Artisans strive to keep the flame alive in century-old traditional craft villages

Located more than 40km from the center of Hanoi , Quang Phu Cau incense stick village (Ung Hoa district) has become a popular tourist destination attracting both domestic and international visitors. It is not only famous for its uniquely shaped bundles of incense sticks but also for being a century-old village, home to artisans like Ms. Nguyen Thu Phuong, owner of Tu Bi Huong production facility, who is striving to maintain and develop the traditional incense stick making craft.

The artisans of Quang Phu Cau village carefully arrange incense sticks into bundles.

Having fallen in love with incense making Since childhood, Ms. Phuong has had over 13 years of experience in producing and making incense sticks for both the domestic and export markets.

Ms. Phuong said: “The first people who introduced me to and taught me how to make incense were my parents. Since I was little, my parents went to the mountainous forest areas to find ingredients for making incense. Initially, my parents mainly traded in incense-making materials. Later, my mother decided to learn the traditional incense-making craft. From a young age, I often followed my mother to learn how to make different types of incense. The incense-making craft became increasingly fascinating to me, and it was this opportunity that led me to pursue this profession until now.”

Ms. Phuong's Tu Bi Huong incense production facility produces an average of one ton of raw materials per month for making incense. Previously, her facility mainly produced incense using manual methods, but in recent years, thanks to investments in machinery and new technology, efficiency and productivity have increased, meeting domestic demand and exporting to countries such as India and Malaysia.

Ms. Phuong introduced the process of bringing the traditional incense-making craft to international markets.

Notably, Ms. Phuong's business is also the first in Quang Phu Cau incense stick village to have 8 products awarded the OCOP 4-star certification.

She proudly shared: “In 2021, I was guided by a customer to submit my products to the OCOP program. At that time, I brought four products: cinnamon incense, agarwood incense, herbal incense, and soapberry incense. I had each product tested to prove to the judges that the incense was safe and free of harmful substances. After participating in the OCOP competition, several newspapers learned about my hometown's traditional products. After a while, many people in Vietnam and international tourists became aware of my hometown's unique traditional products. I think the most important thing is customer trust in my brand.”

The OCOP certificate is proof of the contributions and passion of Ms. Phuong's family to the traditional incense-making craft.

To achieve the success they have today, Ms. Phuong and her family had to overcome many difficulties. Specifically, when starting her business at a young age, the biggest challenges were a lack of experience, capital, and manpower. She shared: "Choosing young people meant they had little experience and often got discouraged quickly, while with older people, you had to find a way to persuade them and show respect for their skills."

Business operations aren't always smooth sailing. Ms. Phuong recounted: "In the first six years after getting married, I set up an incense production factory and exported to India, Malaysia, and several other countries. At that time, I didn't have a firm grasp of the situation." "Because it's an international market, we've encountered situations like stock shortages, delays, rising raw material prices, and labor shortages... With a passion for traditional crafts, I've strived to maintain and explore diverse flavor blending methods such as cinnamon, agarwood, herbal, and frankincense..."

Stacks of incense sticks are neatly arranged, ready for shipment to customers.

Against the backdrop of increasingly strong digital transformation, Ms. Phuong's family business model has also undergone changes to adapt to the market and customer needs.

Ms. Phuong not only brings her products closer to customers through direct channels (dealers, supermarkets, stores), but also through e-commerce platforms such as Shopee, Lazada, etc., providing a more intimate experience for customers.

Ms. Phuong represents the young artisans in Cau Bau village, who are passionate about the craft of making incense sticks. Along with many other artisans in the village, she works day and night to create high-quality incense sticks for customers.

For Ms. Phuong, serving customers is a source of happiness and pride. Combining economic development with handicraft tourism, the Quang Phu Cau incense stick village is increasingly attracting the attention of tourists both domestically and internationally.

Foreign tourists are delighted by the map of Vietnam created from hundreds of colorful incense sticks at Quang Phu Cau village.

As old bamboo dies and new shoots grow, artisans like Ms. Phuong hope that future generations will continue to cherish, preserve, and develop the traditional beauty of their hometown's craft village.

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