The Journeys in Hue group contributes to preserving the traditional profession of making royal pillows of madam Tri Hue

The journeys

Two years ago, a group of young people including Doan Cong Quoc Tuan, Tran Tri Quan, Nguyen Van Quoc, Le Duc Hoang, Tran Quang Thanh, Nguyen Quang Huy, and Nguyen Phan Anh Thy with all different personalities, hometowns, and ages embarked on interesting trips to explore Hue’s destinations.

Quoc Tuan said: “After cycling to visit Sinh village, we decided to create a fan page to tell stories about Hue. The group's ambition is the same as the name chosen by the members. Journeys in Hue is a hub to share trips and perspectives with the aim of spreading and promoting the beauty of the ancient capital.

These journeys are the daily life of Journeys in Hue group. There are day trips. There are also rides where young people have to eat together and stay with the characters for many days in a row. Those days of hard work but also full of passion have brought the members together, connected the members with the characters, with the stories and with memorable experiences.

Journeys to the peaceful countryside

One of those interesting trips was the journey of Tri Quan and Duc Hoang to the sandy area of Phu Vang. The two young people shared: “Four days in a row, learning about the profession of ceramic mosaic, eating together, working with the people in the "tomb city" of An Bang brought us special emotions. Under the scorching sun, the locals were soaked in sweat to cut small pieces of crockery, then meticulously assemble them onto unicorns and phoenixes. For us, that image portrayed not only meticulousness and talent but also the extreme patience. "

Or like Quoc Tuan, with his camera and eagerness to discover the "secrets" of the Nam Pho noodle soup pot, he and madam Du's family (one of the families having long history in the Nam Pho noodle soup business), stayed up late and woke up early. These experiences have become the material for young people to have quality articles about Hue from many different perspectives.

Those articles could be about nostalgic hand-painted signboards or the graves of the meritorious officials. Or, they could be about trips to poetic riverside villages, meetings with very ‘Hueish’ women, or about murals village or mirror art. More specifically, the young people also promote and connect to contribute to the development of unique handicrafts of the ancient capital.

To entrust

In 2021, Journeys in Hue visited the family of Mrs. Cong Ton Nu Tri Hue (Madam Tri Hue), and also from this predestined relationship, the whole group came up with an idea to help her improve the design and support logistics, so that her royal pillow products are accessible to customers, especially young people.

The content of the articles is diverse

Through live streams and promotional articles, the handmade pillows of Madam Tri Hue have come closer to those in demand. Back then, she was the only one making the pillows, and her life was precarious. Now, her children and grandchildren have also started studying and participating in different stages of production. On average, Madam Tri Hue can sell 15 pillows per month, instead of waiting for a rare order like before.

Without stopping, in an effort to preserve traditional crafts bearing the imprints of history and time, Journeys in Hue has called for the support of those who love this product to build a pillow showroom for Madam Tri Hue.

The group's representative shared: "At the end of March, we received more than 40 million VND in fundraising and handed it over to her family. With this money, we hope she can create a well-organized exhibition space for the pillows, as well as contribute to preserving and developing this unique craft of Hue."

In addition to the activities of sharing photos, articles, and stories about Hue, the young people also create interesting forums such as Hue culinary workshops, collaborating with young people on the Fanpage Architecture to share knowledge about "Traditional Architecture: From Ancient Capital to the Cochinchine", held an online contest "Write about Hue", etc., thereby bringing the image of beautiful, peaceful, rustic, and emotional Hue closer to everyone.

Story: MAI HUE - Photos: Provided by the characters in the article