20 years of 'reviving' discarded bamboo roots into works of art sculpture.

Following the coastal road along Cua Dai (Hoi An, Quang Nam), I found my way to a small hamlet in Thinh My neighborhood, Cam An ward. The wind blew in gusts, carrying the salty, pungent scent of the sea. A constant clattering sound filled the air. In a small, sun-drenched courtyard, piles of bamboo stumps lay scattered on the ground. A slender, middle-aged man was diligently sawing and carving dry wood. Dust flew and clung to his cheeks. Sweat beaded on his forehead, droplets rolling down his nimble hands. He was sometimes pensive and focused, sometimes bursting into laughter as if a new idea had just struck him. His gap-toothed smile had become an unmistakable trademark of Hoi An.

He is Huynh Phuong Do (50 years old), the father of Hoi An's bamboo sculpture art. Because of this, the name "Crazy Do" or "Bamboo Do" has been associated with him for the past 20 years. During that time, the artist has been reviving gnarled bamboo roots into vibrant works of art. "My work is the same every day. But I don't find it boring. People can easily get excited about new things, but maintaining joy in old things requires patience," Mr. Do said.

Years of ups and downs have shaped Red Bamboo into what it is today.

At his workshop in front of his house, Mr. Do's eyes welled up with tears as he recalled a day in 1999. The small coastal village was reeling from a historic flood. The wind howled. The water flowed fiercely. Amidst the swirling, chaotic water filled with debris and trash, he spotted a strange clump of bamboo. Curious, Mr. Do retrieved the bamboo, cut down the roots, and began carving while waiting for the water to recede. From that playful carving, he thought, "Oh, it turns out bamboo roots can also be sculpted." That's how the first bamboo root sculpture in Hoi An was created. It was also the serendipitous event that led him to this art form, which he continues to this day.

However, things didn't happen by chance for Mr. Do; it was a long process intertwined with his wood carving art since his teenage years. Mr. Do recounts that at the age of 16, his parents took him to learn the craft from a master carpenter in Kim Bong village. Naturally gifted in craftsmanship and with the dedicated guidance of his teacher, Mr. Do quickly mastered the skill. After three years of training, he worked for wood carving workshops. However, life was difficult, and the work wasn't enough to support himself, so Mr. Do abandoned the craft and switched to making banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) and selling them by bicycle through the alleys of Hoi An to earn money. Looking back on those ups and downs, the artisan from Quang Nam still reminisces: "If I hadn't gone through that period, there wouldn't be Do Tre now," his eyes sparkling with joy as he looks at the new works already packed into baskets, ready to be displayed. To this day, it's impossible to count how many bamboo stalks, once thought to be discarded as firewood, have been "revived" thanks to the hands of this 50-year-old artisan.

To create sculptures of historical, spiritual, and legendary figures from Vietnam and around the world, besides sculpting skills, the artist must also research and read countless pages of books, newspapers, and documents about history and culture. Mr. Do's works depict various facial expressions, symbolizing the joys, sorrows, loves, and hates of life. Each sculpture is unique, as no two bamboo stalks are alike. Furthermore, each work is entirely handcrafted and imbued with the artist's soul, ensuring that no two are ever repeated.

The journey of bamboo roots through the deep forest to become works of art.

At his product display booth by the Hoai River in Hoi An's old town, Mr. Do busily arranged his creations on the table, enthusiastically recounting: "This 85-year-old bamboo root had to travel a very long distance, up to a thousand kilometers, from deep in the forests of Son La, then transit through several bus stations before finally arriving in Hoi An. For these rare and precious bamboo roots, I personally went to the Northwest to find them. It was a very arduous journey, not a joke."

For younger bamboo stumps, Mr. Do usually buys them in Quang Nam and neighboring provinces. "I wander around the villages, and whenever I see a bamboo clump that has been cut down with its stump lying around, I collect it and pay 15,000 to 20,000 VND per stump. I'm recycling natural waste materials while creating valuable handcrafted products," Mr. Do explained. The bamboo stumps also need to be harvested in the right season to ensure quality.

Gathering bamboo roots is difficult enough, but the process of shaping them into artworks requires even more dedication. The raw materials are protected from termites and damage by soaking them in mud for nine months, then drying them in the sun for ten days before being thoroughly cleaned. At the workshop, Mr. Do's daughter, a first-year university student, helps her father with the hose to remove the mud clinging to the bamboo roots when she's not busy with studies.

After cleaning the raw bamboo roots, Mr. Do saws off the excess parts before selecting them for shaping. This step might seem the simplest. But no, Mr. Do has to examine them carefully and observe them meticulously to choose the right root for the artwork. "The shape of the bamboo and the thickness of the roots need to match the character. For example, a bamboo root with many roots will be chosen to create characters like Phúc, Lộc, Thọ, or Trương Tam Phong…," Mr. Do explains.

After selecting a bamboo root that matches his vision, artisan Huynh Phuong Do secures the material with an iron frame and then opens his toolkit, which includes hammers and knives of various sizes for different purposes. A large mallet shapes the face, while a smaller one is used for intricate details requiring precision. The clicking sound of the mallets echoes, sometimes loud, sometimes soft. The force applied varies, sometimes strong, sometimes gentle. The large and small mallets alternate seamlessly. This skillful and continuous coordination prevents the bamboo root from breaking or the carving lines from becoming uneven. According to Mr. Do, the eyes are the most difficult detail because they determine whether the sculpture resembles the character.

For 30 minutes, the bamboo fragments sprouted under the chisel, gradually revealing the face of the character. As he worked, his eyes intently observed, sometimes frowning to reveal wrinkles on his forehead, other times suddenly bursting into laughter: "The most satisfying feeling is when the character's face is formed." After shaping, the statues are smoothed to create the finished product. On average, it takes the artisan about 3 hours to transform these simple bamboo roots into works of art.

Despite being constantly exposed to the sound of chainsaws, Mr. Do doesn't feel bothered. He confided, "It's the sound of life, of busyness. Remembering the days of the pandemic, when the sound of chainsaws and chisels gradually faded, I felt very sad." Furthermore, using sharp metal tools poses many dangers, so the craftsman must always be cautious.

"A job should not only bring value to society but also provide a livelihood for the person doing it. I always think that if my students can't make ends meet with this profession and leave to do something else, it's a failure on my part," artisan Do Tre said with deep concern. Therefore, after mastering the craft, those who learn from him are provided with stable jobs and incomes.

How to promote local handicrafts to tourists, so that the creativity of Hoi An people becomes known to more people, is something that Do Tre is always concerned about. In the near future, he will organize workshops on bamboo carving, both to display and to create a space for tourists to experience this art form. Further, the Hoi An artisan wants to pass on his skills to more people, to build a bamboo carving village, contributing to increasing the income of local people.

Text and photos: Xuan Phuong