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The ancient village of Thanh Tien, nestled quietly beside the Perfume River, is renowned for its centuries-old tradition of making paper flowers. In the lives of the people of Hue, Thanh Tien paper flowers were almost indispensable on altars during the spring festival. These flowers were not only decorative items but also cultural memories associated with the slow-paced, refined lifestyle of the imperial city. However, in contrast to the changes brought about by modern life, this traditional craft village faces the risk of decline, and the demand for paper flowers is gradually shrinking.
The ancient village of Thanh Tien, nestled quietly beside the Perfume River, is renowned for its centuries-old tradition of making paper flowers.
From an office worker, concerned about the preservation and development of traditional craft villages and products, Ms. Phan Ngoc Hieu decided to "reinvent" herself and those paper flowers. Leaving her banking job to pursue her passion, with Maypaperflower, Ms. Hieu truly hopes that Vietnamese handmade paper flower making will reach international recognition.
Ms. Phan Ngoc Hieu hopes that the Vietnamese craft of making handmade paper flowers will gain recognition on the international stage.
Respect the past, but don't stand still.
“About 12 years ago, during a visit to Thanh Tien village to learn flower making, I saw the artisans quietly sitting beside each piece of paper, meticulously crafting flowers. That moment has haunted me ever since because they were all skilled craftsmen with years of experience, making their products entirely by hand with great care, yet their income was so meager compared to the effort they put in.”Ms. Hieu recounted one of the biggest motivations that prompted her to start in this profession.
To have flowers ready for sale at the end of the year, artisans have to prepare the materials almost all year round.
Furthermore, to have flowers ready for sale at the end of the year, artisans have to prepare materials almost all year round. The work is lengthy, arduous, and meticulous, yet the value received is not commensurate. This is also one of the reasons why the craft of making paper flowers is gradually losing its appeal to the younger generation. This reality led Ms. Hieu to seriously consider preserving and developing the traditional product of her hometown. Deep down, she wondered if Thanh Tien paper flowers would only exist as a custom and not become a livelihood, then the craft would struggle to go far.
One practical question helped her turn her life around:"How can this profession provide a livelihood for those who work in it?"Then, she decided to step out of her comfort zone, quit her job at the bank, and begin to rekindle her love for art.
Ms. Hieu expressed:“I realized I loved art from a young age. Back then, my parents steered me toward studying economics so I could easily find a job and have a stable life. I don’t blame them because my time working in banking gave me good opportunities to observe the market, research paper flowers more deeply, and understand their true potential.”.
“Entering this completely new field, I wasn't being reckless. I kept asking myself, 'If not now, then when?' That decision wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision, but the result of years of research, reading, traveling, asking questions, and believing that traditional Vietnamese crafts still have a place if done correctly and targeted at the right market.”The owner, born in 1989, added.
Making paper flowers involves many meticulous steps.
With the great responsibility she has set for herself, Ms. Hieu has also identified the difficulties she needs to overcome. According to her, the most difficult problem she needs to solve when starting the project is the "human factor".
According to Ms. Hieu, the older artisans in the craft village have solid skills, but they have been accustomed to the old ways of doing things for decades. Changing their mindset and adopting new designs and colors is not easy at all.
While respecting the past, she couldn't stand still, so she had to find a different path. She chose to work with young people in Hue. Although they lacked experience, worked slowly, and were prone to mistakes, they were more open to new things, enthusiastic about creative flowers and modern colors, and shared a strong desire to take the products further.
"Training from scratch takes a lot of time and effort, but the results are clearer: a flexible team, willing to learn and capable of long-term collaboration. For me, it's slow, but it's the right path."She said.
Currently, Ms. Hieu's workshop has nearly 20 people. All members have been retrained from the simplest steps, from cutting paper, creating forms, and color matching, to thinking about quality and production discipline.
Bougainvillea goes to the West
Maypaperflower currently has two main product lines. The Maypaperflower line focuses on exquisite, high-difficulty, slow-production craftsmanship requiring skill and concentration, but with high artistic value and storytelling. The More line, on the other hand, has simpler designs, is easier to reproduce, and is suitable for large-scale production and reaching a wider customer segment.
The products are currently exported mainly to the US and Europe. These are markets that Ms. Hieu believes appreciate craftsmanship, sustainability, and the story behind each item. Currently, Maypaperflower's 107 product codes cater to the majority of customer preferences across various age groups and regions.
The products include flowers that are familiar in Vietnamese culture.
The product catalog includes familiar flowers in Vietnamese culture such as roses, chrysanthemums, dahlias, peonies, white lotuses, pink lotuses, while also expanding to include internationally-styled flowers such as daffodils, sunflowers, lily of the valley, African daisies, American daisies, crocuses, lavender, carnations… creating a rich product range while still maintaining the spirit of traditional craftsmanship.
After 5 years of working in the traditional handicraft industry, Ms. Hieu is still gradually building a solid foundation, from people and processes to the market. She places a "star of hope" on the long-term path of Thanh Tien paper flowers so that they can continue to flourish in contemporary life.
She revealed:“From the artisans of the craft village, I learned three words: patience, perseverance, and persistence. They have stayed with their craft through many ups and downs, even when the craft was almost forgotten and no longer valued. Environmentally friendly materials, slow, handcrafted methods – these seemingly outdated values are now perfectly aligned with the world's sustainable trends. I believe that time may change tastes, but it cannot diminish the value of things made with kindness and persistence.”
The product range is diverse but still retains the spirit of traditional craftsmanship.
