The whole village learns livestreaming, Gen Z digitizes heritage, determined to preserve the quintessence of Vietnamese crafts

(Dan Tri) - Traditional crafts are not outside the flow of technology but blend in to preserve and honor the ingenuity of Vietnamese people's hands.

Having mastered every step of making a handmade Chang Son fan since childhood, artisan Nguyen Quang Hong (Chang Son village, Tay Phuong commune, Hanoi ) slowly and proudly tells about the process of making the small, beautiful, yet sophisticated hand-held cooling object that has been famous for many generations.

“The fan is small but the process is very elaborate: cutting and soaking the bamboo so that it is not moldy or worm-eaten, splitting the bamboo strips so that they are even and beautiful, gluing the strips (also known as fanning) so that the fan has a neat semicircle shape, then folding along the strips to form a complete fan…”, Mr. Hong said while spreading the fan in his hand, “My family has been attached to these fans for 3 generations”.

Over time, the traditional profession still exists but not many households stick to it anymore. The demand for hand fans has not decreased but requires more in terms of both quality and quantity, especially the appearance. Determined to keep the profession, Mr. Hong invested in billion-dollar machines to place in his workshop.

“Previously, the designs on fans were printed manually using the traditional screen printing method, so they were mainly just calligraphy or simple drawings on Do paper. If you want a fan to be more beautiful, it must have beautiful and colorful decorations, so the fan material must change. The old screen printing method cannot meet the requirements and must be improved,” Mr. Hong explained.

To make the fan more beautiful and sophisticated, it is necessary to create fan ribs with many patterns and shapes from raw bamboo ribs. Making thousands of ribs with details such as perforated holes and water waves is almost impossible. Meanwhile, thanks to the laser cutting machine, in just a few minutes, Mr. Hong can hold in his hands fan ribs with all the patterns and patterns.

Nowadays, customers order fans not only for cooling but also as souvenirs. Without machines, not only will they not be able to fulfill orders of hundreds or even thousands of pieces, but they will also not be able to meet the aesthetic needs of individual designs. The digital printer will ensure that the fan printing paper has the right color and pattern according to the customer's requirements.

After the digital printer is finished, it will be the turn of the heat transfer press. High pressure and temperature will make the image from the printed paper stick firmly to the surface of the fan material such as fabric, silk, etc. Thanks to this technology, any image requested by the customer can be printed on any material without affecting the original design.

The fragrance of Chang Son fans is spread thanks to the meticulous and sophisticated fans, the long-lasting quality thanks to the fan-flashing technique. This is an irreplaceable mechanical step, the hands of skilled craftsmen will complete the final step to produce the finished fan.

“We have improved by using machines but still keep this manual step. Chang Son fan products are not only beautiful but also of high quality, preserving the techniques that have made the village famous,” said Mr. Hong, while meticulously applying glue to the fan ribs.

From here, tens of thousands of fans have brought wind from Chang Son craft village to all parts of the country, appearing from concerts, large and small events to the tropical paradise of Hawaii (USA).

Every Saturday, the halls and cultural houses in Phuong Duc commune (Hanoi) are bustling with discussions and exchanges on topics that are unfamiliar to farmers and artisans in suburban craft villages: using AI to create advertising video images, livestream sales on e-commerce platforms...

“Since the end of 2023, the government of Phu Xuyen district (old) and we have coordinated and organized digital transformation classes for people to develop the economy , promoting the advantages of the locality with many traditional crafts such as bamboo and rattan weaving, figurines, mother-of-pearl inlay, etc.

After the two-tier government model was put into operation, classes like this will continue to be held for people to participate in,” said Ms. Vu Kim Oanh, one of the experts organizing the classes.

From the U70, U80 artisans to the young business households, everyone holds a smartphone in their hands. They listen attentively and follow the instructions of Ms. Oanh and her colleagues. Some take notes in notebooks, while others use tablets and laptops to record knowledge and experience to apply.

At first, people were still confused when hearing about CapCut, ChatGPT, e-commerce platforms... But after just a few lessons, everyone had the basic knowledge and skills to use the software, use the correct prompt to create content, images, and even videos to advertise their products.

“The biggest goal of both the locality and us is to help people use artificial intelligence applications and software to sell and advertise, use e-commerce platforms right at their own business establishments, and produce their own handicraft products,” said Ms. Oanh.

In addition to instructions on how to use AI to create content, images, videos or online sales experience, the sessions also help local people grasp a sales trend using livestream.

In many sessions, people directly brought products and practiced livestreaming right after the class.

Doan Minh Manh and Tran Thi Nhu (Phuong Duc commune) make handmade rattan and bamboo products. Nhu wanted to try livestreaming to sell products many times but was not confident enough because she did not know the method. Knowing about the class, she and her husband joined, proactively brought their products and registered to practice livestreaming.

Holding a handmade rattan basket in his hand, Mr. Manh started the live session by telling the story of the origin of his hometown’s bamboo and rattan weaving craft. The atmosphere became more lively when the live session’s comments section had many people wanting to see the product in more detail. Then the cheers of “closing the deal” were heard when the couple had their first order sold.

50 km from Phuong Duc commune, Bat Trang pottery village has also made drastic changes in the way it sells its products. Many businesses here have also put their products on e-commerce platforms and livestreamed their sales.

In addition to household ceramic products or used as building materials, many people are interested in sophisticated and elaborate handicraft ceramic products with decorative value and feng shui objects. Using images to introduce products is not enough, live and intuitive videos will help buyers refer to and choose more easily.

Inheriting the pottery firing and glazing techniques of his ancestors, while experimenting with creating elaborate and beautiful patterns on pottery, Mr. Phung Minh Hop, the owner of a pottery workshop in Bat Trang, hopes that viewers will not only buy products but also understand the cultural story behind each flower and each historical painting on the pottery product.

“Each ceramic product is a work of art with its own soul. In order for buyers to admire and fully understand the product, we must livestream, both advertise and tell stories about how the product was created,” Mr. Hop said.

So since last year, building social networking sites like Facebook, TikTok and livestreaming to sell products has become an important task in Mr. Hop's workshop. Taking advantage of the time when people are resting on their phones every night, the livestream light is on, Mr. Duong Gia Hao will be the one to tell stories on ceramics.

“Through livestream, customers in other provinces can also observe and order products. There were times when I livestreamed until midnight, sometimes closing 30 products,” Mr. Hao shared.

While the elderly and long-time artisans are not outside the digital transformation trend, the younger generation is participating even more enthusiastically, bringing a fresher breath of life to the familiar products of the craft village.

After graduating from university with a major in economics, Nguyen Thanh Long (son of artisan Nguyen Quang Hong) returned to his hometown to continue operating the fan workshop. Together with two friends from the same hometown, the group built a TikTok channel, both to advertise their workshop and to honor the Chang Son fan making profession.

Knowing about Long's workshop through social networks, many events and organizations have contacted Long to order more custom-designed fans, bringing the Chang Son fan wind to all events, big and small. Most recently, many red flag and yellow star fans have been ordered by many organizations and events to prepare for the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day, September 2.

“Just talking about a recent event, they asked us to make 1,200 fans for the people participating in the National concert,” Long said.

Pottery molding and painting workshop is a new creative activity in Vietnam. Not only making personalized ceramic products, participants, especially families and young people, have more options to visit and experience the culture at Bat Trang pottery village.

“We chose to advertise our workshop through social networks such as TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. Through short videos recording the experiences of making and painting pottery, viewers can easily learn how this model works and choose to come to relax, entertain, and learn about Bat Trang culture,” said Le Dinh Tung, owner of a Bat Trang pottery culture and experience facility.

Without the need for elaborate filming or scripting, short videos with light music are also effective. Introducing a beautiful ceramic product or a scene of family and friends experiencing it together, TikTok videos also create effective virality.

“Many people coming to our workshop will also learn about the process of making a traditional ceramic product. Participating in this activity is also participating in cultural activities, honoring the Bat Trang ceramic craft,” Mr. Tung added.

More and more handicraft products and village experiences are being covered with a new, youthful, modern coat, but without losing the honor and respect for the heritage left by our ancestors. Taking advantage of the rapid spread of platforms, the successors are bringing the wave towards tradition further and further.

Content: Do Thuong Huyen, Minh Nhat

Photo: Doan Thuy, Bao Ngoc, Hung Anh

Design: Thuy Tien

08/20/2025 - 08:53

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/cong-nghe/ca-lang-hoc-livestream-gen-z-so-hoa-di-san-quyet-giu-tinh-hoa-nghe-viet-20250818200530880.htm