Not only having educational and cultural significance, the book set was also nominated by the Final Jury of the VIII National Book Award, becoming one of the typical works highly appreciated by experts.
Journey to explore Vietnamese craft villages through comics
Famous Ancient Crafts" is a 10-volume comic series, taking young readers along with little An on a journey to explore traditional handicraft villages throughout Vietnam. Through the close perspective of the main character, each book opens a journey to landes rich in identity, where handicrafts have been preserved and passed down through many generations.
Each volume is a vivid slice of the history of formation and development of a typical craft village. Readers learn about the handicraft production process as well as the cultural story associated with each profession such as pottery making, silver carving, carpentry, silk making, metal forging or fish sauce processing. Professions that seem familiar in daily life appear with historical depth and special cultural values.
In the published volumes, the book set takes readers to many famous landmarks such as: Bau Truc pottery village in Ninh Thuan, Van Chang blacksmithing village in Nam Dinh, Chang Son carpentry village in Hanoi or traditional fish sauce making in Phu Quoc. Through each page of the book, readers not only understand more about the product creation process but also feel the ingenuity and talent of the artisans.
The book set is made by a group of authors including: Phuong Bui, Thanh Nguyen, Kim Dung and Liber, with illustrations by artists Ruoc Dang, Bui Xuan Quynh and NGART group. The creative group said that they spent a lot of time on-site in craft villages, meeting artisans and collecting materials to ensure accuracy for the content.
Thanks to the combination of practical research and vivid storytelling, the book set brings a rich picture of Vietnamese traditional crafts, while helping young readers access national culture in a close and attractive way.
Spreading cultural values and imprints at the National Book Award
Not only stopping at an entertainment comic book series, "Vang danh nghề cổ" is also considered a heritage education project for children. Through stories about craft villages, the book series helps children understand that each handicraft product is not only an item in life but also the crystallization of history, aesthetics and the spirit of labor of Vietnamese people.
The pages of the book with vivid color illustrations bear the imprint of traditional culture, but are still expressed in a modern style, suitable for young readers. Thanks to that, seemingly dry knowledge about the history and culture of craft villages becomes more accessible and attractive.
A noteworthy point is that the book set was nominated at the 8th National Book Award. In 2025, the award attracted 397 book titles and book sets with a total of 512 books participating in the selection. After a careful evaluation process, the Final Judging Council including many experts and scholars selected 51 typical book titles to nominate for honor.
Among them, "Vang danh nghề cổ" is highly appreciated for the combination of cultural values, educational value and creative expression. The fact that the book set is on the nomination list shows the efforts of the author team and publishers in bringing traditional cultural heritage closer to the younger generation.
Currently, the book series has been published in many volumes at bookstores nationwide, including books such as: "Lanh My A - Silk legend", "Cassanding Dong Xam silver - Preserving quintessence", "Chang Son carpentry village - Touches of time", "Van Chang forging village - Forged fire lasts forever", "Phu Quoc fish sauce - Delicious taste of the pearl island" and "Bau Truc pottery village - Golden land on the sacred field". In the near future, the author group plans to continue to release new volumes about other craft villages such as: Phu My basket boat, Doi Tam drum or Hue casting ward.
With a creative approach and meaningful message, "Vang danh nghề cổ" not only brings interesting reading pages for children but also contributes to arousing love for traditional culture. This is also the long-term value that the book set aims for: Helping the younger generation understand, cherish and continue the quintessence of the ancient crafts of the Vietnamese nation.
