JavaScript is off. Please enable to view full site.

Vietnamese man makes incredible woodburning art on bamboo pens

Sunday, September 25, 2022, 15:17 GMT+7
Vietnamese man makes incredible woodburning art on bamboo pens
Duong Thanh Phan has been working on bamboo for the past four years. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Duong Thanh Phan, a Ho Chi Minh City native, came up with the idea of doing woodburning on bamboos straws in 2018.

The 40-year-old said he started woodburning out of passion but decided to turn his hobby into a profession when he realized the value of bamboo art. 

Duong Thanh Phan uses a tool to wood burn a bamboo pen at his shop at 241/24/7 Tan Hoa Dong Street in District 6, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo:  Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Duong Thanh Phan uses a tool to wood-burn a bamboo pen at his shop at 241/24/7 Tan Hoa Dong Street in District 6, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Bamboo artworks by Duong Thanh Phan. Photo:  Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Bamboo artworks by Duong Thanh Phan. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Phan initially only wanted to wood-burn bamboo pens, but increasing demand pushed him to open his own workshop to produce bamboo pens.

Currently Phan’s Nha An Lanh shop offers bamboo and fire-carved bamboo pens, as well as lucky bamboo sticks, bamboo dragonflies, bamboo books, keychains, and more.

Bamboo dragonflies fetch from VND290,000 to 450,000 (US$12.23 to 18.98). Photo:  Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Bamboo dragonflies fetch VND290,000-450,000 (US$12-19). Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Bamboo books and lucky bamboo sticks. Photo:  Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Bamboo books and lucky bamboo sticks. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

According to Phan, an engraved pen is valuable because it promotes Vietnamese culture using traditional symbols, such as bronze drums, ancient lac birds, images of the Vietnamese countryside, and messages.

“[My art] looks simple, but it’s definitely not easy to create a wood-burned bamboo pen,” Phan said.

“A [woodburning] artist needs to concentrate or they can hurt their hands. Meticulousness is also required in this craft.”

Duong Thanh Phan works on material to make bamboo pens. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Duong Thanh Phan works on materials to make bamboo pens. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Bamboo straws are used to make pen barrels. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Bamboo straws are used to make pen barrels. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Phan works on bamboo straws to make pen barrels. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Phan works on bamboo straws to make pen barrels. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Phan cuts bamboo chopsticks to make pen tips. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Phan cuts bamboo chopsticks to make pen tips. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Phan sharpens pen tips. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Phan sharpens pen tips. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Phan adjusts a pen cover to fit other parts of the pen. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Phan adjusts a pen cover to fit other parts of the pen. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Duong Thanh Phan uses a tool to wood burn a bamboo pen at his shop at 241/24/7 Tan Hoa Dong Street in District 6, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo:  Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Phan uses a tool to wood-burn a bamboo pen at his shop at 241/24/7 Tan Hoa Dong Street in District 6, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News

Ordinary bamboo pens at Phan’s shop sell for VND30,000-40,000 ($1.27-1.69) while wood-burned pens range from a few hundred thousand dong to several million dong depending on a customer’s requirements.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Ngoc Phuong - Dong Nguyen / Tuoi Tre News

READ MORE

Read more

Dutch regulator rejects Apple’s objections to fines

Dutch competition watchdog ACM on Monday said it had rejected objections by Apple against fines of 50 million euros ($53 million) it gave the company over failure to comply with orders to limit the dominant position of Apple's App Store

Photo

Photo of The Day: A street of colorful lanterns

Luong Nhu Hoc Street, which is known as the ‘Lantern Street’ in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, welcomes thousands of customers a day who come to admire and buy lanterns as the Mid-Autumn Festival is only a few days away

Video

(Video) Jellyfish a new pet in Ho Chi Minh City

When she first started her jellyfish journey, Dang Viet Trinh encountered several difficulties due to a lack of experience and the absence of a local jellyfish community.

Check out this Cao Bang-style banh cuon stall in Hanoi

A stall at 253 Thuy Khue Street in Tay Ho District, Hanoi has been serving banh cuon in the Cao Bang style for the past eight years.

Ho Chi Minh City hosts festival to celebrate Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties

Locals, expats, and tourists in Ho Chi Minh City on February 25 and 26 flocked to 23/9 Park in District 1 for the 2023 Japan Vietnam Festival