Irregular bamboo roots provide the starting point for Mr Do's carvings in Hoi An. Bao Van Hoa's October 17 profile describes a 53-year-old craftsman who looks for a character in the material before shaping it.
He began at sixteen and has worked for nearly 37 years. The story concerns a continuing practice rather than a newly awarded title, exhibition or official heritage designation.
Working with the root
Each piece has different curves, knots and rough sections. Instead of forcing every root into one template, Do studies those features and decides which figure they can suggest.
His subjects include Au Co, the Hung Kings and literary characters Chi Pheo and Thi No. They connect the craft with legends, national history and Vietnamese fiction.
Tools and accumulated technique then help complete the form. Because the raw material varies, the process combines practical experience with interpretation.
Beginning a cultural conversation
Do hopes international visitors will discover Vietnamese stories through the objects. An unusual shape may attract someone's attention and lead to questions about the character and its background.
The profile presents that as a possible form of cultural exchange, not a measured visitor-impact study or sales result.
The craftsman wants the practice to continue without losing its distinctive stories to market demands. Updating presentation can, in his view, coexist with familiar characters and cultural memory.
His daily work therefore links the root's natural form, the chosen subject and conversation between maker and viewer, rather than treating the finished object solely as decoration.