Visit Bao Ha Sculpture Village in Hai Phong

Legend has it that - the founder of the craft village, Nguyen Cong Hue, in the 15th century, as a child had a special talent for making funny animals using available items in his garden.

Thorny bamboo roots and rough jackfruit roots are carved into the shapes of dragons, unicorns, turtles, and phoenixes. Banana roots, cassava roots, coconut shells, etc. are shaped into Buddhas and phoenixes.

The Ming invaders invaded our country, forced our people and talented people to work as hard laborers, including Nguyen Cong Hue. After 10 years in a foreign land, he learned a trade, honed his skills, and returned to his old village, passing on to the villagers the 4 trades he had learned - wood carving, lacquer painting, weaving, and acupuncture with mugwort.

Later generations had artisans such as To Phu Vuong, To Phu Luat, Hoang Dinh Uc... who were awarded noble titles that made Bao Ha craft village shine.

Bao Ha's descendants are proud of their ancestors and their village, who have passed down the traditional craft to each other. From here, sculptors and lacquer artists have continued to develop, so that today Bao Ha craft village is recognized as "Traditional craft village of wood carving - lacquer" .

Heritage Magazine