In Vietnam, bamboo can be a daily necessity, a personalized home decor, an energy saving green building, and a concept for national diplomacy. This article will introduce Vietnam’s bamboo handicrafts from three aspects: important historical events, major production areas and products, and current development status.
Bamboo products has a long history in Vietnam. Although at present, there is no clear evidence, but most experts generally believe that handmade bamboo tools, utensils and houses began to be used in ancient Vietnam. There are still many Vietnamese designers, such as the famous Vo Trong Nghia, who is skilled at incorporating the traditional building material bamboo into modern design.
In important wars in Vietnamese history, bamboo was made into weapons or defense facilities. In the pursuit of peace in the 21st century, bamboo handicrafts have become a powerful assistant for Vietnam to showcase its national characteristics and actively establish diplomacy.
Bamboo handicrafts in Vietnam are distributed throughout the country, mainly concentrated in Hanoi, Thanh Hoa Province, and Ho Chi Minh City. They are out of the ordinary because of rich regional characteristics. There are many bamboo weaving handicraft villages in these areas, which is an example of bamboo handicrafts promoting employment and increasing income for the Vietnamese people.
Bamboo handicrafts in Vietnam has bamboo weaving decorations, rain hats, bamboo carvings, bamboo musical instruments and so on. Bamboo musical instruments produce clear and pleasant sounds through percussion. Vietnamese bamboo weaving crafts, such as bamboo baskets, fruit plates, and tissue boxes, combine traditional handicrafts with modern aesthetics and usage needs, which is also one of the reasons why bamboo crafts have been enduring.
With rich types and ethnic cultural characteristics, Vietnamese bamboo handicrafts have always been loved by the local people. At the World Expo held in Shanghai, China in 2010, the Vietnam Pavilion had a bamboo exterior and was decorated with bamboo handicrafts inside. In 2016, the Vietnamese government has also proposed the diplomatic concept of “bamboo diplomacy” to further deepen the world’s understanding of Vietnamese bamboo. The development of tourism let whole world know about the feature of Vietnamese bamboo handicrafts, and the bamboo weaving crafts have been rated by tourists as one of the most worthwhile souvenirs to buy in Vietnam, such as bamboo baskets and bamboo woven bags.
At present, Vietnam exports about 2 million bamboo handicrafts every year, and with the increasing emphasis on handicrafts and pursuit of green living, Vietnamese bamboo handicrafts will usher in better development.
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