Phia Thap incense making village
The incense making craft of the Nung An people in Phia Thap has a long history. Though no one knows the founder of this traditional craft, incense making has been inherited from generation to generation, creating work that is well known for every villagers.
Phia Thap incense is made from natural materials in this karst region, including: bamboo tree (“may muoi” in Tay language) for making stick, bark of bombax ceiba tree, saw dust and especially leaves of the wild tree nam “bau hat” to make glue for bonding the materials together.
Making incense is not difficult but it must go through several stages. Bamboo tree is cut into pieces about 40 cm long, split into small bar in the size of a chopstick and then tidily polished. The “bau hat” leaves and bark of the bombax ceiba tree are well milled and mixed four times with powder “bau hat” leaves to create a glue substance, then seasoned with flour mixture of “bau hat” leaves, bombax ceiba bark and sawdust to create incense stick. After drying, the sticks are dried red at at its bottom half and dried again before being tied into bundles to sell at local markets.
Making incense not only brings income to Phia Thap villagers but also contributed to preserving a traditional craft of the Nung An people. It is a beauty imbued with national identity associated with the custom of the Vietnamese to worship via burning incense in the Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark.
See tours to Phia Thap village, Cao Bang province
Phia Thap incense making village
Incense making in Phia Thap village
Homestay services in Phia Thap village
Water source (mo nuoc) in Phia Thap village
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