Coat, polish, repeat until it shines: Vietnamese lacquer
Small boxes and trays in glossy black and vermilion, glinting with eggshell and mother-of-pearl. This is the story of sơn mài, Vietnamese lacquer made by applying tree sap layer upon layer and polishing it back.
Where was it born?
In Vietnamese, lacquerware and lacquer painting are called sơn mài. Sơn means lacquer and mài means to polish. True to the name, pieces are finished by repeating the cycle of applying, drying, polishing and applying again.
Lacquer comes from the sap of a tree related to the lacquer tree, and Phú Thọ Province in the north is known as its main source. For centuries Vietnam has used this sap to decorate temples and important objects. In the 1930s, young painters studying at the Indochina College of Fine Arts in Hanoi adopted traditional lacquer as a painting medium, giving rise to a new form of expression: lacquer painting. Techniques such as inlaying crushed eggshell, seashell, gold and silver, then polishing until the patterns emerge from the depths, were refined along the way.
In the south, Tương Bình Hiệp (formerly Bình Dương, now part of Ho Chi Minh City) is also a lacquer village, and its craft was recognized as national intangible cultural heritage in 2016. In the north, Hạ Thái village near Hanoi is known as a lacquer village dating back to around the 17th century.
How to tell them apart and choose
Vietnamese lacquer comes in two kinds: traditional natural lacquer (sơn ta) and industrial paint (sơn công nghiệp), which dries quickly and has vivid colors. Natural lacquer has deep, understated colors and is said to grow clearer with age. Because it takes far more work, prices differ greatly, so if something catches your eye, ask the shop, “Is this sơn ta?” For pieces with eggshell inlay, the fineness of the crackle pattern and how carefully it reaches right into the corners reveal the quality of the work.
How to buy and bring them home
Small boxes, coasters and trays are light and make good souvenirs. Corners and edges chip easily, though, so have the shop wrap them and lay them flat in your suitcase. For pieces used as tableware, it is best not to soak them for long or put them in the dishwasher or microwave. Check how to use them at the shop when you buy.
Shops where you can find the items in this story
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