Tho Ha - Purely Vietnamese Northern village
Located about 50 km north of Hanoi, in Van Ha commune, Viet Yen district, Bac Giang province, Tho Ha village has long been known as a land of "sacred land and talented people" famous for its traditional crafts. In the past, Tho Ha was once famous for its pottery making. However, over time, the pottery craft gradually faded away. Instead, Tho Ha village "transformed" with the craft of making rice paper from the 90s until now.
Graduated from the multimedia photography department of the University of Theatre and Cinema, Hoang Kim Hung is passionate about capturing everyday moments from landscapes to architecture. Having the chance to visit Tho Ha village, the young man confided: “Since I was a child, I have heard that Tho Ha is a famous rice paper making village. When I grew up, I also had the opportunity to see some photos of Tho Ha village. I planned to explore this village and record life here with photos I took myself.”
Located about 50 km north of Hanoi, in Van Ha commune, Viet Yen district, Bac Giang province, Tho Ha village has long been known as a land of "spiritual people" famous for its traditional crafts.
Tho Ha village is famous for making rice paper from the 90s until now.
Tho Ha village bears the cultural imprint of the Northern Delta with a complex of ancient Vietnamese architecture. What is more special is that the village is surrounded by rivers on three sides like an island. To leave the village, people here have to travel by ferry. This uniqueness has created a distinct attraction for Tho Ha, attracting tourists to visit and experience the traditional cultural beauty of Vietnamese villages.
“Taking the ferry from Bac Ninh across the river to the village only takes a few minutes, a popular means of transport because it is convenient and saves time. Traveling by ferry across the river is also a quite new experience for some young people,” said Kim Hung.
Right next to the ferry terminal, the ancient banyan tree with its cool shade is where people gather to trade bustlingly. Next to it, the majestic communal house yard becomes a common living space, where people organize cultural and production activities. All blend together to create a picture of a rustic, simple but familiar Vietnamese countryside.
Tho Ha village bears the strong cultural imprint of the Northern Delta with a complex of pure Vietnamese ancient architecture.
To leave Tho Ha village, people here have to travel by ferry.
The land is famous for its rice paper making village.
If you visit Tho Ha in the morning, you will be impressed by the image of rice paper trays drying white everywhere in the village. From the spacious, airy streets or through the small alleys, you can see rice paper trays drying regularly under the golden sunlight. In particular, standing out in the fresh air is the gentle aroma of rice flour mixed with the smell of kitchen smoke spreading throughout the village.
Rice paper sheets are dried all over the village.
The trays of cakes are dried evenly under the golden sunlight.
The main ingredient that makes the famous Tho Ha rice paper brand is pure rice. This type of rice is carefully selected to ensure the best quality to create the chewy, delicious taste of the rice paper. The rice is hand-milled with a stone mortar to create perfect adhesion, helping the rice paper to be easy to roll and retain its softness when processed.
After obtaining the standard rice flour, the worker will proceed to the stage of coating the cake - one of the most important steps that determines the success or failure of this specialty. The cake must be coated so that it is evenly thinned over the surface and ensures the appropriate thickness. This is a process that requires meticulousness, dexterity and delicacy of the worker. They must adjust the hand force, coating speed and temperature so that the cake is cooked just right without being crushed or burnt.
A process that requires meticulousness, dexterity and delicacy of the craftsman
The cake is cooked just right, not crushed or burnt.
In addition to the technique of making rice paper, Tho Ha people also pay attention to drying the rice paper. After being made, the rice paper will be dried under the sun or dried in the night dew to ensure its toughness and crispiness. The drying process also needs to be done carefully to avoid mold or dirt.
To have the opportunity to fully admire the simple beauty of Tho Ha rice paper village, visitors should choose to come in the morning. The most ideal time is from early morning to before 11 am. The reason is because at this time, Tho Ha people are busy drying rice paper. The pure white rice paper trays are placed close together, creating an extremely impressive scene.
Tho Ha people also pay attention to drying cakes.
After being rolled, rice paper will be dried in the sun or dried in the night dew.
The process of drying the cake also needs to be done carefully to avoid mold or dirt.
The pure white cakes are arranged close together.
“There is one special thing I noticed if we stand close to the cake trays and listen, we will hear the crackling sounds when the cake shrinks because the water evaporates from the cake. This is a sound I find very special because it makes these cake trays much more 'dynamic',” Kim Hung shared.
The harmonious combination of premium ingredients, exquisite craftsmanship and unique drying secrets has created the famous Tho Ha rice paper brand. Each Tho Ha rice paper is the crystallization of meticulousness, dedication and pride of the local people.
To have the opportunity to fully admire the simple beauty of Tho Ha rice paper village, visitors should choose to come in the morning.
Tho Ha people are busy drying rice paper.
“The scenery in Tho Ha is already full of materials to take pictures, so just lift up the camera and you can have beautiful pictures. The communal house yard is a very large area, you can use the repeating structure of the rice-cake trays to create interesting pictures. Going deep into the small alleys, I like to take advantage of the space to create paths, waiting for more light to shine through the roofs to shine down on the alleys to create contrast, then the picture will be beautiful”, Kim Hung added.
The harmonious combination of premium ingredients, exquisite craftsmanship and unique rice paper drying secrets has created the famous Tho Ha rice paper brand.
Each Tho Ha rice paper is the crystallization of meticulousness, dedication and pride of the people here.
