In DiAn incense profession

Xcrowded around 50 years ago but in the artisan craft of making incense Dian (P.Di An TX.Di An, Binh Duong) has quietly existed.

Bui Thi Bach has decades chopped shallots occupational incense - Photo: Huy Anh

Handmade craft incense in Di An not only make up the diversity, richness of culture in the land of Binh Duong but also those who missed the live feed under the "now" of the family. In addition, they also contribute to preserving, developing local industries.

Bamboo should be taken from the Dong Nai River upstream

Visit Bui Thi Bach (79 years old, live KP.Binh Ming 2, P.Di An), a person is considered to be technically gifted incense chopped shallots today at "Di An incense neighbors".With the tool used in hand, the young man grew into the toothpick small incense, are very similar. A small bamboo card is divided into 2, 4, 6, 8 ... then becoming the toothpick incense trees only in a transient lia worn machete under her age.

Ms White said: "I do not know incense profession ever since, just to know I learned from an early age under the mother to earn income. From children to adults can take a number of steps in the process such as incense incense chopped shallots, sun, se incense, laced aromas ... However, to chop the shallots are incense, the split must be used fingers feel thick, thin and very smart, not right hand lacerations. "

The drying process at the facility incense Xincheng - Photo: Huy Anh

According to the perennial incense at "Di An incense neighbors", all ingredients must be from natural incense. For as the body must also be selected incense from bamboo, old taken in Nam Cat Tien forest area upstream of the Dong Nai River. And incense, a very precious and rare incense now must be mixed with sandalwood powder. Incense profession has many stages as preparation sticky dough, flour glue, sawdust, powdered incense aroma ... and body.

After preparing the ingredients is completed, the worker shall have the task of mixing the powder into the mixture just enough to immerse the body when they are picked up incense on.

"Making traditional incense I can not say any more important step by step that all steps are equally important. For example, when the mixture to dip sticks of incense, people have to watch standard mixing ratio of ingredients, irregular powders, incense will burn unevenly and not adhesive; Exposure also incense, with the kind of incense made from natural materials are required to be basking in the sunshine to ensure that material blend together slowly, "Ms. White said.

Difficult to compete with industrial incense

Mr. Pham Van Tan, Chairman of incense production base Xincheng (KP.Nhi 2, P.Di An) said traditional craft villages are showing signs materials eroded by increasingly fewer, jobs are not stable, many people have quit. Moreover, sources in the market more and more, beautiful and so cheap goods "Di An incense neighbors" difficult to compete again. This is also the underlying cause of incense making village once attracted hundreds of workers now only count on the fingers.

Packing incense is the last step before being consumed - Photo: Huy Anh

Mr Tan said: "What kind of incense making industry sold many on the market today there are only about 20,000 VND / bundle / 100km. And with incense made of natural materials as in "neighbor incense" is, so rare raw materials, transportation difficulties, high cost, the price is definitely right from VND50,000 / bundle / 100 kilometers or more. So in Di An incense most sold only for having said patrons who prefer to use natural products. "

White people like her look diligently kept holding each young machete chop, chop half the new session bundles wheels with wages of 20,000, who witnessed and pity.Between industrial times, a craft lover, drunk as her career has really just trying to earn about VND 40,000 / day from the chopped shallots to the master lease incense production base of incense, how that exist. Without the hands of local government in preserving and developing traditional craft villages, then perhaps "neighbor incense" in Di An Bach would like her words: "Maybe soon, the people in this land is no longer used type of incense that was once the pride of them. Simply because today, incense is sold chemicals is widespread, accounting for most of the market share of pure incense sticks from nature. "