Thanh Tien Paper Flower Village- Hue Craft Villages

Thanh Tien Paper Flower Making Village

Passing over 300 years of development with many ups and downs, Thanh Tien paper flower making village still exists today in every corner of the houses and the lifestyle of Hue. Not only has a cultural and spiritual meaning, but this is also one of the most unique traditional craft villages of the ancient capital of Hue.

Its Location

Located along the south bank, downstream of the Perfume River; Thanh Tien village is in Phu Mau commune, Phu Vang district, Thua Thien Hue province. This is a famous place for its unique confetti craft; recognized by the People’s Committee of Thua Thien – Hue province as a traditional craft village in 2013.

Thanh Tien paper flower village has been present at Hue Festival festivals such as Craft village festivals, Ao Dai festivals, royal courts, or cultural events … even exported to many countries.

The Cultural Tradition behind the paper flowers

The craft of paper flower making in Thanh Tien village was originally from the folk worship beliefs of the Hue people. But in Hue, the climate is inherently harsh, so the fresh flowers to worship often do not last long.

So the people in Thanh Tien village first create confetti to worship ancestors and spirits, then decorate their homes to celebrate Tet (Lunar new year). Gradually over the years, this place has developed into a famous confetti craft village in the ancient capital. Then, no longer a local product of “own” a small riverside village; but has spread into the spiritual culture of the city.

Nowadays, the paper flowers of Thanh Tien are not just for worship, Thanh Tien villagers have made confetti for the whole year; from the need of home decoration, adorn bedrooms, dining rooms, halls of hotels; restaurants, festivals, export … even using for adorning ao dai (long dress) – which is also a cultural symbol another of Hue.

Direction guide to Thanh Tien Paper flower village

From the city center, you go through Dong Ba market, turn left, and down Huynh Thuc Khang street 5km to the territory of Bao Vinh ancient town, the former trading port of Vietnam from the 16th century.

Here, you have to take a boat trip to the other side is the Tien Non-village. From Tien Non 1km more to go to the flower village of Thanh Tien. If not you can follow the map above to get to Thanh Tien village by the land way easily!

Current situation of Thanh Tien village today?

The whole village currently has only 10 households producing paper flowers, but only three households are both producing and maintaining flower-making experiences for tourists. In the village, the young people go to work in the city, so the main labor is mainly the elderly with a lot of experience, unable to quit their jobs.

Usually, only 1-2 people are needed every day to maintain the flower making. But on the full moon day, the first day of the Lunar New Year festival, all the villagers make paper flowers. All people in the village are very proficient, both adults and children, they can do all stages. That is why the people here are still proud of their traditions.

Talking about the process of making Thanh Tien paper flowers, all of the stages are completely handcrafted by the locals. It takes a lot of time combined with the ingenuity of the hands, the meticulousness of the artist to create a beautiful flower. Not to mention the stages must be prepared in advance, even a few months ago, not a day or two.

Thanh Tien villagers especially do not use dyes or toxic chemicals to dye their flowers. All of which comes from the sap and leaves of the trees following the traditional formula to make the dye. The last step is to cut the wings, make the pistil, create wrinkles for the flowers to live like real flowers, then glue the flowers to the branches. Many stages require meticulousness and hard work, the mind of the person who makes them.

Hue Private Tours to explore Thanh Tien Village

If you would like to explore Thanh Tien Village, the Folk paintings of Sinh village as well as the Incense making village, and Hue conical hat village, please contact Culture Pham Travel. We are a local travel company with local experts who surely will help you explore each corner of the village and understand deeply the local culture. Culture Pham Travel consultants are always willing to tailor-make the Hue Private Tours/ transfer following your requests.