During her undergraduate years, Ha An started teaching how to create handmade things to children. While researching materials for her teaching sessions, Ha An decided to stick with the job after she graduated.
Launching the brand “Veene” in 2014, Ha An has made many custom-made products. After completing a project for a pastry company in 2019, Ha An thought of creating a set of miniature models capturing the identity of Vietnamese cuisine.
It took two months for Ha An to shape her ideas, draw sketches by hand, and design them on 3D machines. When she had the complete 3D blueprint, she thought of using clay to make her food collection. Ha An ordered the material from abroad to test each kind of clay. After making the raw versions, Ha An and Veene's staff meticulously shaped those into a miniature collection of Vietnamese food including bread, pho, che com (young green rice sweet soup) and stewed fish.
To make a coin-sized model of food with a material consisting of 90% clay and 10% liquid plastic, the difficult task is to convince customers to believe that this is real food, Ha An said. This task requires much more creativity and meticulousness compared to making other Veene products.
When making a model, Ha An will make containers such as bowls, chopsticks, pots, and trays first, followed by a specific food. Each model comes with its own difficulty. To make a bowl of pho, the most difficult thing is to create a scallion. The stewed fish requires very detailed pepper and the wooden spoon has to be hand-sharpened. Among the dishes, che com is the most difficult and time-consuming because creating the pattern on the bowl requires that it be completely hand-drawn. A set of miniature clay food can take up to five days to make, and sells for up to 80 US dollars.
“Every Vietnamese dish has its unique beauty. And I want to help more people see the beauty of Vietnamese cuisine”.
Launching the brand “Veene” in 2014, Ha An has made many custom-made products. After completing a project for a pastry company in 2019, Ha An thought of creating a set of miniature models capturing the identity of Vietnamese cuisine.
 28-year-old architect Nguyen Ha An has made 3D miniature clay models of Vietnamese food.  The material for making the products consist of 90% clay and 10% liquid plastic.  The Veene crew consists of 12 young people.  All products are handmade.  Miniature clay models look like real food.  Miniature clay model of Vietnamese banh mi. |
It took two months for Ha An to shape her ideas, draw sketches by hand, and design them on 3D machines. When she had the complete 3D blueprint, she thought of using clay to make her food collection. Ha An ordered the material from abroad to test each kind of clay. After making the raw versions, Ha An and Veene's staff meticulously shaped those into a miniature collection of Vietnamese food including bread, pho, che com (young green rice sweet soup) and stewed fish.
To make a coin-sized model of food with a material consisting of 90% clay and 10% liquid plastic, the difficult task is to convince customers to believe that this is real food, Ha An said. This task requires much more creativity and meticulousness compared to making other Veene products.
When making a model, Ha An will make containers such as bowls, chopsticks, pots, and trays first, followed by a specific food. Each model comes with its own difficulty. To make a bowl of pho, the most difficult thing is to create a scallion. The stewed fish requires very detailed pepper and the wooden spoon has to be hand-sharpened. Among the dishes, che com is the most difficult and time-consuming because creating the pattern on the bowl requires that it be completely hand-drawn. A set of miniature clay food can take up to five days to make, and sells for up to 80 US dollars.
“Every Vietnamese dish has its unique beauty. And I want to help more people see the beauty of Vietnamese cuisine”.
 Pho bo is among the miniature Vietnamese dishes created by Ha An”.  The stewed fish requires very detailed pepper and the wooden spoon has to be hand-sharpened.  A tiny clay model of Vietnamese banh mi.  A miniature clay model of caramelized fish sauce with crispy rice.  A tiny model of che com.     Ha An wants to make handmade products as gifts capturing Vietnamese culture. |
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Story: Ngan Ha - Photos: Cong Dat
Story: Ngan Ha - Photos: Cong Dat
