In the days leading up to Tet, the workshop of artisan Huyen Trang, 35, in Hoi An Ward of Danang City has been operating at full capacity to supply hundreds of handmade masks to the market.
This year, Trang has cut back on large masks and focused on smaller designs that are easier for visitors to buy as souvenirs.
The masks come in a wide range of styles, from tribal figures and deities to fearsome faces and child-friendly designs. Each piece is handmade, from shaping frames with paper, bamboo and rattan to hand-painting intricate details. Prices range from about VND 250,000 (USD 9.5) to several million dong, depending on complexity.
Trang said most recent customers have been foreign tourists, with many families keen to let their children try painting masks at the workshop.
The most popular items are masks with aggressive expressions, which folk belief holds symbolise strength and the power to drive away bad spirits, bringing safety and good fortune to the home in the new year.
The eyes are always painted black rather than cut out, Trang said, reflecting the belief that “painting the eyes gives the mask its soul” and creates a strong, compelling presence. No two masks are ever the same, she added, as each reflects the maker’s emotions at the time.
Trang learned the craft from her father, Nguyen Hung, an artisan with more than 30 years’ experience making masks and lion dance heads in Hoi An.
Growing up among paper and bamboo, she followed him into the trade, which evolved from serving traditional opera performances to producing decorative masks now favoured by visitors during Tet.
