Incense making villages in Vietnam

By Benazir Ahmed Siddique, An expat in Hoa Thanh, Tay Ninh, Vietnam

Incense plays an important role in various religious festivals, spiritual and sacred beliefs in many Asian countries. In continuation of this, burning incense sticks is one of the accessories of culture and belief in the Southeast Asian country, Vietnam. Especially in the morning or evening, to protect the sanctity of the home, Vietnamese people use incense sticks. Therefore, incense sticks are traditionally made in different villages in Vietnam. The profession of making incense sticks is more than 100 years old in Vietnam. As soon as you get close to a village where incense sticks are made in Vietnam, you will feel a deep and enchanting aroma. You enter the village, you will see rows of bright red and pink incense sticks lining the streets to dry in the sun, which is bound to catch the eye of any wanderlust. Strolling through the streets of the incense making village will feel like you are being bathed in the sweet scent that permeates everywhere.

Actually making incense is quite a difficult task and there are many steps to go through to make incense stick. And so everyone from the youngest of the family takes responsibility and hard work from the simple to the most complex step of making incense sticks. Elderly people and children often do the work of drying incense sticks, collecting and packing the products. However, for making incense, herbal gum or powder, white sandalwood, dyes, perfumes, coal powder, wood powder, tamarind bark, coconut beads, bamboo sticks, oil etc. are collected and prepared by the experts. Thousands of tourists visit the villages mentioned below every year to experience the tradition and beauty of Vietnam’s incense sticks.

Quang Phu Cau:

Quang Phu Cau is a traditional old village in Ung Hoa District, 35 kilometers from Hanoi. This old village still retains many of its ancient structures and natural rural features. The village still attracts many tourists to learn about the cultural values ​​of the Vietnamese common people. Making incense sticks was once a hobby in this village. People only made incense sticks in their spare time. Over time, the practice of making incense sticks has developed here. Now many people in the village are earning quite well with this work as a profession. So the work is quite a source of pride for many in Quang Phu Cau. Nguyen Hung, an elderly resident of this village, said with an incense stick, ‘The work is hard, but I have earned enough here to teach my two children.’ Another, Le Thi Liu, who was drying the incense sticks, said, ‘He is very happy that one of his sons has decided to do this of his own free will; Through this, the tradition will survive.’ Making incense sticks requires different processes; But the artisans of Quang Phu Cau village are always alert and cautious. Because they believe incense has a close relationship with the spiritual world. The incense sticks from Quang Phu Cau village meet a large part of Vietnam’s demand and are exported to India, China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Malaysia. Quang Phu Cau is not only famous as a village for making traditional incense sticks, but also its ancient beauty attracts many tourists.

Photo Credit: Thanh Lam

Yen Phu:

Yen Phu is one of the traditional handicraft incense villages in Thang Long, located on the west bank of Hanoi’s central Ho District. The people of the village have been making incense sticks for a long time. The elders of the village said that this art is originally from Chinese tradition and has developed day by day. Most of the people in this village practice Buddhism and burning incense is a daily ritual here. By tradition, many people of this village are directly and indirectly associated with making incense sticks. Since the beginning of the eighties, the popularity of incense stick making in this village has decreased a little. Now many have started aquarium fish and other businesses. But still about 20 percent of the families keep the tradition of making incense sticks.

Hong Duong:

The people of Hong Duong village have been making incense sticks for a long time for their livelihood. Through this, the life of the people of Hong Duong village has continuously improved. This beautiful village is also very close to Hanoi. So one can quickly visit this village by taking a public bus from Hanoi to see incense sticks being made. If you go to the village, you will see the old ladies of the house wearing beautiful red and black patterned clothes cutting bamboo sticks to fill the incense. Small children are playing nearby.

Xa Kieu:

Located about 42 kilometers east of Hanoi, Ca Kieu village is famous for making incense sticks. No one knows exactly when the craft started in this village. But the elders of this village said that when they were six or seven years old, they saw their parents cutting bamboo to make incense sticks. However, the incense from Xa Kieu village has a unique fragrance. Because the raw materials for making incense here is carefully prepared by the local people without mixing any chemicals. Incense is made from a combination of some local wild plants, the gum of the Canarium tree and coal powder. The proportion and quantity of each ingredient in the incense mixture is kept secret. After mixing the ingredients, the villagers grind the mixture and add some water. Then sandalwood powder is added to it and gently rubbed with a stick, after giving a certain shape, it is left on the ground and allowed to dry in the sun. But these days many steps are done by machines. But still many people in the village continue to rely on hand tricks. This craft is one of the best sources of income for the villagers of Xa Kieu. Many people in the village are busy in this profession from early morning till late afternoon. November to May is the best time to sell incense sticks. Incense sticks from this village regularly go to nearby provinces such as Thanh Hoa, Nam Dinh, Hai Duong and many provinces in the south.

Thuy Xuan:

Located in Huyen Tran Cong Chua street, about 7 kilometres to the southwest of Hue city, Thuy Xuan is the largest incense-making village known for hundreds of year in Hue. Thuy Xuan incense has its distinctive fragrance and high quality. Incense-making is considered as local main means of livelihood. It is said that generations of villagers have lived and breathed in it. Although hand-made incense requires hard work, it seems to be sold at a disproportionate price. No matter how hard their life is, locals still welcome visitors with big bright smiles. Entering the village, visitors can smell the incense filled in the air. Local incenses are bright yellow in color and have a pleasant smell. At first, bamboo sticks are only painted brown or red. Nowadays, they come in a variety of colors such as purple and yellow.

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Source: Vietnam Insider