Preserving a Half - Century - Old Craft
The bamboo blinds craft village of Tan Thong Hoi in Cu Chi Commune has quietly preserved its traditional craft for more than fifty years.
From simple bamboo slats, local artisans create handcrafted products imbued with Vietnamese culture, bringing the beautiful handicrafts to markets worldwide.
The bamboo blinds craft in Tan Thong Hoi was established before 1975 and reached its peak in the 1980s. According to Nguyen Huu Ben, owner of the Thanh Truc bamboo blinds workshop, the area once had as many as 54 cooperatives producing decorative bamboo blinds for export to the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
Today, production has scaled down but products continue to reach international markets, including the US, the UK, France, Japan, and China. According to local statistics, there are about five workshops now, and nearly 400 households involved in the business.
In the narrow alleyways of Tan Thong Hoi, the sounds of drilling, threading, and assembling bamboo blinds are heard each day. Many craftspeople are older women. Over years, the craft has created thousands of local jobs while helping introduce Vietnamese culture to the world through beautiful handicrafts.
Le Thi Hai, who has worked in the business for more than 35 years, said most products are made for export orders, mostly for restaurants, hotels and places with Asian-style designs. Products are also sought after domestically at the year’s end when the demand for home decoration increases. A set sells for between 150,000 to 300,000 dong (6-12 US dollars).
Making bamboo blinds involves more than ten stages, from selecting and treating materials against termites to drying, drilling, threading, assembling, and painting. Freshly cut bamboo slats are rotated in kilns filled with fine sand to remove the outer layer and create a smooth surface that absorbs color more effectively. The bamboo is then treated to prevent termite damage prior to production.
Nguyen Huu Ben said the most important stage is painting and drawing patterns which requires special skills. Rather than painting on a flat surface, artisans create images on hundreds of woven bamboo slats. Every brushstroke must be carefully done to ensure seamless and balanced images on the blinds.
Bamboo blinds portraying the countryside, ancient communal houses, bamboo groves, folk festivals, and traditional calligraphy are most favored by foreign clients. To cater to new market demands, many workshops have incorporated mother-of- pearl inlay products and renewed product designs.
Today, in the old craft village, skilled hands continue threading slender bamboo slats each day. In the fast-growing pace of Ho Chi Minh City, the Tan Thong Hoi village quietly keeps the traditional craftsmanship and the culture of Vietnam in every sun-colored bamboo screen.
By Thong Hai/VNP