With works made from bamboo

In the final days of the year, Le Ngoc Du is busy repairing the King Kong model made of straw and thatch at the foot of Ba Den mountain to prepare for the New Year 2025. In addition, the young man from Bau Nang commune, Duong Minh Chau district, is also working tirelessly on several works of art made from bamboo.

Mr. Le Ngoc Du recounts the process of creating his King Kong figure using straw and thatch.

Transform childhood games into works of art.

In 2024, twin brothers Le Ngoc Du and Le Minh Hai unexpectedly rose to fame across social media and gained recognition from numerous news outlets for their giant King Kong sculpture made from straw and thatch, created within the grounds of the Village Inn at the foot of Mount Ba Den.

To ensure his artwork was ready to welcome the Year of the Snake 2025, Du put a lot of effort into replacing the old parts of the King Kong with new straw. When we visited, this "rural artisan" said that the only remaining step was to apply a layer of PU paint to the entire King Kong to give it a uniform color and to somewhat mitigate the effects of the weather.

At midday, under the scorching sun, the work on repairing the King Kong statue was temporarily halted. Taking advantage of this time, Du began assembling the parts for his hermit crab sculpture. The materials for this artwork are the roots, branches, and stems of thorny bamboo. He explained that it took him months of searching in many places to find all the details that fit the shape of the hermit crab.

The cricket was huge.

“For example, for the tail of the snail, I have to find a completely naturally curved bamboo blank, and the size must also fit the overall model. After bringing it home, I only carve and remove unnecessary details, minimizing any impact on the remaining parts,” Du said.

After several hours of assembly, the hermit crab gradually took shape. Under skillful hands and creative minds, the lifeless bamboo roots and branches were transformed into a work of art. Placed on a rock by the lake, viewers have the feeling that the hermit crab has just crawled out of its shell to search for food. This artwork was named "The Hermit" by Mr. Dự.

Besides the model mentioned above, the young man born in 1987 also showed us many other works made from materials familiar to everyday life such as bamboo, reeds, coconut shells, etc. All the works left a strong impression on viewers, such as: a huge cricket, so lifelike that it felt like it could jump around when held in the hand; a field crab raising its claws in a defensive posture; or giant bees, praying mantises, and many large yellow ants…

In particular, Mr. Du has created many animal models that can move when the wind blows or when there is external force. These include dragonflies, self-balancing eagles made of bamboo, and turtles that transform into dragons with their heads and tails swaying amusingly.

Or consider the dragon wind chime set; every time a gentle breeze blows, the dragon stirs and wags its tail as if wanting to fly. There are also cranes spreading their wings and fluttering among the mountains and forests, woodpeckers, frogs by the lotus pond, and storks eating fish… It is estimated that, to date, Du has produced nearly 100 products from bamboo and coconut shells. These products are highly sought after, and he cannot meet market demand.

The freshwater crab raised its claws high.

The turtle transformed into a dragon.

Du recounted that he was born and raised in a family with limited financial resources, so he didn't have money to buy toys like his peers. As children, he and his brother often used coconut leaves to make shapes of grasshoppers, crickets, and deer to play with. Later, Du and Hai went to Ho Chi Minh City to learn hairdressing and earned a living by providing beauty services.

When the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, the two brothers returned to their hometown to observe social distancing. During their free time, the older brother created a fishing rod shaped like a dragon's head and posted it on social media for fun. Unexpectedly, the item attracted a lot of attention and praise. With his dynamic, inquisitive, and creative nature, and further encouraged by the online community, Mr. Du thought about recreating childhood toys using bamboo.

When the Covid-19 pandemic subsided, Hai returned to Ho Chi Minh City to continue his career as a hairdresser. Du stayed in his hometown, devoting all his time and effort to creativity. According to Du, to create a product, one must first have an idea, and only then can one begin searching for materials.

The search process wasn't always smooth. Holding the newly completed hermit crab in his hand, Du explained that he couldn't find the parts of this hermit crab in any of the bamboo groves in the village. He had to go to barren, harsh lands where the bamboo trees were crammed together.

There, he found bamboo roots with unique shapes that met his needs. "Assembling this screw only took a day, but finding the materials took about four months," Du said.

The crane fluttered and soared through the mountains and forests.

Cute little yellow ant.

Spreading the love of art.

Beyond satisfying his personal needs, Du has recently dedicated much of his time to organizing workshops to meet and guide like-minded individuals on the methods and skills of creating this art form, aiming to spread his love of nature to young people.

Mr. Tran Van Hien, residing in Hon Quan district, Binh Phuoc province - a content creator quite famous for his YouTube and TikTok channels specializing in rural cuisine - has visited Tay Ninh three times to rent accommodation and "learn" from Mr. Du about how to create handicrafts from bamboo.

To date, Hien has completed a bamboo ant, which he uses for home decoration, and he feels very happy every time he looks at his creation. The young man from Binh Phuoc shared: "I am also a content creator, and I want to learn more from Mr. Du so that I can film more bamboo handicrafts in the future. Through that, I want to spread my passion for the simple bamboo of my homeland to my friends."

Mr. Le Ngoc Du assembles his hermit crab artwork.

Mr. Du's straw and thatch King Kong model and bamboo artworks have contributed to creating a vibrant and attractive atmosphere at Village Inn. Ms. Truong Thi Ha, director of a fashion company in Ho Chi Minh City, and her group of friends visited Village Inn and remarked: "My first impression upon entering this place is the fresh air, the abundance of greenery, and the beautiful hills. In particular, the decor here is distinctly rural, reminiscent of my childhood, which I really appreciate."

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Thao, representative of Village Inn, in addition to continuing the King Kong model, they will soon build a shop to display and introduce Mr. Du's bamboo handicrafts for visitors to admire. At the same time, the inn will develop green tourism, planting many new and unique ornamental flowers and offering experiential tourism activities such as letting students swim in the stream, catching crabs and snails, making mixed rice paper salad, and making shaved ice...

Recently, Le Ngoc Du, a young man from Tay Ninh, was invited by Vietnam Television (VTV3) to spend a week at their studio in Hanoi to participate in the program "Vietnam in Diverse Colors." In the program, Du recounted the process of creating his bamboo handicrafts. "I am nurturing a dream and am determined to create a work depicting Saint Giong riding a horse, wielding a bamboo stick to drive away foreign invaders," Du confided.

Ocean

Source: https://baotayninh.vn/voi-nhung-tac-pham-tu-tre-truc-a183713.html