In Vietnam, people hold incense sticks in pagodas to communicate with the dead. 40 kilometers on the outskirts of Hanoi, there's a village famed for a colorful craft for more than a century: It's Quang Phu Cau Incense Village. Began as a part-time job for villagers besides their farming activity, making incense is now the main income of nearly 10,000 households and consumes more than 20 tons of bamboo a day.

The production includes many steps, from chopping up bamboo, dyeing the incense roots to red, drying naturally under the sun to adding incense paste into the sticks. This paste is a mixture made from an unknown ratio of glue, incense, and bamboo sawdust that exudes a nice scent when burning. In the past, incense making was made manually, but now, mechanization is replacing some processes to increase productivity.

It's not difficult to have beautiful shots when you're here. Space on the sides of roads and courtyards are mostly taken to dry the incense after dyeing. Bunches of incense sticks are spread out to the round shape like hundred bunches of red flowers, giving the village a picturesque look.

In Vietnam, people hold incense sticks in pagodas to communicate with the dead. 40 kilometers on the outskirts of Hanoi, there's a village famed for a colorful craft for more than a century: It's Quang Phu Cau Incense Village. Began as a part-time job for villagers besides their farming activity, making incense is now the main income of nearly 10,000 households and consumes more than 20 tons of bamboo a day.

The production includes many steps, from chopping up bamboo, dyeing the incense roots to red, drying naturally under the sun to adding incense paste into the sticks. This paste is a mixture made from an unknown ratio of glue, incense, and bamboo sawdust that exudes a nice scent when burning. In the past, incense making was made manually, but now, mechanization is replacing some processes to increase productivity.

It's not difficult to have beautiful shots when you're here. Space on the sides of roads and courtyards are mostly taken to dry the incense after dyeing. Bunches of incense sticks are spread out to the round shape like hundred bunches of red flowers, giving the village a picturesque look.

In Vietnam, people hold incense sticks in pagodas to communicate with the dead. 40 kilometers on the outskirts of Hanoi, there's a village famed for a colorful craft for more than a century: It's Quang Phu Cau Incense Village. Began as a part-time job for villagers besides their farming activity, making incense is now the main income of nearly 10,000 households and consumes more than 20 tons of bamboo a day.

The production includes many steps, from chopping up bamboo, dyeing the incense roots to red, drying naturally under the sun to adding incense paste into the sticks. This paste is a mixture made from an unknown ratio of glue, incense, and bamboo sawdust that exudes a nice scent when burning. In the past, incense making was made manually, but now, mechanization is replacing some processes to increase productivity.

It's not difficult to have beautiful shots when you're here. Space on the sides of roads and courtyards are mostly taken to dry the incense after dyeing. Bunches of incense sticks are spread out to the round shape like hundred bunches of red flowers, giving the village a picturesque look.

In Vietnam, people hold incense sticks in pagodas to communicate with the dead. 40 kilometers on the outskirts of Hanoi, there's a village famed for a colorful craft for more than a century: It's Quang Phu Cau Incense Village. Began as a part-time job for villagers besides their farming activity, making incense is now the main income of nearly 10,000 households and consumes more than 20 tons of bamboo a day.

The production includes many steps, from chopping up bamboo, dyeing the incense roots to red, drying naturally under the sun to adding incense paste into the sticks. This paste is a mixture made from an unknown ratio of glue, incense, and bamboo sawdust that exudes a nice scent when burning. In the past, incense making was made manually, but now, mechanization is replacing some processes to increase productivity.

It's not difficult to have beautiful shots when you're here. Space on the sides of roads and courtyards are mostly taken to dry the incense after dyeing. Bunches of incense sticks are spread out to the round shape like hundred bunches of red flowers, giving the village a picturesque look.

In Vietnam, people hold incense sticks in pagodas to communicate with the dead. 40 kilometers on the outskirts of Hanoi, there's a village famed for a colorful craft for more than a century: It's Quang Phu Cau Incense Village. Began as a part-time job for villagers besides their farming activity, making incense is now the main income of nearly 10,000 households and consumes more than 20 tons of bamboo a day.

The production includes many steps, from chopping up bamboo, dyeing the incense roots to red, drying naturally under the sun to adding incense paste into the sticks. This paste is a mixture made from an unknown ratio of glue, incense, and bamboo sawdust that exudes a nice scent when burning. In the past, incense making was made manually, but now, mechanization is replacing some processes to increase productivity.

It's not difficult to have beautiful shots when you're here. Space on the sides of roads and courtyards are mostly taken to dry the incense after dyeing. Bunches of incense sticks are spread out to the round shape like hundred bunches of red flowers, giving the village a picturesque look.

Traditional craft villages in Vietnam, mostly found in the Red River Delta, were born from the rice farming practices of the ancient Viet people. During breaks from farming, they crafted tools from bamboo, rattan, and steel. Over time, these individual crafts evolved into village-wide efforts.

Hanoi, Vietnam's capital, is famous for its many craft streets and guilds. The city's 36 streets, all named "Hang," meaning "Craft," are home to various artisans. Some streets, like Hang Bac for silver-making (bac is silver) and Hang Thiec for tin-making (thiec is tin), preserve traditional crafts. Others, like Hang Can and Hang Quat, have lost their original crafts but still hold cultural significance. Each craft village has its own secret, which has been passed down from generation to generation. There have been villages specialized in lacquer wares, pottery, blacksmithing, embroidery, bamboo, rattan, basket-weaving, folk painting and wooden and stone sculpture.

Vietnam now has 4,500 craft villages, including 400 traditional villages which employ some 12 million people and create millions of seasonal jobs for farmers. The export of handicraft items earns more than 1 billion USD annually. These villages generate economic benefits while helping to preserve Vietnam's cultural and historical heritage.

Traditional craft villages in Vietnam, mostly found in the Red River Delta, were born from the rice farming practices of the ancient Viet people. During breaks from farming, they crafted tools from bamboo, rattan, and steel. Over time, these individual crafts evolved into village-wide efforts.

Hanoi, Vietnam's capital, is famous for its many craft streets and guilds. The city's 36 streets, all named "Hang," meaning "Craft," are home to various artisans. Some streets, like Hang Bac for silver-making (bac is silver) and Hang Thiec for tin-making (thiec is tin), preserve traditional crafts. Others, like Hang Can and Hang Quat, have lost their original crafts but still hold cultural significance. Each craft village has its own secret, which has been passed down from generation to generation. There have been villages specialized in lacquer wares, pottery, blacksmithing, embroidery, bamboo, rattan, basket-weaving, folk painting and wooden and stone sculpture.

Vietnam now has 4,500 craft villages, including 400 traditional villages which employ some 12 million people and create millions of seasonal jobs for farmers. The export of handicraft items earns more than 1 billion USD annually. These villages generate economic benefits while helping to preserve Vietnam's cultural and historical heritage.

Traditional craft villages in Vietnam, mostly found in the Red River Delta, were born from the rice farming practices of the ancient Viet people. During breaks from farming, they crafted tools from bamboo, rattan, and steel. Over time, these individual crafts evolved into village-wide efforts.

Hanoi, Vietnam's capital, is famous for its many craft streets and guilds. The city's 36 streets, all named "Hang," meaning "Craft," are home to various artisans. Some streets, like Hang Bac for silver-making (bac is silver) and Hang Thiec for tin-making (thiec is tin), preserve traditional crafts. Others, like Hang Can and Hang Quat, have lost their original crafts but still hold cultural significance. Each craft village has its own secret, which has been passed down from generation to generation. There have been villages specialized in lacquer wares, pottery, blacksmithing, embroidery, bamboo, rattan, basket-weaving, folk painting and wooden and stone sculpture.

Vietnam now has 4,500 craft villages, including 400 traditional villages which employ some 12 million people and create millions of seasonal jobs for farmers. The export of handicraft items earns more than 1 billion USD annually. These villages generate economic benefits while helping to preserve Vietnam's cultural and historical heritage.

Traditional craft villages in Vietnam, mostly found in the Red River Delta, were born from the rice farming practices of the ancient Viet people. During breaks from farming, they crafted tools from bamboo, rattan, and steel. Over time, these individual crafts evolved into village-wide efforts.

Hanoi, Vietnam's capital, is famous for its many craft streets and guilds. The city's 36 streets, all named "Hang," meaning "Craft," are home to various artisans. Some streets, like Hang Bac for silver-making (bac is silver) and Hang Thiec for tin-making (thiec is tin), preserve traditional crafts. Others, like Hang Can and Hang Quat, have lost their original crafts but still hold cultural significance. Each craft village has its own secret, which has been passed down from generation to generation. There have been villages specialized in lacquer wares, pottery, blacksmithing, embroidery, bamboo, rattan, basket-weaving, folk painting and wooden and stone sculpture.

Vietnam now has 4,500 craft villages, including 400 traditional villages which employ some 12 million people and create millions of seasonal jobs for farmers. The export of handicraft items earns more than 1 billion USD annually. These villages generate economic benefits while helping to preserve Vietnam's cultural and historical heritage.

Traditional craft villages in Vietnam, mostly found in the Red River Delta, were born from the rice farming practices of the ancient Viet people. During breaks from farming, they crafted tools from bamboo, rattan, and steel. Over time, these individual crafts evolved into village-wide efforts.

Hanoi, Vietnam's capital, is famous for its many craft streets and guilds. The city's 36 streets, all named "Hang," meaning "Craft," are home to various artisans. Some streets, like Hang Bac for silver-making (bac is silver) and Hang Thiec for tin-making (thiec is tin), preserve traditional crafts. Others, like Hang Can and Hang Quat, have lost their original crafts but still hold cultural significance. Each craft village has its own secret, which has been passed down from generation to generation. There have been villages specialized in lacquer wares, pottery, blacksmithing, embroidery, bamboo, rattan, basket-weaving, folk painting and wooden and stone sculpture.

Vietnam now has 4,500 craft villages, including 400 traditional villages which employ some 12 million people and create millions of seasonal jobs for farmers. The export of handicraft items earns more than 1 billion USD annually. These villages generate economic benefits while helping to preserve Vietnam's cultural and historical heritage.