At a lacquerware village in Binh Duong (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Truong Quan Tinh, who has 40 yearsof experience in making lacquerware, is worried about thedecline of Tuong Binh Hiep Village in Thu Dau Mot City in the southern province of Binh Duong.
Tuong Binh Hiep is one of the oldest lacquer villages in Vietnam, said Tinh, head of Dinh Hoa Lacquerware.
“From 1990to 2000, the village had more than 2,000 households with about 5,000lacquerware workers. However, now there are only 1,000. Not many youngpeople want to take up the craft.”
Infact, several large facilities are on the verge of bankruptcy due to a lack oflong-term investment. Today, only a few dozen households andestablishments are involved in the trade, according to Tinh.
Long history
Lacquerart has a long storied history in Vietnam. The traditional material is oftenused to decorate furniture, boats, weapons and objects of worship. The productsare known for their polished, glossy and luxurious finish.
Becauseof lacquer's prominence in the country's fine arts, it helpsto contribute to tourismindustry and socio-economic development. For years, local workshave been acclaimed by both international visitors and art critics.
Vietnameselacquer works are different from those made in othercountries like China, Japan and theRepublic of Korea, where decorative lacquer is morecommon. Vietnamese lacquer is more versatile and diverse.
Tran Cong Thien, a lacquerware artisan at Tuong Binh Hiep Village, who has 20 years ofexperience in the art, says that traditional lacquer is a kindof resin extracted from the sơn tree(Toxicodendrom vernicifluum), which isfound in the mountains of the northern province of Phu Tho. The resin is applied in several coats toa wooden base. This is polished to a smooth surface layer which is durableand attractive in look. The lacquer is also painted withpictures, inlaid with eggshells, mother of pearl, gold and othermaterials, before being processed.
Traditionally,lacquerware colours were mostly black, brown and red. Today, new coloursinclude white, blue, green and yellow to create a modern look. The mainmaterials are wood, bamboo, rattan and, more recently, composite and ceramics.
Ineach period, lacquer has significantly contributed to the development of Vietnam’sfine arts. In a short period of time, the art form has achieved a highstatus among Vietnam’s modern arts.
Villagersin Tuong Binh Hiep have preserved their old productionprocess, which involves covering products with 12 to 15 coats of traditionalmaterials, Tinh said.
“Awell lacquered product can keep its colour for 400 years,” he said.
Accordingto the book, Binh Duong – A New Power of the 21st Century published by the NationalPolitics Publishers in 2003, migrants from the north, including lacquercraftpersons, travelled along the Sai Gon River and settled in Thu Dau Mot in the early 18th century.
Theypassed on their traditional craft to locals who have preserved it eversince.
In1901, the French rulers in Vietnam set up a vocational school in Thu Dau Mot,now the Binh Duong Fine Arts College, to teach carving and lacquerware.
BinhDuong traditional lacquerware became especially popular between 1945and 1975 with the establishment of Tuong Binh Hiep Lacquerware by artisanTruong Van Thanh, and Thanh Le lacquerware workshop by artisan Nguyen Van Le.
Thecraft requires meticulous skills. To prevent the paint fromdrying too quickly, the object has to be kept in a cupboard awayfrom wind and high humidity. Spring and the rainy days of early summer areideal.
To preserve the craftin the village, younger workers need to be professionally trained, Tinh said.
Moneyis the key to the craft’s survival, he said, adding that the craft willonly survive if the villagers can make a living from it.
“It’sof great importance to promote the business of lacquer art as well as thecraftwork so we can expand the market for lacquerware. Another important taskfor us is to encourage high school students to register for courses inlacquerware or enroll at the Binh Duong Fine Arts College,” he said.
Localauthorities need to create favourable conditions for vocational trainingat the Fine Arts College so that young people could enroll in lacquerwarecourses, according to Tinh.
Preservation
Inrecent years, the province has provided assistance in brand building, tourismdevelopment, and financial support for production facilities for TuongBinh Hiep lacquer craft village.
ThePeople's Committee of Thu Dau Mot City has also started a conservation anddevelopment project for the craft village that combines tourism inthe city and surrounding areas.
Theproject will include infrastructure investment combined with diverse activitiesin the tourism industry. It will also create better linkagesamong production facilities and provide financial support to workshops toinvest in new environmentally-friendly machinery.
TheThu Dau Mot People’s Committee said the city will work with local departments and branches in theprovince to invest in human resource training, trade promotion, and science andtechnology application./.
Tuong Binh Hiep is one of the oldest lacquer villages in Vietnam, said Tinh, head of Dinh Hoa Lacquerware.
“From 1990to 2000, the village had more than 2,000 households with about 5,000lacquerware workers. However, now there are only 1,000. Not many youngpeople want to take up the craft.”
Infact, several large facilities are on the verge of bankruptcy due to a lack oflong-term investment. Today, only a few dozen households andestablishments are involved in the trade, according to Tinh.
Long history
Lacquerart has a long storied history in Vietnam. The traditional material is oftenused to decorate furniture, boats, weapons and objects of worship. The productsare known for their polished, glossy and luxurious finish.
Becauseof lacquer's prominence in the country's fine arts, it helpsto contribute to tourismindustry and socio-economic development. For years, local workshave been acclaimed by both international visitors and art critics.
Vietnameselacquer works are different from those made in othercountries like China, Japan and theRepublic of Korea, where decorative lacquer is morecommon. Vietnamese lacquer is more versatile and diverse.
Tran Cong Thien, a lacquerware artisan at Tuong Binh Hiep Village, who has 20 years ofexperience in the art, says that traditional lacquer is a kindof resin extracted from the sơn tree(Toxicodendrom vernicifluum), which isfound in the mountains of the northern province of Phu Tho. The resin is applied in several coats toa wooden base. This is polished to a smooth surface layer which is durableand attractive in look. The lacquer is also painted withpictures, inlaid with eggshells, mother of pearl, gold and othermaterials, before being processed.
Traditionally,lacquerware colours were mostly black, brown and red. Today, new coloursinclude white, blue, green and yellow to create a modern look. The mainmaterials are wood, bamboo, rattan and, more recently, composite and ceramics.
Ineach period, lacquer has significantly contributed to the development of Vietnam’sfine arts. In a short period of time, the art form has achieved a highstatus among Vietnam’s modern arts.
Villagersin Tuong Binh Hiep have preserved their old productionprocess, which involves covering products with 12 to 15 coats of traditionalmaterials, Tinh said.
“Awell lacquered product can keep its colour for 400 years,” he said.
Accordingto the book, Binh Duong – A New Power of the 21st Century published by the NationalPolitics Publishers in 2003, migrants from the north, including lacquercraftpersons, travelled along the Sai Gon River and settled in Thu Dau Mot in the early 18th century.
Theypassed on their traditional craft to locals who have preserved it eversince.
In1901, the French rulers in Vietnam set up a vocational school in Thu Dau Mot,now the Binh Duong Fine Arts College, to teach carving and lacquerware.
BinhDuong traditional lacquerware became especially popular between 1945and 1975 with the establishment of Tuong Binh Hiep Lacquerware by artisanTruong Van Thanh, and Thanh Le lacquerware workshop by artisan Nguyen Van Le.
Thecraft requires meticulous skills. To prevent the paint fromdrying too quickly, the object has to be kept in a cupboard awayfrom wind and high humidity. Spring and the rainy days of early summer areideal.
To preserve the craftin the village, younger workers need to be professionally trained, Tinh said.
Moneyis the key to the craft’s survival, he said, adding that the craft willonly survive if the villagers can make a living from it.
“It’sof great importance to promote the business of lacquer art as well as thecraftwork so we can expand the market for lacquerware. Another important taskfor us is to encourage high school students to register for courses inlacquerware or enroll at the Binh Duong Fine Arts College,” he said.
Localauthorities need to create favourable conditions for vocational trainingat the Fine Arts College so that young people could enroll in lacquerwarecourses, according to Tinh.
Preservation
Inrecent years, the province has provided assistance in brand building, tourismdevelopment, and financial support for production facilities for TuongBinh Hiep lacquer craft village.
ThePeople's Committee of Thu Dau Mot City has also started a conservation anddevelopment project for the craft village that combines tourism inthe city and surrounding areas.
Theproject will include infrastructure investment combined with diverse activitiesin the tourism industry. It will also create better linkagesamong production facilities and provide financial support to workshops toinvest in new environmentally-friendly machinery.
TheThu Dau Mot People’s Committee said the city will work with local departments and branches in theprovince to invest in human resource training, trade promotion, and science andtechnology application./.
VNA