Hanoi's unique culinary quintessence and craft village tourism promoted
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Through the many ups and downs in history, Hue has managed to preserve a rich and one-of-a-kind system of craft villages and is considered a keeper of the quintessence of Vietnamese crafts.
For more than 300 years (1636-1945), Hue was the capital of Vietnamese monarchy dynasties, including 13 dynasties of the Nguyen family, the last feudal dynasty of Vietnam. The city, therefore, became a gathering place of many traditional crafts, including unique crafts originating from the system of office crafts or ancient craft villages serving the royals and the elites exclusively.
For more than 300 years (1636-1945), Hue was the capital of Vietnamese monarchy dynasties, including 13 dynasties of the Nguyen family, the last feudal dynasty of Vietnam. The city, therefore, became a gathering place of many traditional crafts, including unique crafts originating from the system of office crafts or ancient craft villages serving the royals and the elites exclusively.
Imprints of the Nguyen dynasty
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After hundreds of years, Hue today is still a palatial city with golden palaces, citadels, mausoleums, temples and countless treasures from feudal times, which makes the city a unique cultural heritage.
Creating that unique and massive heritage complex was none other than the royal craftsmen and artisans of the Nguyen dynasty. There were masters of handicrafts in Hue as well as from all over the country who were summoned to the capital by the Nguyen kings to serve the royals. With skillful hands and great creativity, the artisans created masterpieces of art that satisfied the royals and remained as priceless treasures.
During the Nguyen dynasty, there was a special agency that looked over the crafts, which was the craft-office. The main task of the office was to supervise the construction of palaces, the creation of palace items as well as the minting of money and weapons and shipbuilding. Under the umbrella of this craft-office system, there were bureaus of crafts such as carpentry, masonry, casting, ceramics, jewelry, embroidery and carving, which gathered talented craftsmen and artisans from all over the country.
According to history, from the reign of King Gia Long (1802-1820) to the beginning of King Tu Duc’s reign (1847-1883), the number of craftsmen in Hue was enormous due to the need for construction in the capital. Workers directly working for the royals alone reached into the thousands.
After hundreds of years, Hue today is still a palatial city with golden palaces, citadels, mausoleums, temples and countless treasures from feudal times, which makes the city a unique cultural heritage.
| The development path of Thua Thien Hue in the period of 2021-2030 with a vision toward 2045 is to be based on culture and heritage, and the preservation of Hue's cultural identity. It is an opportunity and also prerequisite condition for Hue to constantly preserve and promote its heritage values, including its handicraft villages. |
During the Nguyen dynasty, there was a special agency that looked over the crafts, which was the craft-office. The main task of the office was to supervise the construction of palaces, the creation of palace items as well as the minting of money and weapons and shipbuilding. Under the umbrella of this craft-office system, there were bureaus of crafts such as carpentry, masonry, casting, ceramics, jewelry, embroidery and carving, which gathered talented craftsmen and artisans from all over the country.
According to history, from the reign of King Gia Long (1802-1820) to the beginning of King Tu Duc’s reign (1847-1883), the number of craftsmen in Hue was enormous due to the need for construction in the capital. Workers directly working for the royals alone reached into the thousands.
