Queen of Silk Flowers in Hanoi
Known as Hanoi's Queen of silk flowers, artisan Mai Hanh has spent most of her life making silk flowers. After nearly 50 years of making silk flowers, Mai Hanh’s products are favored at home and abroad.
According to Hanh, making silk flowers originated in France in the 14th century and then spread to the UK and America. Silk flowers were popularized at the end of the 19th century when the desire to decorate one’s home increased sharply.
Mai Hanh learned how to make silk flower from her mother when she was 13 years old. Over the past 50 years, Mai Hanh silk flowers have become a popular brand in Vietnam with hundreds of diverse flower designs.
For years, Hanh has been dedicated to preserving and developing the art of silk flowers She believes that in order to keep the craft alive, it is necessary to train the younger generation. For many years, she has gone to schools and villages to teach the craft to students as well as providing jobs to orphans and disabled people. She has also taught foreigners who are interested in the art of silk flower making.
After learning the craft, many of Hanh’s students have opened their own workshops and have expanded the models of making silk flowers in Hanoi. Her daughter Minh Hang has continued the family's profession and developed their silk flower brand.
On average, Mai Hanh’s workshop does 300 orders per month for the market and is very busy to meet the demand. Tet and festivals are peak periods. Each collection of silk flowers is sold for 200,000 to one million dong (8 to 45 US dollars).
In recent years, silk flowers have become a new option for people who love having flowers in their homes. The products have the advantage of being long-lasting with bright colors that are easy to match with any space and are suitable for busy people who want to have flowers longer than fresh ones. The skill of silk flower making by workers in Hanoi is enhanced day by day so their silk flowers look almost real.
They are made from high-quality fabrics, so the durability of the flowers is quite good and can last for 10 to 15 years. A major advantage of silk flowers is that after being washed with clean water, they can be dried and look like new.
