When it seems that the oldest things are only left in memories, when the streets of Hanoi put on them the breath of modern life. We still see somewhere in the old quarter an old corner of the craft that still silently preserves the traditional beauty and craft spirit in the middle of the city.
What makes it unique is not only a 30 year old embroidery shop, but also the owner himself with skillful, sophisticated hands and a complete love for the embroidery profession.
embroidery shop from the time of the resistance war against France
Huy Thong Embery shop is located at 67 Hang Trong street, established before 1945. After 4 generations, Mr. Bui The Thang's family has maintained the traditional embroidery craft for more than 3 decades.
At first, when deciding to open a shop, Mr. Thang did not think much about making a living by this job or this is a place to trade to make a living. For him, this place is above all a spiritual support, a space to preserve the soul of the embroidery profession passed down by our ancestors and to keep the embroidery profession from getting lost in the modern life.
From the early days of hand-embroidered and hand-embroidered, the shop has gradually adapted to the development of society.
when switching to using mainly two techniques: Combining the use of hand-held shakers and modern computers to design a most complete and sophisticated product.
The embroidery profession is not difficult, only fast or slow
After more than 40 years of working in the profession, when he is very familiar with embroidery, for Mr. Thang, embroidery has no difficult stage, only difference in speed, fast or slow depending on the level of meticulousness and skill in each product.
For example, to embroider a name, Mr. Thang only takes less than a minute, while products with sophisticated patterns will require a lot of time and absolute accuracy.
At first glance, embroidery seems simple when it is just the steps to bring the needle up and down or back and forth on the fabric. But in reality, according to the owner, those stages are much "potato"er.
To put the needle line in just a quick and accurate way, the craftsman not only needs a handwritten plan or the name "natural talent", but also has to go through the process of learning and practicing, listening to pre-existing teachings and practicing persistently.
"Seeing me embroidered, it seems smooth, the needle is just like that, but in reality it is not easy. Many stages, especially when embroidering a name or a seemingly small pattern, are very "steady", requiring a lot of effort and patience," Mr. Thang shared.
The difficulty of embroidery lies not in the complex appearance but in the accuracy of each line, the needle and the patience of the craftsman.
The love of the embroidery profession is not maintained by the word "fate"
Unlike many people who came to the profession with the word "fate", Mr. Thang came to the profession with a love for the embroidery framework that has been passed down from many generations, the family profession that his father left for his children and grandchildren.
From a young age, Mr. Thang has been studying and observing, learning and learning for more than 40 years.
What makes the gray hair man stick with the profession is probably the happiness of sitting next to the embroidery frame, the love for each needle and thread, when creating each product and the pride in contributing to preserving the family's traditional profession. Mr. Thang believes that only when there is a love for the job is the product beautiful and has soul.
A journey of more than 4 decades, he has never felt depressed or intended to give up. Every time I walk around the embroidery frame, when witnessing a finished product, or even when I see the satisfaction and excitement in the eyes of the guests, it adds motivation for the owner to persevere and maintain the embroidery profession until today.
Challenges of traditional embroidery
Although there is currently no shortage of embroidery or industrial garment stores, Huy Thong embroidery store on Hang Trong street always holds a strong position in the hearts of customers.
"Whereverver embroidery is mentioned, people immediately remember Hang Trong, but when mentioning Hang Trong, there are only 67 Hang Trong", Mr. Thang affirmed, because it is both a brand and the pride of the family profession.
Customers coming to the embroidery shop are quite regular, mostly regular customers coming to them because of their long-term relationship. In addition, many international tourists passing by and seeing the beautiful hand-crafted embroidery stages are also very excited. They often ask the uncle to embroider the name or some small, pretty patterns as souvenirs.
Not only international visitors or long-time visitors but also young people have come to place embroidery with modern, novel details, "trendy" (according to the trend), Mr. Thang can meet all needs. He said that this is a positive signal because traditional embroidery still creates an attraction and inspiration for the younger generation. The most popular products today are shirts, hats, handbags... with countless diverse designs, embroidery and embroidery, combining traditional and modern.
Noodles do not stop at old values, but continue to be vividly promoted in today's life, as a way to preserve and honor the traditional values of Vietnamese culture.
