We carry a range of handmade Vietnamese lacquerware including plates, bowls, wine bottle holders and dry mount photo albums.
Vietnamese people have used natural resin extracted from lacquer trees to produce lacquer products to serve everyday life for thousands of years and many lacquer products have been found in ancient tombs. The art of lacquerware was handed down from generation to generation as a family secret until the first half of the 20th century.
Today, Vietnamese lacquerware is meticulously handmade in just two villages north of Hanoi. Lacquer resin comes from lacquer trees found growing mostly in the North of Vietnam. When first extracted from a tree, the lacquer is a white, condensed like milk then turning brown in the air as it oxidises, and gradually becoming black when dried. Mixed with a solvent it becomes clear and hard when dried. Each piece usually goes through 20 stages, the process itself takes no less than 100 days, regardless of whether the end product is a large picture or a small chilli bowl.
Check out our range, plate sets and photo albums are currently on sale with 30% off.