Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Van was born in 1979 in Hanoi . Her childhood was filled with images of her mother knitting sweaters and scarves. Those brightly colored balls of yarn instilled in young Van a special love for yarn and handicrafts. In 2002, after graduating from the Carpet Design department of the Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts, she continued to pursue her creative path with hand-embroidered wool. Ms. Van has participated in many artistic activities and organized several solo exhibitions.

The classroom space at Len Art embroidery workshop.

After a long time dedicated to the craft, Ms. Van always pondered: "Could wool embroidery become a job that gives people with disabilities a chance to live more independently?" Acting on this thought, in 2016, Ms. Van opened the Len Art embroidery workshop at 5 Quan Thanh Street (Ba Dinh District, Hanoi) to provide free vocational training for people with disabilities.

Ms. Vân shared that she faced many difficulties in the early days of opening her workshop. To find the first trainees, she had to contact many acquaintances, even going to their homes to meet and persuade their families to let them participate in the classes. Most of the trainees were very shy, hesitant to communicate, and lacked self-confidence. This became her motivation to persevere, inspire, and help them rise up in life.

Artisan Nguyen Thi Hong Van enthusiastically and dedicatedly guides the students.

In 2016, the workshop began operating with 9 trainees. By 2019, it moved to 16 Hang Chuoi Street (Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi) and gradually became a warm and creative space for people with disabilities and autistic children.

To complete a wool embroidery picture, students must start with the basics such as holding a needle, threading it, and practicing the first stitches. These seemingly simple tasks are a great challenge for many people with disabilities. Therefore, some students may take months, even almost a year, to complete a single picture.

The embroidered wool artwork is displayed in the classroom.

One of the students she remembers most is Nguyen Trong Duy (born in 2008, Hanoi). When he first came to class, Duy was very shy, fearful, and always wary of everything around him. It took Ms. Van nearly two months to get him used to it and help him feel safe. "I held his hand and guided him little by little, from threading the needle to the first embroidery stitches like circles and squares. Gradually, he became more patient and was able to create his own pictures," Ms. Van recalled.

Ms. Ha Kim Thu (born in 1993, Hanoi), a hearing-impaired trainee who has been with the workshop for nearly 9 years, shared through text messages on her phone: “I consider Len Art my second home. Ms. Van is like an older sister; she not only taught me embroidery but also taught me many things in life that helped me become more confident and earn extra income each month.”

Some of the students' wool embroidery artwork is on display at Len Art Cafe.

Currently, Len Art embroidery workshop is training about 10 students with classes from Monday to Friday every week. After 10 years of operation, the workshop has provided free vocational training and guidance to more than 30 people with disabilities and autistic children. Through perseverance and dedication to her craft, Ms. Van not only helps students improve with each stitch but also helps them find creative joy, self-confidence, and opportunities to integrate into life.

To keep the workshop running, Ms. Van and her husband opened Len Art Cafe, which also displays wool embroidery artwork created by the trainees. This small space gradually became a place connecting art with the community, helping many people discover and appreciate the works created with patience and perseverance. Ms. Van hopes that in the future, more businesses and organizations will choose the workshop's wool embroidery as gifts. Each artwork received is not just a handcrafted product, but also the result of the hard work and hope of the special trainees at Len Art.

International students visit and experience embroidery at Len Art.

In the future, artist Nguyen Thi Hong Van will expand her workshop and organize more exhibitions to introduce her works to the public. For her, each painting is not simply a work of art, but also a story about the resilience, perseverance, and aspirations of extraordinary people.

At Len Art, each thread of yarn not only weaves a picture, but also embroiders dreams and hopes for special people.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/phong-su/len-art-noi-theu-nen-nhung-uoc-mo-1030108