How master craftsmen in Vietnam create 50,000 incense sticks a day for Lunar New Year

Isaiah Reynolds,Abby Narishkin,Nguyễn Lê HangJan 22, 2023, 20:03 IST

Hoàng Liên Son and Dinh Xuân Vū

At the start of every year, incense sticks are used to celebrate Tết, or Vietnamese Lunar New Year.
Due to shifting industry and demands, the local incense producers had to readjust their strategy.

Every Lunar New Year, the Vietnamese village of Quảng Phú Cầu is immersed in an ocean of pink.

Hoàng Liên Son and Dinh Xuân Vū

Used in religious ceremonies year-round, the incense sticks carry great spiritual significance in the Southeast Asian nation.

Hoàng Liên Son and Dinh Xuân Vū

In 2019, India restricted Vietnamese imports, virtually destroying the Quảng Phú Cầu incense producers' biggest buyer.

Victoria Barranco

The trade pivot left many Vietnamese producers with a major gap between established supply and demand.

Incense sticksHoàng Liên Son and Dinh Xuân Vū

Thi changed the product to appeal to Vietnamese buyers, and made considerable adjustments to the meticulous and orthodox process.

Hoàng Liên Son and Dinh Xuân Vū

The incense stick is made of two parts: the core stick and the incense powder.

Hoàng Liên Son and Dinh Xuân Vū

The machine chopper allows thousands of sticks to be shaped in one day. "After chopping," Thi said, "the sticks are sanded and polished, and then cut into the appropriate length to be made into incense sticks."

Incorporating machines into the incense stick production process allowed producers to increase their daily manufacturing nearly twentyfold.Hoàng Liên Son and Dinh Xuân Vū

The machine chopper allows thousands of sticks to be shaped in one day. "After chopping," Thi said, "the sticks are sanded and polished, and then cut into the appropriate length to be made into incense sticks."

Next, the cut sticks are shipped to Thi's incense factory where workers group them into bunches.

Hoàng Liên Son and Dinh Xuân Vū

The bunches are meticulously fanned out around the town to dry, saturating Quảng Phú Cầu with its famed fuchsia hue.

Hoàng Liên Son and Dinh Xuân Vū

Across the factory, the incense powder is prepared. Using secret recipe passed through generations, proportions of harvested canarium sap is combined with charcoal. The mixture gives the sticks their unique scent once burned.

Hoàng Liên Son and Dinh Xuân Vū

Across the factory, the incense powder is prepared. Using secret recipe passed through generations, proportions of harvested canarium sap is combined with charcoal. The mixture gives the sticks their unique scent once burned.

Once completely dried, the dyed incense sticks are fed into machines to be coated with the incense powder. Finally, workers package the dried and perfected sticks into plastic, ready for distribution.

Hoàng Liên Son and Dinh Xuân Vū

Once completely dried, the dyed incense sticks are fed into machines to be coated with the incense powder. Finally, workers package the dried and perfected sticks into plastic, ready for distribution.

From Quảng Phú Cầu across Vietnam, Thi’s modern adaptation ensures the vibrant and festive tradition continues.

Hoàng Liên Son and Dinh Xuân Vū

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How master craftsmen in Vietnam create 50,000 incense sticks a day for Lunar New Year

Every Lunar New Year, the Vietnamese village of Quảng Phú Cầu is immersed in an ocean of pink.

Used in religious ceremonies year-round, the incense sticks carry great spiritual significance in the Southeast Asian nation.

In 2019, India restricted Vietnamese imports, virtually destroying the Quảng Phú Cầu incense producers' biggest buyer.

The trade pivot left many Vietnamese producers with a major gap between established supply and demand.

Thi changed the product to appeal to Vietnamese buyers, and made considerable adjustments to the meticulous and orthodox process.

The incense stick is made of two parts: the core stick and the incense powder.

The machine chopper allows thousands of sticks to be shaped in one day. "After chopping," Thi said, "the sticks are sanded and polished, and then cut into the appropriate length to be made into incense sticks."

Next, the cut sticks are shipped to Thi's incense factory where workers group them into bunches.

The bunches are meticulously fanned out around the town to dry, saturating Quảng Phú Cầu with its famed fuchsia hue.

Across the factory, the incense powder is prepared. Using secret recipe passed through generations, proportions of harvested canarium sap is combined with charcoal. The mixture gives the sticks their unique scent once burned.

Once completely dried, the dyed incense sticks are fed into machines to be coated with the incense powder. Finally, workers package the dried and perfected sticks into plastic, ready for distribution.

From Quảng Phú Cầu across Vietnam, Thi’s modern adaptation ensures the vibrant and festive tradition continues.