Bamboo roots used to be burned as firewood in rural areas of Vietnam,since farmers only used trunks of bamboo trees for handcrafts or thebuilding of houses.
However, craftsman Dinh Xuan Hung, 40,creates extraordinary bamboo root souvenirs for tourists in the ancienttown of Hoi An.
Hung, who was born in the potteryvillage of Thanh Ha , started working in carpentry. Later, he learnedthat bamboo root creations could quickly make him prosperous.
Heopened a store in an alley on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street , just afew steps behind the Japanese Bridge , where he displays all hisworks of bamboo roots and wooden statues.
"It's a chancefor me. I started making my life in carpentry and wooden carvings 15years ago, which I learnt from craftsmen in Kim Bong on the other sideof the Thu Bon River ," Hung said.
"However, one dayI picked up a bamboo root and looked at it curiously. I just createdsomething for myself for fun, but it eventually took on features and aunique image. A cluster of bamboo roots looks like the long beard of anold man, so I sculpted the upper part to be the face of an elder," hesaid.
Hung remains the only craftsman making souvenirs from bamboo roots in Hoi An town, producing 1,000 souvenirs each year.
He explained that craftsmen could carve bamboo roots for sale in the tourism hubs, but it takes time and has little profit.
HuynhSuong, 46, an artisan from Kim Bong Village , said carvings withbamboo roots have become rare because of the poor materials available.
"Ittakes a long time searching for bamboo roots and a treatment process.Anyways, the locally made bamboo roots do not meet the standard ofquarantine regulations, so foreign tourists could not take them homeafter their visits in Hoi An," Suong said, adding that this is thereason that so few craftsmen practice the carving of bamboo roots.
"Sometimes, craftsmen make them for fun, and the souvenirs are only bought by domestic tourists," he explained.
Usually, the process to carve bamboo roots into saleable keepsakes takes Hung nearly one month.
"Ihave to soak bamboo roots in water for 20 days before drying under thesunlight for three days. A two-hour carving and grinding will completethe process of a bamboo root-made souvenir, costing 200,000 VND (9.5USD)," he explained.
As a craftsman, Hung said he will keep working with bamboo root as a fascinating art and an image of Hoi An town.
"Iwish for the day when bamboo root souvenirs will become special giftsfor visitors in Hoi An. The trade will help promote tourism in the city,as well create jobs for local people," Hung said.
However, craftsman Dinh Xuan Hung, 40,creates extraordinary bamboo root souvenirs for tourists in the ancienttown of Hoi An.
Hung, who was born in the potteryvillage of Thanh Ha , started working in carpentry. Later, he learnedthat bamboo root creations could quickly make him prosperous.
Heopened a store in an alley on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street , just afew steps behind the Japanese Bridge , where he displays all hisworks of bamboo roots and wooden statues.
"It's a chancefor me. I started making my life in carpentry and wooden carvings 15years ago, which I learnt from craftsmen in Kim Bong on the other sideof the Thu Bon River ," Hung said.
"However, one dayI picked up a bamboo root and looked at it curiously. I just createdsomething for myself for fun, but it eventually took on features and aunique image. A cluster of bamboo roots looks like the long beard of anold man, so I sculpted the upper part to be the face of an elder," hesaid.
Hung remains the only craftsman making souvenirs from bamboo roots in Hoi An town, producing 1,000 souvenirs each year.
He explained that craftsmen could carve bamboo roots for sale in the tourism hubs, but it takes time and has little profit.
HuynhSuong, 46, an artisan from Kim Bong Village , said carvings withbamboo roots have become rare because of the poor materials available.
"Ittakes a long time searching for bamboo roots and a treatment process.Anyways, the locally made bamboo roots do not meet the standard ofquarantine regulations, so foreign tourists could not take them homeafter their visits in Hoi An," Suong said, adding that this is thereason that so few craftsmen practice the carving of bamboo roots.
"Sometimes, craftsmen make them for fun, and the souvenirs are only bought by domestic tourists," he explained.
Usually, the process to carve bamboo roots into saleable keepsakes takes Hung nearly one month.
"Ihave to soak bamboo roots in water for 20 days before drying under thesunlight for three days. A two-hour carving and grinding will completethe process of a bamboo root-made souvenir, costing 200,000 VND (9.5USD)," he explained.
As a craftsman, Hung said he will keep working with bamboo root as a fascinating art and an image of Hoi An town.
"Iwish for the day when bamboo root souvenirs will become special giftsfor visitors in Hoi An. The trade will help promote tourism in the city,as well create jobs for local people," Hung said.
