The further you go, the more you appreciate traditional values.

“The further I go, the closer I feel to the values ​​of Vietnam,” said Ms. Nhung, her hands still moving quickly in the milky white water. It was that feeling that led her to leave other jobs and start the journey to rediscover the craft of do paper, from searching for do trees in the deep forest, learning each stage of paper making, to continuing to spread the creative space, so that this heritage can be revived in today’s life.

Before entering the profession, Ms. Tran Hong Nhung spent more than 10 years working in non -governmental organizations on community development. As someone who has always had a special affection for Vietnamese culture and heritage, she has the urge to do something that is both socially valuable and preserves national identity.

Ms. Tran Hong Nhung - founder of Zo Project.

The opportunity to come to dó paper began during her time studying abroad in France. Far from home, she realized more and more the beauty and value of seemingly simple things in her homeland. She said: “Sometimes when we are in our own country, we cannot feel that. But when I go abroad, I see the infinite beauty of traditional Vietnamese things, including dó paper.”

Once, she witnessed the artisans performing the paper weaving process, each manual, meticulous and patient movement made her amazed. “I have never seen such a meticulous and elaborate process.” From that initial impression, emotions gradually turned into actions and concerns into projects. In June 2013, Zo Project was born, not only to preserve traditional paper making techniques, but also to open up sustainable livelihoods for people in the highlands, where dó trees still grow quietly.

The journey to revive the heritage of do paper

Ms. Nhung's journey to revive dó paper began with personal concerns. Since 2009, she had been interested in dó paper when learning about calligraphy. But it was only when she embarked on her own project that she truly committed herself and faced the biggest challenge of finding raw materials from dó trees. For 5 years, she went to paper-making villages in Bac Ninh and Hoa Binh (old) to learn and realized that raw materials for making paper were scarce, the manual production process was hard, and the product price was not high, causing artisans to lose interest. At times, she thought it was hopeless, but eventually she found a remote village where dó trees still existed.

After that, she started to build a livelihood model: Connecting people, guiding tree planting, teaching the craft. For her, it is not only a way of doing things, but also a deep belief: "People can only keep their profession if the profession can support them". While she was trying to revive the profession, in Buoi village - the old cradle of Do paper, this profession had almost disappeared. Tay Ho ward had a project to restore the craft village, but lacked people to "breathe life" into it. At that time, knowing about her, the locality proactively contacted and coordinated to ask her to take over the restoration area. Her answer was a strong affirmation of her mission: "I have been waiting for this phone call for years".

Booth displaying Zo Project products at Buoi ward restoration area.

Currently, at the Do paper restoration area at 189 Trich Sai, Tay Ho ward, Hanoi , visitors can see a lively space: There is a paper workshop simulating the Do paper making process, a museum displaying historical documents, an experience area and creative workshops. Heritage is no longer a memory, it comes back to life in every daily activity, spread through contemporary applied products such as: books, invitations, jewelry and calligraphy workshops.

Affirming national pride

Not stopping at conservation, Zo Project is expanding its scale and developing in a creative direction. Do paper is not only used to make notebooks, handmade paintings or calligraphy, but also becomes a material for design products, souvenirs, and contemporary art exhibitions. “We have exported products to the US and Japan. And I am turning this experience area into an open space for young people and designers to come and create and organize exhibitions,” Ms. Nhung shared.

Ms. Nhung guides young French people through the process of weaving Do paper.

The day I visited the restoration area of ​​Tay Ho ward, I (the author of the article) met a French tourist. He said that while on social media, he accidentally saw photos of Do paper and was attracted by its rustic, pure appearance. He contacted Ms. Nhung to directly experience the steps of making Do paper, and to make his own unique book. At Zo Project today, there are young people who are high school students who are taught the profession by Ms. Nhung. There are people who are just starting out in the profession who are encouraged and motivated by her in many ways to have more motivation to stay with the profession.

For Ms. Nhung, Do paper is a market with great potential if we know how to apply it creatively and increase its value. “In the past, Do paper was used to write books and print Dong Ho paintings. Now we have to think further, such as design products, interiors, fine art gifts…”, she said.

Ms. Nhung hopes that dó paper will become a part of Vietnamese life, just like the way washi paper in Japan has permeated every corner of culture, from packaging, invitations, worship items, to gifts carrying messages of gratitude. To her, dó paper is not just paper. It is history, culture, spiritual life, and the pride of the Vietnamese people."

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/van-hoa/doi-song/giu-hon-giay-do-tuong-chung-da-ngu-quen-959588