Lively colours at traditional incense making village in Hanoi

After nearly two months of hiatus caused by social distancing to prevent the transmission of the coronavirus disease COVID-19, incense makers in Quang Phu Cau village have resumed production activities. Quang Phu Cau is a traditional village in Ung Hoa district, which is more than 30 kilometres from the centre of Hanoi capital city.  The village still retains many ancient and familiar features of a village in the northern region of Vietnam. Situated on the banks of the Day River, it is now an attraction to many visitors who can come to learn every step of incense making and explore the traditional culture of Vietnamese people. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Quang Phu Cau is one the most famous incense making village in Hanoi. The craft here dates back to more than a century. It was formerly a side job as local residents only produced incense during leisure time after the harvest season. Over time, the craft has developed and now become a stable source of income for villagers. Therefore, many people have decided to shift to this craft as the main livelihood though this is a strenuous job with many complex production steps. Incense made in Quang Phu Cau village has been distributed across the country and even exported to foreign markets such as India, China and Malaysia. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Setting foot here, visitors will be impressed by the sight of bright red or dark pink bamboo sticks used for making incense. The sticks, which are tied into bunches and laid on the ground to dry, look like brilliant flowers in the sun. Everywhere in Cau Bau, Phu Luong Thuong, and Dao Tu hamlets of the village, roads are dyed in the red and pink colours of incense sticks. Here, local craftsmen are working hard everyday dyeing, drying and cutting bamboo to make joss sticks. In particular, sales surge ahead of and during the Lunar New Year holiday, between mid-January and mid-February, when more people visit temples and light incense or burn the sticks on ancestral altars at home. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Quang Phu Cau village has long been famous for making incense. It is one of the traditional handicraft villages that have started to resume operation after more than two months of suspension due to the fourth coronavirus outbreak in late April, which forced the capital city to impose strict social distancing measures. The village has been a major source of incense supply for the northern region for many decades, and colourful photos of the village have even become iconic around the world. However, villagers are now struggling to preserve the craft that is more than 100 years old and has become an integral part of the local culture. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Located just more than 30 kilometres from downtown Hanoi, the village in Quang Phu Cau commune still retains a number of traditional features of a village in the northern region of Vietnam. To produce incense, local craftsmen firstly dry and split bamboos into thin sticks. Nowadays, machines have been applied to make the work easier, thus saving time and effort. After that, they will classify the bamboo sticks into two types: the bamboo sticks with better quality will be dyed to make joss sticks while the one with lower quality will be recycled. The dyed sticks will then be tied into bunches and laid on the ground for drying, creating a beautiful landscape. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The craft of making incense in Quang Phu Cau dates back more than 100 years. Thanks to skillfulness and diligence of the villagers, local incense products have made their ways to localities across Vietnam. Before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, Quang Phu Cau village was awash with hundreds of bunches of brightly coloured incense sticks standing on the roadsides in the sun for drying. Such images disappeared due to a steep decline in production as a result of the coronavirus resurgence. After the capital city eased social distancing restrictions, local authorities and villagers have been excited to reopen, vowing to focus again on the craft and economic development. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The production of incense initially concentrated in Phu Luong Thuong hamlet, but the craft has been expanded to others in Quang Phu Cau commune such as Cau Bau and Dao Tu. Although craft villagers are happy to return to work, the recovery of business has faced many difficulties, especially for small-scale workshops which, after a long break due to the pandemic, cannot earn adequate revenue to cover production costs and boost investment. Their daily work now focuses on making and drying incense sticks. All of workers have had their income affected by the stalled production but now that they are able to come back to work, they hope to recover the reputation of their products. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Incense production in Quang Phu Cau village is a meticulous work. Local villagers are always careful in every step, right from the first one of choosing materials, as incense is associated with the spiritual life of Vietnamese people and it is a means to express their gratitude towards gods and ancestors to wish for good health, good luck, and prosperity. According to Chairman of the Quang Phu Cau communal People’s Committee Nguyen Huu Nhat, the commune is home to six villages all of which are engaged in making incense. Although local authorities have relaxed curbs on public movement and production activities, it is still necessary to encourage people to continue keeping adherence to anti-pandemic rules after returning to work. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The bamboo used for making incense sticks must meet certain standards and carefully selected by makers. Chairman Nhat said at incense production facilities, people now are very well-implementing public regulations and directives on COVID-19 prevention and control, especially after the communal administration’s announcements about the post-social distancing rules. All production households have actively set up plans to meet the requirements set by the Ministry of Health. The communal administration always creates favourable conditions for local people to expand production, especially after the social distancing, so that they can focus more on restoring the local economy so as to improve their living standards and make a contribution to local socio-economic development. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Many households have equipped themselves with machinery to process bamboo, thus considerably improving productivity to meet demand in the domestic and foreign markets. Local elders said the craft of making incense first began in Phu Luong Thuong hamlet before expanding to surrounding areas. As incense sticks are made from bamboo, workshops needed around 200 tonnes of bamboo a day before the pandemic. The material is mainly bought from the provinces of Bac Kan, Lang Son, Thai Nguyen and Thanh Hoa. Prior to the outbreak, each worker could earn between 5 – 6 million VND (215 – 258 USD) per month. Those who have more experience could get up to 8 million VND. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Villagers in Quang Phu Cau are busy with producing incense all year round, but they are busiest in the year-end months to ready supply for the Lunar New Year, the biggest traditional festival in Vietnam. The making of incense includes various steps, each one done by hand, including splitting bamboo into thin sticks, dyeing them red, letting them dry outdoors, mixing aromatic paste, and rolling the paste around the sticks, and drying them in the sun again. However, the application of machinery has helped ease the burden on local workers. Incense sticks produced in Quang Phu Cau are not only favoured by domestic customers but also exported to many foreign markets around the world. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

At present, production facilities in Quang Phu Cau are busy with producing incense for the Lunar New Year festival. Phu Luong Thuong hamlet was the first to produce incense in Quang Phu Cau, but the craft has been expanded to others in the commune such as Xa Cau, Quang Nguyen, Phu Luong Ha, Cau Bau and Dao Tu. The craft was at first only a side job of local residents after the harvest time. However, to meet the increasing demand for incense, it has developed and become the main occupation of villagers, generating the majority of their income. Incense is currently the signature product of this land. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

A woman rolls aromatic paste around bamboo sticks. Local people use ‘vau’ for making sticks since this variety of bamboo is highly flammable but not broken when burning. Before chopping, the bamboo trees are kept in certain substances for two months to protect them from weevils. With the help of machinery, the bamboo trees are chopped into uniform, round and glossy sticks. After that, the sticks are dipped in pink dye and dried outdoors. On average, Quang Phu Cau village buys around 200 tonnes of materials and produces 50 tonnes of incense a month. Undergoing many ups and downs, the incense production has helped improve local living standards significantly. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Besides incense, locals in Quang Phu Cau also make other products from bamboo such as bamboo toothpicks, bamboo meat skewers or bamboo brooms. Quang Phu Cau village in Ung Hoa district, about 35 kilometres south of Hanoi’s downtown, always has brightly coloured incense sticks stacked by its entrance. Its products are consumed not only in Vietnam but also in India, China, Malaysia, and other countries. Local households have been making fragrant joss sticks for more than a century. Quang Phu Cau is known not only for incense production, which provides a stable source of income for people here, but also as a tourist attraction. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 

After the sticks become dry, the next step is to apply aromatic paste to the sticks. This step used to be done manually, but recently many households have switched to machines. After that, the joss incense will be laid in the sun to dry again before being packaged. Apart from making joss sticks, villagers also produce other products from bamboo such as toothpick, skewers, and brooms to meet diverse demand in the market. Quang Phu Cau village has resumed its activities after nearly two months of social distancing. The business disruption was due to the fourth coronavirus outbreak in late April that forced the capital city to apply strict social distancing measures. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Incense products of Quang Phu Cau are made from chemical-free materials and thus, safe for use. CNN has highlighted this century-old incense-making village in Hanoi by rating a snapshot of it as one of the best travel photographs in 2019. French news agency AFP ran an article about the village on its news site in January this year when the village was entering its busiest season of the year. According to local elders, the village has been a main source of incense supply for the northern region for many decades, and colorful photos of the village have become Vietnam tourism’s calling cards around the world. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Quang Phu Cau village is a major source of incense supply for the northern region. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, the village was always awash with hundreds of brightly coloured incense-stick bunches standing on the roadside in the sun for drying. They flashed under the sunlight in astonishing glows of red, pink and brown. Since the capital city eased social distancing rules, local authorities and villagers are excited to reopen businesses. Although villagers have been happy to return to work, restoring business activities is not an easy task, especially for small-scale workshops which, after a long hiatus due to the pandemic, are left with very few resources to cover production costs and boost investment. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

In Quang Phu Cau village, there are more than 300 households engaged in the craft, which has been passed down from generation to generation. In the run-up to the Lunar New Year holiday (called Tet), the biggest and most important traditional festival in Vietnam, the village is at its busiest time of the year because demand for incense always surges at this time. People nationwide will light incense at home and pagodas to pay tribute to gods and ancestors and pray for good luck, good health, and prosperity. Chairman of the Ung Hoa district People’s Committee Pham Anh Tuan said since villagers began applying machinery to production, the incense output has increased strongly. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Over several recent years, Quang Phu Cau village has emerged as a magnet for visitors from both across Vietnam and other countries who come to explore the traditional craft of making incense and capture beautiful photos of this place. Chairman of the Ung Hoa district People’s Committee Pham Anh Tuan said residents in Quang Phu Cau commune believe that making incense holds a spiritual meaning, so they are committed to producing the best incense. Braving numerous ups and downs in history, the craft has brought a comfortable life to local residents, enabling them to afford big houses and upgrade the road system in the village. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Instead of using drying machinery, people spread out the bamboo sticks with aromatic paste applied in the sun so that the natural scent of incense is maintained. Quang Phu Cau villagers have produced incense for more than 100 years. Thanks to their skillfulness and diligence, local incense products have been present across Vietnam and exported to many foreign markets such as India, China, Malaysia, among others. Once setting foot here, visitors will be amazed at bright red or dark pink sticks used for making incense. The sticks, tied into bunches and laid on the ground to dry, look like brilliant flowers in the sun. This village is surely a destination worth a visit by any tourists coming to Hanoi. (Photo: VietnamPlus)