Located about an hour’s drive from the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, Quang Phu Cau Village is the most famous incense-making village in Vietnam. For over a century, the households in this village have been diligently following the ancient incense-making craft passed down from their ancestors with pride. They see it as a cherished profession and work tirelessly to preserve the traditional art of making incense.
As the Lunar New Year of 2025 approaches, many villagers in Quang Phu Cau Village are once again busy working overtime to produce incense to meet the high demand during the festive season. Vietnamese people often burn incense at home or in temples during the Lunar New Year, leading to a significant demand for incense on the eve of the new year.
During this period, the various drying grounds, also known as incense gardens, in the village are transformed into endless fields of vibrant red, with fan-shaped bundles of incense sticks resembling blooming flowers, creating a beautiful sight. In recent years, this unique incense garden landscape has unexpectedly turned into a popular destination for tourists from all around the world.
It is understood that the process of making incense involves several complex steps. First, incense sticks are made by cutting dried bamboo into fine strips using machines of various sizes. The bamboo strips are then dyed using natural pigments in dyeing tanks before being laid out to dry. The hardness and dryness of the incense sticks determine the crafting process, requiring meticulous attention to detail from the workers.
A wide range of raw materials is used to make incense, including grass fruits, pine resin, cinnamon, cloves, and star anise, as well as the precious agarwood. These raw materials are ground and classified into powders, which are then mixed with a unique secret recipe to create various scents and colors of incense. The prepared incense mixture is applied thickly onto the incense sticks, exposed to sunlight for several days, and naturally dried to complete the incense-making process.
The resulting incense has vibrant colors and long-lasting scents. When lit, the incense emits a gentle and enduring aroma that is not overpowering. The quality of incense-making is also influenced by the weather; rainy days can cause dampness, leading to longer processing times and potential quality issues. Therefore, every detail of incense-making must be strictly controlled, from mixing and drying to shaping and packaging, requiring experienced incense masters to skillfully complete each step.
To cater to tourists’ increasing interest in photography, apart from traditional red incense sticks, villagers in Quang Phu Cau Village now produce incense sticks in various colors such as yellow, blue, and green. Villagers have even set up different angles of scaffolding in the incense garden to facilitate visitors in taking photos from above.
The long-standing tradition of incense-making, now gradually becoming a cultural and religious symbol in Vietnam, not only reflects the Vietnamese people’s respect and reverence for ancestors and deities but also showcases the diverse cultural heritage of Vietnam. With the rising popularity of the incense garden, incense-making craft and related cultural activities have become a major tourist attraction in Vietnam, attracting the attention of visitors worldwide and providing more employment opportunities for the local community.