have become soulful and have clear shapes.
Mr. Nam is passionate about Vietnamese bamboo. He has worked hard to grow and shape bamboo into works of art. Photo: Thuan Viet.
This year he turned 70, but Mr. Nam still looks very healthy. His voice is clear when talking about his bamboo art garden.
He walked briskly in the garden, talking and working. Around his house he grew all kinds of bamboo, from small to large.
Mr. Nam said: "Vietnamese bamboo has been with me since I was a child. Now I am cherishing the idea of creating many more timeless works from bamboo."
As Mr. Nam said, his hectare-wide garden is mostly devoted to growing bamboo.
As the trees grew, he shaped them into funny and sophisticated animals. Bamboo had to be bent when it was still young, so when the young branches were just finished, he "forced" them to grow into the predetermined shape.
Through Mr. Nam's skillful hands, Vietnamese bamboo has "turned" into a dragon.
Around the garden, the familiar image of bamboo groves gradually appeared according to Mr. Nam's story.
"Previously, in my garden, there were thousands of works made from bamboo. The golden bamboo was shaped like a dragon, a phoenix, etc. Everyone who came to see it liked it. They bought it all. Recently, I had to incubate thousands more embryos," Mr. Nam shared.
Speaking of bamboo, fate brought him to bending and shaping bamboo since the early 1990s.
One time he went to the Yen Tri commune committee to do administrative procedures. Seeing some ornamental yellow bamboo bushes lying around, he asked for them to plant in his garden.
Having a profession of pruning and shaping bonsai, he thought to himself, why not give bamboo a name. So he researched and diligently shaped bamboo.
To complete a work with soul and form, Mr. Nam spent many years bending and shaping the bamboo. Photo: Thuan Viet.
After a while, he realized that bamboo is very flexible and can be shaped into many different shapes. So he went everywhere to collect golden bamboo. Whenever someone sold bamboo roots, he would bring them to his garden. From there, he was able to unleash his creativity.
Mr. Nam is a skillful person and has a burning passion for bamboo, so he has created many different shapes. From the rustic bamboo bushes, through his hands, they become works of art. At first, he bent them for fun and then gave them away.
The story of him giving away bamboo is also very unique. Instead of giving it to bonsai enthusiasts, he transported his creations to give from the Presidential Palace, embassies, UNESCO organizations, etc.
Wherever he brought his works, they were happily received. Now in his drawer, he still keeps dozens of thank you letters from foreign units stationed in Vietnam. Mr. Nam said: "When they knew I brought them bamboo works, they were very happy. They felt honored to know about Vietnamese bamboo."
Mr. Nam is keeping many thank you letters from embassies and foreign organizations based in Vietnam. Photo: Thuan Viet.
From that donation, Mr. Nam gradually became a famous artist throughout the region. Bonsai lovers came to his house to bring back thousands of his works. From doing it just out of passion, to satisfy his creativity, he suddenly had a career in bending bamboo. Now he has entered his seventies, but he still bends bamboo to satisfy his passion. He has breathed life into Vietnamese bamboo.
Life-changing works from Vietnamese bamboo
Mr. Nam is from Truc Ninh district (Nam Dinh) - a place where bonsai making has been practiced for hundreds of years. In the past, families made bonsai to enjoy in their gardens, but it was not a trend like today.
Mr. Nam did all kinds of jobs from construction, trading agricultural and forestry products... He used to wander around the regions, wandering to make a living.
In the early 1980s, he returned to Muong land to start a business. Living in the forest, he had a hobby of collecting bonsai.
He also connected with many bonsai tycoons in the capital to sell his products. From here, he started to return to the profession of his ancestors in his hometown. During the decades living in Muong land, he also completed many lifetime works.
Mr. Nam breathed life into bamboo trees to create works of art. Photo: Thuan Viet
Mr. Nam said that at that time, the banyan tree was loved by many people because of its ancient appearance and year-round greenness.
He has more conditions to be creative. In order to commemorate the merits of Uncle Ho - the leader who is loved by the whole nation, he used green trees to create a work with 4 words: Great Uncle Ho.
After 3 years, he completed his work. At that time, he knew that Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet liked bonsai, so he went to Hanoi to visit the Government Office.
After two days in Hanoi, he could not find a way to enter the Government Office. He cycled around the streets and accidentally passed by the Vietnam Landscape Architecture Center.
After the conversation, he showed the tree photos to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, Director of the Center. Ms. Thuy was very impressed with his works.
In Mr. Nam's garden, he grows many types of bamboo roots. When the bamboo grows branches, he begins to bend and shape them. Photo: Thuan Viet.
After buying the tree, Ms. Thuy also promised to help him contact the Government Office to donate the tree. After 3 years, he completed another tree and donated it to the Government Office. He received a thank you letter from the Government Office.
According to Mr. Nam, to bend bamboo, you have to bend the tree when the shoots are just emerging from the ground about 10 cm. From the time the shoots emerge until the tree is completely bent, it takes 1-3 months. During that time, you have to choose and bend 3-4 times every day, and each time you can only bend 1-2 mm. Photo: Thuan Viet.
From that success, he planted, cared for and trimmed the "ASEAN" tree to give to the embassies of the ASEAN countries. Unlike the previous time, he went straight to the embassies to present a letter from the Government Office with the purpose of giving the tree. Knowing that he was giving the tree to honor the art of bonsai, the ambassadors respected it. Up to now, in addition to giving trees to the embassies of the ASEAN countries, he has also given 12 ivory bamboo trees with world maps and Long Giang shapes to 12 embassies of other countries.
Source: https://danviet.vn/mot-nguoi-o-hoa-binh-trong-tre-la-liet-tren-doi-tung-tang-ha-noi-1000-cay-tre-uon-the-long-giang-20240527134433629.htm
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