Ha Thai Lacquer: From a "royal" craft village to an attractive tourist destination

Nearly 20km south of Hanoi center, Ha Thai village (Duyen Thai commune) has long been known as one of the cradles of Vietnamese lacquer art.

Included in the list of seven craft village tourist attractions of the Capital, this place is not only a space to preserve cultural memories but also a testament to the enduring vitality of a traditional craft that has existed for centuries.

Lacquer craft in Ha Thai is both deeply rooted in history and reflects the constant innovation and creativity of Vietnamese craftsmen in the face of changes in contemporary life.

The transformation from East-West exchange

No one remembers exactly when the profession appeared, but through two gilded parallel sentences kept at the village communal house, the lacquering profession has been present here since the 17th century.

In the beginning, people mainly worked in painting and processing products to serve the king and mandarins, so Ha Thai was also known as the "king-serving" craft village.

The ingenuity and sophistication of many artisans soon created a reputation for the lacquer craft here.

Decorations on lacquer products for export in Ha Thai craft village. (Photo: Tran Viet/VNA)

In the 1930s, the traditional Ha Thai painting craft witnessed a major turning point when artists from the Indochina College of Fine Arts researched and introduced many new materials such as eggshells, pearl shells, snails, bamboo ribs... At the same time, grinding techniques were applied to help create unique, shiny and deep product surfaces.

From here, the terms “lacquer” and “lacquer painting” officially appeared, marking the formation of a unique Vietnamese painting art form. Ha Thai became one of the lacquer production centers that soon approached and mastered this technique.

The worker and the elaborate steps

A Ha Thai lacquer product is the crystallization of dozens of completely manual stages, from shaping, priming, inlaying, painting, grinding to polishing.

The craftsman must spend weeks, even months on a single work. Whether it is a small bowl, vase or a large painting, each product requires skill, meticulousness and patience.

According to skilled workers, it takes 12-15 layers of paint and many days of grinding and polishing to create the characteristic durability and shine.

When completed, they radiate a shimmering, splendid beauty from the delicate color combination, while also carrying the charm and rusticity of the Vietnamese countryside.

The main materials are still traditional materials such as lacquer, then lacquer, vermilion, silver leaf, gold leaf... on a black background.

Familiar images such as the banyan tree wharf, the bamboo boat, Hanoi's Old Quarter, One Pillar Pagoda... are vividly recreated through the talented hands of artisans, becoming highlights attracting domestic and foreign tourists.

The biggest difference of Ha Thai lacquer is that: every product comes from rustic materials, inspired by nature and imbued with Vietnamese cultural identity.

Ha Thai craftsman not only creates a beautiful product, but also puts into it the traditional aesthetic philosophy - the harmony between manual labor and artistic creativity.

To own a beautiful Ha Thai lacquer painting, the color must be bright. And to have a beautiful color depends on the paint mixing process. Each family has its own secret to mixing paint, bringing its own color.

And the experience of mixing paint using traditional methods has given way to modern paint mixing techniques.

Painting process on tray products at Ha Thai craft village. (Photo: Tran Viet/VNA)

In general, the mixing of lacquer will play an important role in deciding the success or failure of Ha Thai lacquer painting products.

Therefore, the process of mixing lacquer in the past and now still requires the painter to have real experience right from the stage of cooking the paint, to concentrating the paint, to testing the finished paint.

Every step requires meticulousness to produce Ha Thai lacquer paintings that are praised by many people.

Preserve and develop into an attractive tourist destination of the Capital

In 2020, Ha Thai was recognized by the Hanoi People's Committee as a craft village tourist destination. This is an important milestone to help the locality build and affirm its brand, while opening up a new direction of development based on the advantage of "smokeless industry."

Thanks to the support of the government, people have invested in expanding their business model, developing lacquer painting experience services, attracting domestic and foreign tourists. The village's products are now exported to many countries such as the UK, the US, France, Russia, Japan, Australia...

Despite its strong brand, Ha Thai still faces many limitations. There is a lack of tourism facilities: experience areas, galleries, souvenir shops, food and entertainment services cannot meet the increasing needs of tourists.

A lacquer product showroom in Ha Thai craft village. (Photo: Tran Viet/VNA)

The lack of a large-scale product introduction center also makes it difficult to promote the brand. In addition, the successor team is not abundant when young people are still afraid to stick with the profession due to high technical requirements and long working hours.

To develop traditional crafts sustainably, production facilities are linking up to open vocational training classes for young people, while also providing them with additional knowledge about tourism to meet new market needs.

Many workshops have renovated their spaces to welcome visitors and guide them through stages such as polishing, eggshell inlaying, painting, etc. to increase interaction and experience value for visitors.

Ha Thai lacquerware is not only a traditional craft but also an important cultural asset of the capital. With the cooperation of the community, government and people, Ha Thai can completely become an attractive destination similar to the Bat Trang model - a traditional craft village developing into a strong tourism brand./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/son-mai-ha-thai-tu-lang-nghe-dang-vua-den-diem-du-lich-hap-dan-post1081587.vnp