Ethnic and Modern Crafts of Vietnam
Vietnam is home to rapid innovation, with their artisans’ crafts spanning bio-based leather to the world’s largest ceramic and calligraphy bowl. The meticulous and luxurious artwork by the artisans of Vietnam showcase the intellect and talent of their people and over a thousand years of history.
Bio-Based Leather
Bio-based leather is created from seashell waste and mushrooms to serve as a sustainable alternative to faux and animal leather. This innovative product may change the face of leather goods forever, not only being 100% biodegradable but also free of plastic. The material is soft to touch, water resistant with a layer of beeswax coating, and can replicate any texture surface such as animal skin.
Silk Crafts
Vietnam has been working with silk for hundreds of years and is a staple of luxury in their culture. Silk is also used for ceremonial dresses and outfits. The artisans of Vietnam mix new techniques with traditional weaving to create unique scarves, masks, and shifts that have the soul of the artisan. Typical designs include the lotus flower, an iconic symbol of Vietnam, and other floral geometric patterns.
Ceramics
The artisans of Vietnam have been making high-fired white-glazed ceramics with white bodies for millennia. The glazing process can be traced back to Chinese settlers in the Hanoi region who made it their home in the first century AD. This art faded out but received a major stimulus in the 15th and 16th centuries, when the Chinese Ming dynasty severely restricted their exports. Vietnamese ceramics predominantly use white glazes and blue decorations to create its famous “blue de hue” porcelain.
Artisans also use overglazes in red, green, and yellow. Today, both male and female artisans of Vietnam make pottery by combining indigenous and Chinese elements. These artisans are usually from Bat Trang, Dong Trieu, Thanh Ha, and Haiphong villages.
Handicraft from Mother Pearl Shell
The production of mother of pearl crafts has a long history in Vietnam. Mother of pearl, also known as nacre, is the pearl layer taken from the inside of the oyster shell with an acid and sanding combination. The durable pearl shell is then cut and polished to be used for home décor products such as lamp bases, mirrors, and jewelry boxes.
These pieces are truly a one-of-a-kind work of art and are said to be a gift from the ocean. The artisans of Vietnam are considered experts of working with the mother of pearl. These crafts have been produced in Northern Vietnam villages for thousands of years. Sourcing mother of pearl is an extremely labor-intensive process, with this raw material representing one of Vietnam’s top handicraft manufacturing materials. It is sourced directly from the South China Sea and Vietnam’s riverbeds. It can either be cut by hand or with precision machines, but it must be glued by hand and must line up perfectly.
The artisans of Vietnam create not merely aesthetic products but ones with a higher purpose such as sustainability and progression to push the envelope beyond their thousand-year history of excellence.
