Quach Tuan Anh is one of the last artisans upholding the long-standing craft of silversmithing in Dinh Cong of Hoang Mai district, Hanoi. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
Anh holds a bachelor’s degree in law and business administration from the National Economics University, but he decided not to pursue those careers and returned to the traditional craft of silversmithing instead. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
Born to a family practicing this craft for generations, with his father being artisan Quach Van Truong, Anh learned steps to create silver items at a very young age. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
The 43-year-old artisan initially did not intend to engage in this craft because it is labour intensive and requires great patience and diligence from silversmiths to complete a product. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
In 2003, as his father Quach Van Truong was the only silversmith in the village, many orders were turned down. Realising this was an opportunity to develop the craft, Anh was determined to uphold the work passed down from ancestors. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
Talking about the meticulousness and diligence in every step, Anh said to complete a silversmith item, craftsmen have to melt material, cast bars of silver, and roll those bars into small wires which are later put through a piece of equipment to create wires as thin as threads. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
From those silver wires, craftsmen spin them together to create the details of silversmith products. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
Silversmithing symbolises the diligence of traditional crafts. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
Aside from skillful hands, silversmiths also need high aesthetic understanding and great patience to produce a perfect item. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
Feeling the heat of material holds critical importance because products are made from very small details, if the material is overheated, it may melt. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
Meanwhile, if the material is underheated, it will be hard for craftsmen to shape details, or they may ruin the entire item. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
Artisan Quach Tuan Anh said during the over-20-year practice of the craft, he has learned multiple lessons to improve material heat feeling skills. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
An item in the shape of a traditional symbol features patterns made from extremely thin silver wires. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
Some products consist of thousands of details, reflecting the meticulousness and diligence of the Dinh Cong silversmithing craft. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
A silversmith product of Turtle Tower – a symbol of Hanoi (Photo: VietnamPlus)
Upholding gratitude towards the founder of silversmithing, artisan Quach Tuan Anh and other craftsmen are working industriously to preserve one of the four quintessence crafts in Thang Long - Hanoi, a land of time-honoured culture. (Photo: VietnamPlus)
Rare artisan preserves essence of Hanoi’s silversmithing
Artisan Quach Tuan Anh in Dinh Cong ward of Hanoi’s Hoang Mai district is considered a rare craftsman as he is one of the last in the silversmithing Dinh Cong village, one of the four quintessential crafts in Thang Long, the ancient name of Hanoi. The four crafts including jewelry silversmithing, bronze casting, ceramics for pottery, and clothing and furniture from silk, bamboo, and ratan.
