The century-old incense-making village of Quảng Phú Cầu lies in Ung Hoa district, a 35-kilometer ride from the center of Hanoi. An indispensable religious-spiritual object of the Vietnamese worshipping culture, burning incense is believed to be the channel of communication to their ancestors in the spiritual realm, and thus has become a deeply-rooted Vietnamese custom.
As sending prayers to ancestors has been a frequent activity in many Vietnamese festivals, death anniversary, and notably Tet, business remains lively all year round and especially flourishing during the holiday season for Quảng Phú Cầu, along with many other incense making villages across the country.
Incense sticks take a sequence of processing steps before turning into quality products fit for consumption and exporting to foreign countries. From carefully quality checking steps for bamboos — the main material for incense sticks, blending aromatic incense paste, to dyeing bamboo sticks in the signature pink dye, the art of making incense sticks is both a staple of the authentic, genuine lifestyle in Quảng Phú Cầu village and a feast for the eyes.
Upon wandering through the village paths, visitors can easily catch sight of the poetic and artistic beauty of newly made incense bundles bathing under the sun, glistening from the blazing pink hue. Apart from incense as their main product, Quảng Phú Cầu offers a variety of bamboo products —from toothpicks, broomsticks, to handmade bamboo decorations.
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