Joss-sticks of Doc La: The Fragrance and Tradition Lives On in Vietnam

Joss-sticks of Doc La: The Fragrance and Tradition Lives On in Vietnam

Burning incense has always been an integral part in the lives of Asians and in certain parts of the world. For the Vietnamese in particular, it plays an important role in their spiritual beliefs and holds great significance to their tradition. Believed to connect our earthly spirits with our ancestors from beyond, lighting one serves as a bridge to communicate with them, pay homage and reach out our laid offerings for them to acknowledge. For the Vietnamese, favorable fortunes sought from the Gods as well as their prayers are easier heed when carried along by the scent of this lighted stick.

All over the world millions of people light incense every day. In Vietnam alone, a country adorned with pagodas, temples and communal houses, along with enduring spiritual credence, countless numbers of sticks are lighted every day. To furnish the much-needed number of incense the country needs in a day alone, several communities throughout Vietnam had engaged themselves in producing joss-sticks. Of the many localities known to make incense, the Doc La Village in Hung Yen Province is strongly considered the cradle of the craft.

Located 1.5 km from the ancient town of Pho Hien, entering their village notes an unmistakable thick fragrance of joss-sticks drifting over their air. The whole village is a vibrant sight of yellow and red sticks laid along its widest roads to the narrowest alleys. And in one particular time of the year, a month before the Tet, the village once again translates a lively and vivacious spirit as everyone, young and old, take part in the joss-sticks-making process.

While the men grinds the herbs into powders, kneading and mixing them into specific ratios, the children and the elderly roll and wrap the joss-sticks up. The women, then, are responsible for setting them out to dry. Incenses produced from the village are known to be of distinct quality. Doc La village specializes in making long, thin joss-sticks, and a limited number of incense coils. Each stick is about 30-40cm long and 2-3mm in diameter. Its core is crafted from dried bamboo, dyed into red, and is known to burn in about 20 to 30 minutes. Two thirds of the stick is covered with incense powder while its coil is made with the same herbal ingredients molded into a smooth doughy texture but with more glue to keep its shape without the need for a bamboo core. An incense coil can burn for an entire day or more.

Normally, the sun dries the incense in 1-2 days. Like other provinces in the Red River Delta, Hung Yen also experiences the tropical monsoon climate. Drying the incenses is most favorable during the hot season. But on colder months, it takes longer for them to dry. Unlike other communities who dry their incenses over the fire, which reduces the scent, color and quality of the sticks, the ones made in Doc La are preferred to be dried naturally. Thus, the villagers keep an eye on weather forecast to avoid rainy days. To ensure its quality, they take a stick from every batch produced and see if it burns evenly to the end.

Whatever secret the village holds in making the scents last longer, it had been handed down from generations of being involved in this interesting craft. Villagers who are into the joss-sticks making industry had fathers, grandfathers and forefathers who were once remarkable in the art itself. The long line of joss-stick producers speaks of how wonderful and noble the trade of incense-making is.

Local legend talks of a well-mannered, skillful and industrious young woman called Mai who was a native of Doc La village. Known to be one of the descendants of the craft, she married a young man from a distant land of where, joss-sticks making was a tradition. A visit to her native town saddened her on how she saw the impoverished villagers. She decided to teach them the craft to help them earn a living and soon, joss-sticks making was inherited by the generations ahead. And for the past hundreds of years, it continued to exist and remained to provide livelihood for the villagers. Along with the craft, honesty when working on these fragile sticks is strictly observed as the incense themselves is known to be deeply connected to the spiritual lives and worships of those who will light them.

With diligence, patience and skills, all required to produce incenses, Doc La Village takes great pride on their renowned product. The extra care manifested in crafting every single stick is not just to gain approval of the worshippers, but of the Gods themselves.

To get to Doc La Village, follow National Road No.5 from Hanoi for 30km to Pho Noi town. Then turn right onto Road No. 38 for another 40km to Hung Yen city centre. Doc La is 1.5km past Hung Yen.