Toys made from coconut leaves have for a long time been an inseparable part of the childhood of the locals in watery areas in southern provinces. Any child in the region is an expert at folding coconut leaves into cute and artistic toys which are now a tourist attraction for visitors to the south.
Children in the south are very accustomed to folding coconut leaves to make their own toys. With coconut leaves and using just knives, staplers and pens, they can make grasshoppers, dragonflies, fish, roses or even alarm clocks. The children’s simple hand-made toys have now become a tourism product in the south so there are many workshops making these types of toys.
We visited the COS Club’s shop at the intersection of Nguyen Trai-Nguyen An Street (District No. 5, Ho Chi Minh City) during the Mid-Autumn Festival so the shop sold diverse traditional toys, colourful lanterns and many artistic products made from coconut leaves which draw much attention from foreign visitors.
It is an interesting experience to see youngsters folding coconut leaves. After some simple acts, a leaf was folded into the shape of a beautiful rose. Staplers can help create funny animals. Adding some cuts and a little bit of colour, they can produce lively fish, crabs and grasshoppers.
Truong Van Thanh, a COS member acknowledged that folding coconut leaves is not hard but requires delicacy and creativity. Coconut leaves used in folding must be old enough to be flexible with a yellow colour. If the leaves are too young, it is too tender to form and in contrast, old leaves are hard and crumbly. Today, in addition to traditional folding skills, some people use the Japanese origami technique in folding coconut leaves to create unique products.
In Ho Chi Minh City, there are now many people who are trying to learn how to make toys from coconut leaves because they want to preserve the art that is closely attached to their childhood./.
 The COS Club’s shop at the intersection of Nguyen Trai-Nguyen An Street (District No. 5, Ho Chi Minh City) where many toys made from coconut leaves are displayed, attracts a lot attention from visitors, especially youngsters. Photo: Nguyen Luan/VNP  Children like folding coconut leaves into animals. Photo: Nguyen Luan/VNP  For young people, coconut leaf toys are cute gifts. Photo: Nguyen Luan/VNP  Unique roses made from coconut leaves can easily catch the youngsters’ attention. Photo: Nguyen Luan/VNP  Coconut leaf toys are closely attached to children in southern provinces. Photo: Nguyen Luan/VNP |
We visited the COS Club’s shop at the intersection of Nguyen Trai-Nguyen An Street (District No. 5, Ho Chi Minh City) during the Mid-Autumn Festival so the shop sold diverse traditional toys, colourful lanterns and many artistic products made from coconut leaves which draw much attention from foreign visitors.
It is an interesting experience to see youngsters folding coconut leaves. After some simple acts, a leaf was folded into the shape of a beautiful rose. Staplers can help create funny animals. Adding some cuts and a little bit of colour, they can produce lively fish, crabs and grasshoppers.
Truong Van Thanh, a COS member acknowledged that folding coconut leaves is not hard but requires delicacy and creativity. Coconut leaves used in folding must be old enough to be flexible with a yellow colour. If the leaves are too young, it is too tender to form and in contrast, old leaves are hard and crumbly. Today, in addition to traditional folding skills, some people use the Japanese origami technique in folding coconut leaves to create unique products.
 Cutting coconut leaves for folding. Photo: Nguyen Luan/VNP  Coconut leaf folding is simple but requires skills and creativity. Photo: Nguyen Luan/VNP  Coconut leaves in the shape of a beautiful phoenix. Photo: Nguyen Luan/VNP  Coconut leaves in the shape of a grasshopper. Photo: Nguyen Luan/VNP  Coconut leaves folded into charming roses. Photo: Nguyen Luan/VNP  Coconut leaves in the shape of a crab. Photo: Nguyen Luan/VNP  Two coconut leaf grasshoppers form a unique bag. Photo: Nguyen Luan/VNP  Coconut leaves in the shape of a peacock. Photo: Nguyen Luan/VNP  Coconut leaves in the shape of a gold fish. Photo: Nguyen Luan/VNP |
In Ho Chi Minh City, there are now many people who are trying to learn how to make toys from coconut leaves because they want to preserve the art that is closely attached to their childhood./.
Story: Son Nghia - Photos: Nguyen Luan
