Meticulous attention to detail
Recalling the first time she saw her sister's new dolls, Thinh Da (21 years old this year) was extremely surprised, because unlike other types of dolls, her sister's dolls had ball joints, with elastic bands inside connecting the joints.
This design allows the dolls to flexibly adjust their joints, making it very convenient for posing them standing or sitting. However, the price of these dolls is very high, with some costing over $1,000. Finding the price too high, Thinh Da began researching and discovered that he could use art clay (which costs only 70,000-80,000 VND per piece) to design and create these types of dolls.
Eight years after its first rudimentary and flawed product, Thinh Da's dolls are now considered high-end. Buyers are no longer simply collectors of dolls, but rather enthusiasts seeking handcrafted works of art. Thinh Da's dolls are now incredibly diverse, and uniquely, no two are alike. Each product is born from a distinct inspiration and dedication, requiring immense effort to create; some take a whole year to complete.
Handmade dolls require meticulous attention to detail: the hair is made from goat, sheep, or camel hair because it is soft, flowing, and flat like human hair; each finger joint is also shaped from porcelain or clay… Thinh Da taught himself how to draw patterns and sew by hand the details of the shoes and clothes. The dolls consist of many small, delicate parts that can break with a light touch, so transporting them from Ho Chi Minh City to the kiln in Dong Nai requires extreme care. Then, the firing process requires great stability so that the joints contract evenly, allowing the doll to move smoothly, and the porcelain must be fired in a way that is completely clean and bright, without any tiny dust particles…
"This field has no predecessors, no online guides, and all my experience comes from failures. Few people pursue this profession, and I have no friends to share my experiences with. There have been times when I encountered obstacles and felt discouraged, even considering giving up, but then I looked back at my previous efforts and motivated myself to continue on this journey," Thinh Da shared.
Vietnamese dolls carry Vietnamese culture to new heights.
Once, a foreign friend asked, "Does Vietnam have any traditional dolls?" Thinh Da was startled and reproached himself, "I make all kinds of dolls, and yet I never thought of this!" Referring to the old paintings of artist Mai Trung Thu, Thinh Da designed a new type of doll with the criteria of simplicity, without extravagance or elaborate makeup… but still detailed and meticulous. The doll's face is hand-painted to capture the distinctive features of Vietnamese people. The doll's clothes are modeled after those of princes and princesses of the Nguyen dynasty, with patterns redesigned from the originals to suit the doll's smaller size. The fabrics used must also be purely Vietnamese, such as Ha Dong silk or My A brocade.
It took over a year to launch the product, which is deeply rooted in Vietnamese tradition. The dolls quickly attracted customers from all over: international tourists wanting to collect artistic dolls with a strong Vietnamese tradition, and Vietnamese expatriates wanting to preserve the image of their homeland in a faraway land... Thinh Da was most impressed by a customer in the US who wanted to order a doll with a distinctly Vietnamese style. Notably, this customer was a young woman who was visually impaired.
“Initially, I was so surprised I couldn't believe it, thinking it was a scam. But then, when I learned that she was a doll collector who wanted a Vietnamese product, I asked a friend from the visually impaired association to write a letter in Braille, thanking her and describing all the details of the doll that were difficult to feel with her hands. It also included stories about related Vietnamese culture. My friend was very moved and said that she had heard a lot about Vietnam, but this was the first time she had such close contact with Vietnamese culture, feeling like she had a Vietnamese friend by her side. And she ordered a larger doll to add to her collection,” Thinh Da shared.
In today's era of integration, creations like Thinh Da's art dolls demonstrate that youthful energy lies not only in daring to take on challenges but also in the aspiration to preserve and spread national culture. They have contributed to opening more doors for international friends to understand and appreciate Vietnamese identity through unique forms, seemingly small but incredibly moving.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/nghe-nan-bup-be-nghe-thuat-post811811.html
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