Thang Long in the past - Hanoi today is the place chosen as the capital of many dynasties, the cultural-political, economic-social center of the whole country. Not only is it a place with many beautiful landscapes, many festivals, many unique types of folk cultural activities, Hanoi is also known as the land of hundreds of crafts, in which many craft villages are hundreds of years old, famous throughout the country, creating a great resource in the development of cultural industry. Of the 1,350 craft villages existing in the thousand-year-old land of Thang Long, there are 321 craft villages and traditional craft villages that have been recognized, distributed in 23 districts and towns. Hanoi's craft villages mainly focus on groups of crafts such as lacquer, ceramics, gold and silver, embroidery, rattan and bamboo weaving, weaving, folk paintings, wood, stone, flower growing, and ornamental plants. Each craft village in the capital has its own characteristics, creating unique, sophisticated products, imbued with national cultural identity. Through the flow of history, besides the craft villages that have been lost, Hanoi still retains the craft villages with strong cultural features from ancient times. We can mention the four famous pillars of the ancient Thang Long land: "Yen Thai silk, Bat Trang pottery, Dinh Cong goldsmith, Ngu Xa bronze casting. The craft villages not only preserve traditional crafts with handicraft products converging the quintessence of national culture but also contain values of natural landscapes, architecture, historical relics... left for generations of Hanoians in particular and the whole country in general. And so, the names of the crafts are closely associated with the names of the villages, bearing bold cultural imprints of the time: Bat Trang pottery, Ngu Xa bronze casting, Dinh Cong silver beans, Kieu Ky gold leaf, Son Dong wooden statue village. Not only that, Hanoi also has a cultural identity associated with the simple life of the countryside through folk toys that evoke the memories of many people such as Dan Vien lanterns, Thach Xa bamboo dragonflies, Xuan La figurines... To preserve and continue to nurture the profession of their ancestors, the 'souls' of the craft villages are generations of artisans and workers who are still loyal to their profession. They have always been persistent and "patient" to not only create products that contain the "soul and character" of the people of Hanoi, but also to inspire passion in the next generations. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the capital, October 10, 1954 - October 10, 2024, VietnamPlus Electronic Newspaper would like to respectfully introduce to readers "a highlight" of the traditional values imbued with the unique cultural characteristics of Hanoians - "craft village culture" as well as the people who silently live and preserve these cultural values./.

In the ancient land of Thang Long, there were four craft villages known as the 'four elite crafts' including: Yen Thai silk weaving village, Bat Trang pottery village, Dinh Cong jewelry village and Ngu Xa bronze casting village. Through the flow of history, the silk weaving village only has a once-famous image in folk songs: Tell someone to go to the capital market/Buy me a lemon-flower silk cloth and send it back. However, in Hanoi today, there are still diligent people who preserve three noble crafts...

Artisan family preserves traditional craft for more than half a century

Continuing the centuries-long journey of Bat Trang pottery village, artisan couple Nguyen Van Loi and Pham Thi Minh Chau still preserve the 'soul' of the craft village and develop products to reach the international market.

Meritorious artisan Nguyen Van Loi is a son of Bat Trang land (Gia Lam, Hanoi), where people and land have been closely intertwined for more than half a century.

Mr. Loi always felt lucky to grow up in a traditional craft village and his family followed this profession. From a young age, he was exposed to the smell of soil and the turntable.

According to Mr. Loi, according to his family's genealogy, his family has been in the profession for a long time. The initial experience in making pottery was very rudimentary, however, the products still required the skill and meticulousness of the craftsman.

After 1986, the craft village was allowed to develop freely and many families had their own workshops. From then on, each family found their own direction for the product but still preserved the core essence that their ancestors left behind.

His wife, artisan Pham Thi Minh Chau, accompanies and supports him on the journey to preserve his father's profession, together bringing products beyond the bamboo fences of the village to the international market.

Ms. Chau and Mr. Loi were awarded the title of artisan in 2003. She is the one responsible for 'embellishing' the soul of ceramic products.

The artisan couple successfully restored the green and honey brown ceramic glazes of the Ly Dynasty or the cajuput green glaze in the style of the Le and Tran Dynasties.

The family has always steadfastly maintained traditional quintessence but developed based on the roots to have products suitable for the tastes of foreign markets.

The family now has a signature Raku glaze inspired by an ancient ceramic line originating in Japan in the 1550s, often served in the tea ceremony.

After nearly 4 years of research, this ceramic glaze is characterized by its ability to create 'ever-changing' colors depending on the kiln temperature and product thickness.

This type of pottery must go through two fires, then be covered with shavings and chisel and turned upside down to anaerobic to make the glaze 'color itself.'

Each product is almost unique, but up to now he has researched to control the color and successfully met the Canadian, British, and Dutch markets.

Mr. Loi and Mrs. Chau's family, as well as other Bat Trang people, still persistently preserve the soul of the craft village: "The white bowl is a true tradition, the red furnace is a treasure, the earth becomes gold."

Rare artisan preserves the quintessence of the silver bean craft of Thang Long land

Artisan Quach Tuan Anh (Dinh Cong, Hoang Mai, Hanoi) is considered the last 'rarity' in the Dinh Cong silver bean craft village, one of the four pillars of the ancient Thang Long craft village.

Artisan Quach Tuan Anh is said to be one of the last artisans to 'keep the fire' of the Dinh Cong silver bean craft village (Hoang Mai, Hanoi).

He graduated from the National Economics University with a degree in Law and Business Administration, but he chose to change course and return to the traditional profession of silver mining.

The 43-year-old artisan had no intention of following his father's profession because the job required a lot of effort. Silversmiths need to be extremely patient and meticulous to complete a product.

In 2003, because only artisan Quach Van Truong was working in the craft, many orders were rejected. Tuan Anh saw this as an opportunity to develop the craft village, so he was determined to follow in his father's footsteps.

Sharing about the profession known as one of the 'four master craftsmen' in ancient Thang Long, artisan Tuan Anh talks about the meticulousness and ingenuity in each stage.

After drawing the silver into small silver threads, the craftsman twists the silver threads together to make details for silver casting.

Silver bean craft represents the sophistication of traditional handicrafts.

In addition to skillful hands, a silversmith must have an aesthetic eye and patience to be able to create a perfect work.

It is very important for the craftsman to feel the heat when casting silver because the product is assembled from many small parts, if it gets too hot the silver will melt.

If the heat is not enough, the worker will have difficulty adjusting the details or may immediately damage the product.

Artisan Quach Tuan Anh said that the journey of more than 20 years in the profession is a process of gaining experience to create the craftsman's perception of the temperature when casting silver.

Products bearing traditional symbols with patterns made from silver threads as small as hair.

Or the product is made up of thousands of details, clearly showing the ingenuity and sophistication of Dinh Cong silversmith craft.

Finished product of silver bean of Turtle Tower - a symbol of Hanoi.

Under the roof of the ancestral temple, artisan Quach Tuan Anh and other silversmiths still work hard every day to preserve one of the 'four pillars' of the craft village on the land of Thang Long.

The journey of more than 4 centuries of preserving the 'fire' of traditional craft villages on the land of Thang Long

Born in the 17th century, Ngu Xa bronze casting village is considered one of the four most elite crafts of Thang Long Citadel. To this day, this place still persistently preserves the craft in the flow of history.

According to the history of the craft village, in the 1600s, the Le Dynasty invited 5 highly skilled casters to the capital and called them Trang Ngu Xa. To remember the 5 original villages, the people named them Ngu Xa village.

At that time, Ngu Xa specialized in casting coins and worshiping objects for the royal court. Over time, the casting profession developed, casting daily life utensils such as trays, basins, etc.

In addition, Ngu Xa people also cast worship items such as Buddha statues, incense burners, incense burners, and bronze sets of three masters and five objects.

Thanks to that, Ngu Xa bronze casting village has become familiar and close to people across the country and the tradition continues to be maintained and developed.

After 1954, in order to meet the needs of the times and society, Ngu Xa people switched to making rice cookers, rice dividers, and household appliances to serve war, national defense, and people's lives.

During this period, despite going through a difficult historical period with many social changes, with their love for the profession, the people of Ngu Xa at that time were determined not to let the values of the craft village be lost, continuing to cultivate, study and improve their skills.

Up to now, although the profession is facing the risk of being lost, the descendants of Ngu Xa village still persevere in learning and practicing, inheriting the quintessence of their ancestors that has been passed down for more than 400 years.

The difference of Ngu Xa copper products is the monolithic casting technique. Monolithic casting with small products is not simple, for large sized products it is even more difficult and complicated.

Patterns are carved onto the product by skilled craftsmen.

With the skillful hands and feel of the craftsman, the bronze blocks will 'change skin' before being polished.

Cast bronze products go through stages that require meticulousness and perseverance of the craftsman.

The final step is polishing to produce the final finished product.

The main products today are often worship items.

Besides, there are also products such as Buddha statues. The bronze products made by Ngu Xa, through many ups and downs of time, are still considered models of art and technical quality.

In addition, Hanoi has craft villages that have been around for centuries but have been passed down through many generations. Mentioning Chuong village hats, Nhat Tan peaches, Son Dong wooden statues, Kieu Ky gold-plated products, there are few people who do not know...

Where people preserve the beauty of Vietnamese countryside through conical hats

Chuong Village (Thanh Oai, Hanoi) is famous nationwide for its long-standing tradition of making conical hats. Every day, the people diligently make friends with the leaves, needles and thread to preserve the beauty of the Vietnamese countryside.

Located next to the Day River, Chuong village is an ancient village where women still sit every day weaving conical hats, preserving the traditional craft. (Photo: Hoai Nam/Vietnam+)

When asked about the hat-making profession, everyone in Chuong village knows, but when asked when the hat-making profession started here, few people know clearly. According to the village elders, the village started producing hats in the 8th century.

In the past, Chuong village produced many types of hats for many classes such as three-tiered hats for girls, conical hats, long hats, hiep hats, and conical hats for boys and noble men.

During its development period, Chuong village was a place that provided many types of traditional hats such as non quai thao and old-leaf conical hats made from live grafted leaves.

Chuong village conical hats are famous for their strong, durable, elegant and beautiful characteristics. To make the hats, Chuong village craftsmen have to spend a lot of effort and time.

According to the elders in the village, the first step is to select the leaves. The leaves are brought back, crushed in sand, and dried in the sun until the green color of the leaves turns silvery white.

Then, the leaves are placed under a handful of rags and quickly pressed so that the leaves are flat without being brittle or torn.

Next, the craftsman arranges each leaf into the hat ring, a layer of bamboo and another layer of leaves, and then the hat maker sews it together. This is a very difficult step because the leaves can easily tear if not skillful.

To have a complete hat, the hat maker must be careful in every step, patient and skillful with every needle and thread.

Through the ups and downs of time, although the hat making profession is no longer as prosperous as before, the people of Chuong village still diligently sew each hat.

The elderly pass it on to the younger generation, the adults teach the children, and so on, the profession is passed on, they firmly believe in and silently preserve the traditional conical hat, while preserving the culture of the Vietnamese people.

Nhat Tan peach village - cultural symbol of Hanoi every time Tet comes, Spring comes.

Nhat Tan village has a long-standing tradition of growing peach trees, famous in Hanoi for centuries. Every Tet, Hanoians flock to the garden to admire the peach blossoms in full bloom, choosing a satisfactory peach tree.

Nhat Tan village has existed for hundreds of years in Hanoi. Nhat Tan peach blossoms have been a popular choice for flower lovers of Thang Long people for many centuries.

Peach blossoms have pink and red colors, the colors of fortune, blood, rebirth, and growth, so on Tet holiday, houses in Thang Long often display a peach blossom branch with the belief that the new year will bring prosperity and wealth.

The work of Nhat Tan peach growers is to fix the canopy and arch to make the tree round and beautiful, especially to restrain the peach blossoms so they bloom right on the occasion of Lunar New Year.

The “fragrance” of peach blossoms in Nhat Tan resounds far and wide. Indeed, in the entire North, there is no place with peach blossoms as beautiful as Nhat Tan.

The peach blossoms here have thick, plump, pretty petals, and clear colors like they are printed in ink.

From March to April, villagers have been busy taking care of and planting trees to prepare for the peach season at the end of the year.

If you want the tree to bloom in time for the Lunar New Year, from mid-November of the lunar calendar, growers must strip the peach tree of its leaves to concentrate nutrients on buds, ensuring that the buds are numerous, even, plump, with large flowers, thick petals, and beautiful colors.

Depending on the weather, peach growers will adjust accordingly.

After many ups and downs and hardships of the people, Nhat Tan village is now reaping "sweet fruit" when Nhat Tan peach tree has become a cultural symbol.

Whenever mentioning Tet in Hanoi, most people remember the peach and peach blossom gardens nestled in the heart of the capital, showing off their colors and spreading their fragrance.

Visit Son Dong craft village to see the 'descendants' of artisans breathe life into wood

Son Dong craft village (Hoai Duc, Hanoi) has been formed and developed for more than 1,000 years. Up to now, many young generations in the village are continuing to maintain and develop the quintessence of wooden statue making.

Son Dong craft village has been formed and developed for more than 1000 years. During the feudal period, the craft village had hundreds of people who were granted the title of industrial baron (now called artisans).

The 1000-year-old physical imprints of Thang Long-Hanoi all bear the mark of the talented hands of Son Dong artisans such as the Temple of Literature, Khue Van Cac, Ngoc Son Temple,...

Up to now, the craft village has many young people continuing to follow their ancestors' footsteps to maintain and develop the craft of making wooden statues.

Mr. Nguyen Dang Dai, son of artisan Nguyen Dang Hac, has been attached to the 'music' of the craft village for more than 20 years. Since he was a child, he has been familiar with the clacking sound of chisels.

After many years of diligently listening to his father's "hand-holding instructions," he now has his own workshop making wooden Buddha statues.

After many days and nights of hard work in the wood workshop, the next generation of artisans have created sophisticated patterns.

The same age as Mr. Dai in Son Dong village, Mr. Phan Van Anh, the nephew of artisan Phan Van Anh, is also continuing the work of 'breathing soul into wood' of his predecessors.

Eyes devoted to the profession and meticulous hands are always right next to the wood grain, the smell of paint with Buddha statues.

The sweet fruit that Son Dong craftsmen reap after days and nights of hard work in the wood workshop is a reputation that spreads far and wide across the country. When mentioning wooden Buddha statues, people immediately think of Son Dong.

With their talented hands, the craftsmen of Son Dong village have created many works of art that require high sophistication such as the statue of the Buddha with a thousand hands and eyes, the statue of Mr. Good, Mr. Evil...

Behind the works of art from the 'descendants' of the craft village is the salty taste of sweat, continuing to walk steadily on the path that their predecessors worked hard to build.

The clattering sound of chisels in Son Dong still echoes, but not from old hands. It is the sound of youthful energy, a signal of preserving the traditional craft for the next generation.

Visit the 'unique' craft village in Vietnam with 400 years of fame

Kieu Ky (Gia Lam, Hanoi) is known as a 'unique' craft village because no other industry can make 1 tael of gold pounded into 980 sheets with an area larger than 1 square meter.

Artisan Nguyen Van Hiep is a native of Kieu Ky (Gia Lam, Hanoi), and has been involved in the gold leaf making profession for over 40 years. His family has a 5-generation tradition of this 'unique' profession.

The steady hammer beats from the firm but extremely meticulous hands of the Kieu Ky can pound a thin gold bar into gold leaf with an area of more than 1 square meter. To get 1 kilogram of gold, the worker must pound continuously for about 1 hour.

This step requires patience, the gold must be pounded thinly and evenly, without tearing, and if you are even a little careless, the hammer will hit your finger.

The 4cm long litmus paper is made from thin and tough dó paper, which is 'swept' many times with homemade ink made from a special type of soot, mixed with buffalo skin glue, creating a durable litmus paper.

Kieu Ky is known as a 'unique' craft village because no other industry can make a single tael of gold into 980 sheets with an area of more than 1 square meter.

The steps of stacking gold in preparation for the leaf pounding and old-leaf making stages require great patience and meticulousness.

The 'cutting the line' and 'gold-turning' stages at artisan Nguyen Van Hiep's family. This stage must be done in a closed room, without using a fan because the gold after being kneaded is very thin, even a light wind can blow the gold leaves away.

According to ancient legend, the Kieu Ky people's craftsmanship was exquisite, serving to gild and silver-plated the architectural works of kings and temples, pagodas, and shrines in the capital.

Currently, the golden lotus leaves in Kieu Ky still serve many highly aesthetic projects across the country.

Exquisitely gilded Buddha statues.

Gold-plated products in the ancestral temple are a reminder to respect the traditional profession left by our ancestors.

Young artist Dang Van Hau tells folk stories using dough animals

Artisan Dang Van Hau presents his works using folk materials, creating 'story-telling' figurines instead of simply being rustic toys.

Born into a family in the traditional craft village of Xuan La (Phu Xuyen, Hanoi) with many generations involved in the craft of making to he figurines, artisan Dang Van Hau (born in 1988) has been involved with making to he figurines since childhood.

The journey to preserve the traditional craft of making clay figurines by artisan Dang Van Hau has encountered many difficulties, but he always finds a way to overcome them. He has researched a new type of powder that can be preserved for many years and restored the traditional technique of making figurines passed down by his ancestors, especially the Chim Co figurines of Xuan La village.

Thanks to his skillful hands and enthusiasm, artisan Dang Van Hau not only keeps the fire burning and passes on his passion for the traditional craft to young people, but also enhances the value of traditional to he products in today's modern life.

Currently, besides maintaining the traditional making of dough balls as a folk toy, the young 8x artisan focuses more on product sets with folk stories.

Inspired by Dong Ho folk paintings, he recreated the story 'The Mouse Wedding.' He always believes that each of his works must carry a cultural story.

Or the "Mid-Autumn Lantern Procession" figurine set vividly recreates images of the old Mid-Autumn Festival in the Northern countryside.

This work also won the Special Prize of the Hanoi City Craft Village Products Contest in 2023.

The dragon work is made in two styles: Ly dynasty dragon and Nguyen dynasty dragon.

After more than 20 years of working with colored powder, many students have studied and become skilled craftsmen, but perhaps his greatest joy is that his 8th grade son is also passionate about clay figurines.

Starting to learn the craft from his father 2 years ago, Dang Nhat Minh (14 years old) can now make his own to he products.

Skillful, meticulous hands create to he figurines in their own style.

Although the products are not as 'sophisticated' as artisan Dang Van Hau, Minh clearly shows the shape of the product, with the naivety of a child's toy.

Artist with nearly 80 years of passion for Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns

Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Van Quyen (born in 1939) has nearly 80 years of experience making lanterns and still works tirelessly day and night, breathing life into folk toys imbued with traditional culture.

Mr. Nguyen Van Quyen, the only remaining artisan in Dan Vien village (Cao Vien, Thanh Oai, Hanoi) has nearly 80 years of experience making traditional lanterns.

At 85 years old, artisan Nguyen Van Quyen is still agile. Mr. Quyen said that when he was a child, every Mid-Autumn Festival, the elders in the family made lanterns for their children and grandchildren to play with.

"About 60 years ago, lanterns were very popular in rural areas. Now, when many foreign toys are flooding the market, lanterns in particular and folk toys in general are gradually disappearing and few people play them," said Mr. Quyen.

However, with the desire to preserve the traditional cultural features of the Mid-Autumn Festival, he still diligently breathes life into bamboo sticks and wax paper to create lanterns.

Every Mid-Autumn Festival, Mr. Quyen and his wife are busy with the lanterns.

To complete a lantern, it must go through many stages, each stage is very elaborate and meticulous, requiring patience from the maker.

The dried bamboo sticks will be fixed into a hexagonal shape to form the frame of the lamp.

To create aesthetics, the outside of the lamp frame will be covered with small decorative motifs to make the lamp look more vivid and eye-catching.

The lamp body will be covered with wax paper or tissue paper to print the 'shadow of the army' when the candle inside is lit.

Traditional lanterns, although simple in appearance, contain cultural values.

The images of 'armies' running in the lights are often images associated with the rice civilization of our ancestors.

These could be images of scholars, farmers, craftsmen, merchants or fishermen, or herders.

Although modern toys occupy a large market share, folk toys still receive attention from young people because of the cultural values contained in them.

Thach Xa bamboo dragonfly – a unique gift from the Vietnamese countryside

With skillful and dexterous hands, people of Thach Xa village (Thach That, Hanoi) have created bamboo dragonflies, becoming a rustic gift loved by many people.

At the foot of Tay Phuong Pagoda, the people of Thach Xa have created dragonflies from bamboo, simple, familiar and attractive.

No one remembers the exact 'birth' bamboo dragonfly since ever for more than 20 years, the daily workers still make friends with bamboo, glue, paint to create this simple country gift.

Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen Van Khan and Ms. Nguyen Thi Chi (Thach Xa, Thach That, Hanoi) every day, bamboo, creating dragonfly wings

He urgently said that making bamboo dragonfly must be meticulously every glass, so that the product makes moderate but must be balanced so that the dragonfly can be 'parked' anywhere.

From the stage, making wings, to drilling small holes with a toothpick to attach the dragonfly wings to the body to be cautious and skillful to create a balance when completed.

The worker will use a heated iron bar to bend the dragonfly head, creating a balance with the wings and tail to help the dragonfly can park.

The dragonfly balance can be standing as the final stage in the shaping stage, before the dragonfly is transferred to the painting area.

Mr. Khan's neighbors were the family of Mr. Nguyen Van Re, who was also the first family to be associated with the dragonfly wings in Thach Xa from the beginning to the present.

In addition to making raw parts for dragonfly, his family also has a paint factory to complete eye -catching and colorful products.

After finishing the product in the form of rough, new workers officially create 'souls' for them by scanning paint, drawing motifs.

Bamboo dragonfly will be beautified in many different paint colors with the inspiration for art that carries the breath of rural rural life.

The workers need to skillfully spread the paint, otherwise they will be colored, the paint material will also help the product is both durable and beautiful.