Artisans breath national soul into embroidery

Despite ups and downs, artisans in Xuan Neo embroidery village, Hung Dao commune, Tu Ky district, Hai Duong province, still cling to their craft.

They can embroider President Ho Chi Minh's portrait, the national flag, and vivid countryside paintings imbued with the Vietnamese cultural character from colorful threads.

Uncle Ho is an inspiration to many artisans in Xuan Neo. They embroider him working at a stilt house, playing with children…

Uncle Ho’s eyes, beard, and forehead are the most difficult things to be embroidered as they are distinct from many others. Thus, Xuan Neo artisans often elaborate these details to be able to express his charisma.

“I looked at photos of Uncle Ho and watched many documentaries about him to deeply feel his soul. It was not until 2012 that I could embroider the most satisfactory portrait of Uncle Ho,” said Pham Thi Hoa, who has more than 60 years of experience in the craft.

Paintings of Uncle Ho are often bought by organizations for presentation or hanging at their headquarters.

Embroiderers in Xuan Neo are also famous for embroidered paintings which vividly recreate the Vietnamese countryside with bustling festivals and rich cultural identity.

They also embroider pictures of the country's cultural heritage and natural scenery for introduction to international friends, including Ha Long Bay, Sa Pa town, Mot Cot (One Pillar) pagoda, etc.

There are large paintings with many meticulous details that required up to 10 embroiderers to work for months to complete, thus being priced at several hundred million VND.

It is artisans’ love for the craft and diligence that makes Xuan Neo embroidery increasingly unique, sophisticated, and innovative.

Many visitors to Hai Duong in general and Xuan Neo in particular were interested in lifelike paintings of leaders, places, world natural heritage, etc.

Tu Ky district authorities have planned to turn the village into a destination for domestic and foreign tourists.

The craft village’s quintessence that has been preserved for many generations will help all visitors feel the country’s soul through every stitch.

There are about 200 embroiderers in Hung Dao commune, Tu Ky district, including one People's, three Meritorious, and seven Craft Village Artisans. Embroidery has existed for a long time in Hung Dao commune with many unique traditional handicrafts attractive to tourists, especially foreigners.

BAO ANH