Artisan Do Dinh Duoc beside his traditional weaving loom which has attached closely to him for many years. A brocade weaving workshop in Trieu Khuc Village. Artisan Do Dinh Duoc proudly introduces some of his brocade products. Trieu Khuc Village in Thanh Tri District’s Tan Trieu Commune in Hanoi has been well-known for the brocade-weaving craft for centuries. Like many others who were born and grew up in the village, artisan Do Dinh Duoc has a great passion for and has attached his life to the craft. In his small, simple house, artisan Do Dinh Duoc passionately told us about the traditional craft and he could not hide his pride in his own products. Being born into a family which has been involved in brocade weaving for several generations, Duoc could differentiate kinds of fibres since he was a boy. But it was not until he was a student at the Hanoi Industry and Fine Arts College and then worked as a lecturer at the college that he became knowledgeable in the different types of brocade products nationwide. He traveled to every corner of the country, particularly in the north-western region where the Muong, Dao and Tay ethnic groups live. During his trips, he lived with the ethnic people and learned about their culture and techniques on weaving and colour mixing that helped him immensely in creating brocade patterns and colours. Later he researched methods of extracting dyes, creating materials to make fibres and the ways to weave brocade. He said that the difference between the brocade of Hanoi and that of other regions is seen clearly in colour mixture, designs, patterns and the product’s durability. Ethnic people like brocade of dazzling colours, such as bright reds, blues and yellows, while Hanoians like brocade pieces of gentle and dark colours, with sophisticated and lively patterns and designs.  Understanding that distinctive feature, Duoc usually mixes the original colours used by the ethnic people to create new hues which satisfy the tastes of Hanoians. The artisan also creates lively new patterns and designs and applies modern techniques and machines to produce perfect brocade pieces. Duoc revealed: “To make outstanding brocade pieces, the artisan must have imagination, select suitable materials, seek the formula to mix and combine colours, etc. Each brocade piece is not only a simple product but also a spirited one, bearing the traditional cultural features. The artisan must be meticulous in designing every detail and pattern.” Some brocade artworks made by artisan Do Dinh Duoc. Despite such difficulties and hardships, Duoc has made great efforts to preserve his village’s traditional craft and spends every night researching to create new brocade designs. His products are much-sought after on both domestic and foreign markets and are used for decorating the guest houses of the Foreign Affairs and the Party Central Committee. He has also participated in several trade fairs in Germany, Poland, Japan, etc. Recently, he presented brocade weaving tools and some products to the Vietnam History Museum in service of celebrating the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi. At the age of 75, Duoc’s passion for brocade remains intact and each of his products is an artwork. Story by Huu Tuan - Photos by Nam Suong