AN cafe has a peaceful space, with traditional cultural features of Kinh Bac land expressed through architecture, paintings, decorations, ... to the menu, or experiential activities for customers.
AN cafe started out as a small 14m2 shop in Tu Son, Bac Ninh. To date, AN cafe has 10 locations in its hometown of Bac Ninh and Hanoi.
Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan (1991, Bac Ninh), founder of AN cafe, shared: “Since opening the first store, I have cherished the desire to build a space where customers can not only drink coffee, tea, water..., meet friends but also listen to and learn about the traditional culture of Kinh Bac land. I want to spread the beauty of my homeland's culture through interesting experiential activities”.
Materials such as communal house roofs, porches, wooden pillars, pottery, conical hats, do paper paintings... are all cleverly incorporated into the design of the restaurant, helping to create a modern, intimate feeling inspired by famous landmarks and traditional craft villages of Kinh Bac land: Dinh Bang, Hien Van, Phu Lang, Da Hoi, Dong Ho...
Recently, the founder of AN cafe and his associates introduced to customers the project "Kinh Bac here and there" with a publication of the same name and interesting experiential activities.
The publication is beautifully and meticulously designed, like a handbook suggesting destinations, cultural activities or "specialties" of Bac Ninh land: traditional craft villages such as Phu Lang pottery village, Dong Ho painting village, temples, pagodas... Diners can sip a cup of coffee while learning about Bac Ninh land through this publication.
One of the outstanding activities in the project “Kinh Bac Do Day” is the workshop on making Dong Ho paintings. With the companionship of artisan Nguyen Huu Dao, customers can not only admire but also directly participate in learning about the meaning and process of creating a real Dong Ho painting under the communal house roof space at AN Kinh Bac Signature store.
Artisan Nguyen Huu Dao shared: “Making Dong Ho paintings is not only a profession, but also a way to preserve the cultural soul of Kinh Bac land. Through activities like this, we hope that the younger generation will understand and appreciate the value of the traditional profession more.”
Not only an art activity, the Dong Ho painting workshop at AN cafe is also a bridge to help young people approach and understand more about the values that folk paintings bring.
Kim Khanh (Bac Ninh) shared: “This is the first time I have made a Dong Ho painting by myself. I didn’t think I could do it myself, but with the guidance of artisan Nguyen Huu Dao, I had no difficulty. Through each step, I can see the sophistication and intricacy of this traditional painting craft. It is a memorable experience for me.”
With promising first steps, AN cafe's "Kinh Bac Do Day" project is spreading cultural values closer to customers every day.
AN cafe hopes that the project “Kinh Bac Do Day” will not only bring customers a unique cultural experience, but also contribute to the preservation and development of cultural values imbued with Vietnamese identity.
