Hanoi (VNA) - Kieu Ky village, approximately 15km from Hanoi’s city center, is renowned for its 400-year-old tradition of inlaying gold and silver leaves.
The village is the only place in Vietnam known for producing these paper-like leaves, gold or silver leaves, which are used for gilding statues and other worship items. Particularly, all villagers can join in producing the products.
In 2021, the village’s profession was recognized as a national cultural heritage.
Thin golden leaves are used to gild statues or other worship items. (Photo: Hoai Nam/Vietnam+)
400- year fame
Nguyen Quy Tri, whose came from neighboring Hai Duong province, is the ancestor of the profession, according to the village elders. While serving as an envoy to China on behalf of the then Vietnamese King, he acquired the craft of gold and silver laminating over couplets and diaphragms.
Upon returning home, he shared his newfound knowledge with the villagers of Kieu Ky, a location which was not too far from the Thang Long citadel, making it convenient for gilding architectural structures such as temples, pagodas, shrines, and palaces in the capital.
Currently, around 50 households in Kieu Ky continue this profession, selling their products to other craft villages such as Son Dong, Ha Thai (Hanoi), Dong Quang (Bac Ninh), and Cat Dang (Nam Dinh).
The precision and meticulous and hard work are required for this profession, which does not use any machinery or equipment.
The job requires precision, meticulousness and hardworking (Photo: Hoai Nam/Vietnam+)
Le Ba Chung is a famous artisan from Kieu Ky, awarded the title of the first Hanoi artisan by the Hanoi People’s Committee in 2004 and currently serving as the chairman of the Kieu Ky artisan club.
Chung’s parents were goldsmiths, and after leaving the army, he succeeded his father in the profession.
Making gold and silver leaves involves several stages, each including up to 40 smaller steps, making it a time-consuming process.
Beautiful golden leaves are the pride of Kieu Ky villagers (Photo: Hoai Nam/Vietnam+)
The profession is entirely handmade, showcasing the artisans’ skillfulness. Therefore, it has retained its unique position in Vietnam over the past 400 years.
Keeping the profession alive
Recently, golden leaves produced at industrial scope are inflowing Vietnam. They have lower quality than Kieu Ky’s counterparts, but many people choose them due to much lower prices. Hence, some families in the village have left the job and shifted to other occupations.
Pham Thi Ngo, who has 60 years of experience in gold laminating, learned the profession from her parents when she was ten years old.
She is deeply attached to the profession, and is concerned about passing down the tradition to the next generation. According to the artisan, attracting young people in the village to learn this craft is a challenge now. The new industrial zones in neighboring Hung Yen province, which are close to Kieu Ky village, are now the option for many young employees.
Artisan Le Ba Chung said he has tried to encourage the children of households that previously worked in this profession to learn it, but only a few showed their interest and attention. Nevertheless, he is proud that his two sons have succeeded his profession, contributing to preserving this traditional craft village.
After 40 years attached to the job, Chung is so delighted to see that his sons’ skills are even better than him. He expressed the hope that the profession will continue to thrive for generations to come./.
