Dragonfly products made of bamboo add cultural beauty

DNHN - Vietnamese people have known about bamboo for a long time because it has been in folk songs for a long time. However, the people of Thach Xa, Thach That district, Hanoi have used bamboo to make very sophisticated, beautiful, and culturally significant dragonfly products.

People talk about Thach Xa Commune (Thach That, Hanoi) when they talk about the art of making bamboo dragonflies because the items made there are delicate, beautiful, and artistic.

Mr Nguyen Van Tai, a craftsman in the village, told us that: "When I saw people selling dragonfly-shaped items made of bamboo at Tay Phuong Pagoda, I wondered why my hometown, which also has bamboo, doesn't make anything like that." He also said that the process of choosing, storing, and working with bamboo is very important if you want to make beautiful and spiritual bamboo dragonfly items. The bamboo chosen must be able to do the following: The stem is not made of termites, and the bamboo should have few knots and be straight so that it is easy to shape.

The main thing that people in the village make is dragonflies, but they also make butterflies, fish, birds, and other animals. Prices range from 3,000 VND to 20,000 VND or more, depending on the size of the item.

One of the shop owners in Hoan Kiem, Mrs Quynh Anh, said, "My shop has been selling bamboo dragonfly products for more than 10 years." When foreign tourists see the product, they are very interested. After I tell them what it is and how it works, they find it interesting and decide to buy it as a gift. There are four different sizes of dragonflies, and each one has its unique patterns and wood pieces.

Vu Tien