Lacquer in Tuong Binh Hiep of Thu Dau Mot Town – the national intangible cultural asset

Tuong Binh Hiep Lacquer Village at Tuong Binh Hiep Ward in Thu Dau Mot city is the cradle of artistic lacquer in Binh Duong Province for its establishment and development history of nearly 300 years. Through generations with years of up and down together with socio-economic development of the province, Tuong Binh Hiep Lacquer Village has retained its traditional traits of combination of sophisticate features of Asian culture. Holding the significant cultural value of a handicraft village, Tuong Binh Hiep Lacquer Village and its lacquer making have been approved as national intangible cultural asset under Decision No. 1328/QD-BVHTTDL of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The title is very encouraging to those people joining hands to preserve a handicraft village and regional culture.

International Furniture Fair Singapore (IFFS) March 2016 sees the products of Binh Duong Lacquer Association on display

In 1980s and 1990s, the lacquer collective was established with 160 members of over 700 households earning mainly from lacquer production. Handicraft production has been attractive to thousands of workers elsewhere. Through its golden time, Tuong Binh Hiep Lacquer Village has been maintained along with other business lines. Talking to us, Le Ba Linh, the Deputy Chair of Binh Duong Lacquer Association and the owner of Tu Bon Lacquer Establishment, enlightened us with belief on strong and further recovery of a handicraft line set up by our previous generations. According to Linh, we should have a look at the reality to implement rational measures to attract and encourage participation of the youths only by whose participation should the handicraft village be survived and developed. This has always been the pathway of development of Tuong Binh Hiep Lacquer Village.

Painter Nguyen Tan Cong, the Deputy Dean of Lacquer Department of Binh Duong Junior College of Arts and Culture, said: “As lacquer is certified as a national intangible cultural asset, we have been so delight and encouraged to continue with our cause.”

Nguyen Van Quoc, binh Duong Provincial Museum Director, said: “It is the pride of local people to see that Tuong Binh Hiep Lacquer Village has been certified as an intangible cultural asset. Those artists and craftsmen will be encouraged to maintain the good cultural trait of the province.”

Policy development is the key to survival of handicraft villages in the face of challenging economic situations. Consideration should be made to ensure earnings of craftsmen so that they can be encouraged to focus on the career. The puzzle is only solved by multi-facial support including the facilitation of diplomat activities to broadcast the images of Binh Duong Province, introducing the handicraft village of the best operations. Besides, the career know-how should be researched and recorded duly to service the maintenance and development later on. Additionally, to create a competitive brand-name out of Tuong Binh Hiep Lacquer Village, the marketing team should be trained up professionally.

In the meantime, the establishment of connected resorts introducing carpentry and lacquer in display should be facilitated to develop tourism and the handicraft village at the same time. All the measures, no matter how hard they are, will be enabled by the devoted ones. Tuong Binh Hiep Lacquer Village will be brilliantly developed to bring up pride of a handicraft village and people’s intangible cultural asset.

Reported by Song Anh – Translated by Vi Bao