About 20 km from the center of the capital, Son Dong craft village (Hoai Duc
district, Hanoi) is a very special tourist destination. Coming here, visitors
seem lost in the space of wooden statues, especially worship statues and worship
objects. Here, visitors can also buy many lovely wooden souvenirs.
From the center of the capital, follow Highway 32 to Tram Troi town and then
turn left for more than 1 km and you will arrive at Son Dong handicraft village.
This place is considered the capital of making worship objects or handicraft
carvings. Son Dong craft village currently has more than 1,000 skilled workers
and many talented artisans, not to mention many carvers from other places.
Legend has it that Son Dong craft village is about 1,000 years old with a
tradition of sculpting worship statues, worship objects such as: Hoanh Phi, Cau
Doi (parallel sentences), altar tables... and sculpting and decorating interiors
in traditional style.
Right from the beginning of the village, visitors can hear the pleasant clicking
sound of chisels and the scent of precious woods. Everywhere, people also
encounter statues such as Shakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, Avalokiteshvara
Buddha, Saint Tran Hung Dao, statues of Mr. Good, Mr. Evil, statues of Arhat...
and countless others. Other types of handicraft worship items. There are wooden
statues of Buddhas and Saints several meters high, delicately crafted.
Worship statues are the most difficult products to make. The first step of
carving statues begins with choosing wood. The common raw material for making
Buddha statues is jackfruit wood, while making altarpieces there are also doi
wood and yellow heart wood. Jackfruit wood has the characteristics of
flexibility, softness, and fine grain, thereby avoiding mistakes while chiseling.
Jackfruit wood is also highly durable, rarely cracks, and easy to peel. Son Dong
people have to buy jackfruit wood from provinces such as Phu Tho, Thai Nguyen,
Thanh Hoa, Nghe An... The wood transported has all the senses removed, only the
core is used to chisel.
Each statue that meets the requirements must depict the nuances of each person
and rank in that religion, as well as highlight their charisma. Therefore, the
craftsman must understand the history, personality, and position of each statue,
combined with mastering specific esoteric techniques to "breathe soul" into each
statue.
Observing the craftsmen also brings interesting experiences. Wherever the chisel
lines go, the shaping features appear. Many people say that flowers, leaves,
dragons and phoenixes "come out" from the chisels. An important step in making
statues that attract tourists is painting the statue. Nowadays, many people use
industrial paint, but many households also keep traditional painting methods.
The painter will mix alluvial soil and then "paint bundles" to "cut the statue".
After each stage, the statue is polished with stone and water. The process is
repeated many times, helping the paint on the statues last up to several hundred
years.
Many parts of the statue or sculpture are plated with gold or silver. This is
also a very fascinating process. Plated gold is imported from Kieu Ky craft
village (Gia Lam district). The worker applies the outer layer of paint after
many layers of paint. When the paint is still sticky, he sticks plated gold and
silver. Statues that were originally rustic became magnificent in just a moment.
There was a time when religious and spiritual activities were not given due
attention, so the craft village faced difficulties. From 1980 onwards, the craft
village has been restored. Due to the great demand of society, craft villages
are increasingly developing strongly. Currently, products of Son Dong handicraft
village account for more than 50% of the market share nationwide.
One thing that attracts visitors is that they can order any type of statue, from
Buddha statues, Saint statues to family worship statues, or personal portrait
statues... Customers just need to make a request and address. Just a few days
later, the ordered sculptures will be delivered to your home. Depending on the
size, material, and complexity, the price of the ordered statues will vary.
Although tourism infrastructure is not yet developed, thanks to its geographical
location near the city center, Son Dong fine arts village is a favorite
destination for many domestic and international visitors.
Asiatica Travel is one of the leading tour operators in southeast Asia, based in
Hanoi, we specialized in private tours to Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia at affodable
prices.
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