People of the Old Quarter series: Meet Đức in ‘bamboo land’ + a bamboo workshop)

AS OF 1PM 7 APRIL MAX 3 SPACES AVAILABLE

The 2nd in our series of people of Hanoi’s Old Quarter.

For this next meet the people of the Old Quarter ‘at home’ chat we visit 45 year old Đức who was brought up in his family house in Hàng Vảii street which he has now turned into a café  built onto and adapted in various stages.

Đức is a lover of coffee, he is an artist but he also works with bamboo. This is very appropriate given the fact his café is in the middle of all the bamboo ladders and poles that lean against the buildings in that part of Hàng Vải street.

His café is popular with tourists as it has a unique interior but most probably not very well known by those of us who live in Hanoi.

This is a 2-part event where we get to know Đức and his life and how he designed his café.

Part 1 – about 30 mins

We chat to Đức and his wife (they used to live next door each other with just a brick wall dividing their family houses)
Learn about what Hàng Vải used to be like before the bamboo moved in.
The bamboo products;  what bamboo items are featured in the café and in Hang Vai street in general
Some of the cafe/building structure
What it was like growing up in the Old Quarter

By the way, he is also the one who has all the chickens running around in Hàng Vải street.

Part 2 – about 1 hour

Given this is bamboo land we thought it would be fun  to include a bamboo workshop. So the 2^nd part is  to make something out of bamboo. This the first time we have tried this – so we are all on an adventure –  but we will  attempt to make a tray from  weaving strips of bamboo. It seems  easy but it may  be harder than it looks but we know it will be fun. Its easy for Đức and his wife but they work with bamboo every day but we can definitely try!!

IMPORTANT TO NOTE FOLLOWING

1. It’s a small space so this is for a max 6 people (especially as this is our first event we start with a small group)
2. We will sit inside and it may be very warm, there are fans in the room but no air con
3. We will sit on the floor and make the trays in the traditional way – sitting cross legged or at tiny benches
4. The way this intriguing café is structured inside is a bit precarious and care is needed climbing up and down the higgledy piggledy stairs and in places there are no hand rails and not a lot of space. But the cafe gets may customers

200,000 vnd pp to include material and preparation time – 1 week is needed for Duc’s wife to prepare the bamboo material  we need for making the bamboo trays

Please rsvp to Stella – stella@fvheritage.org

Please follow and like us: