Hand embroidery is a long-standing traditional craft in Vietnam and artisans use their needles to explore a variety of themes to turn embroidered pieces into one-of-a-kind artistic products.

Located on Ton Duc Thang street in downtown Hanoi, the Theu Viet (Viet Embroidery) collective has brought art enthusiasts, especially those who love traditional hand embroidery, to a unique space rich in Vietnamese culture.

The artisans there are gifted masters of meticulous gradations of colour with the threads they stitch, creating exquisite, intricate, embroidered pictures.

She said, “I have a great passion for making embroidered pictures. To produce such beautiful embroidered pictures, craftsmen have to put their hearts and soul into every step.”

Thanh said she wanted to do more to preserve and promote the craft as it is gradually fading into oblivion.

Embroidery has long been considered an art equivocal to painting, requiring a high level of meticulousness, subtlety, and patience on the part of the artisans during the process of making a hand embroidery product. 

Firstly, the painter will sketch out his ideas, then, after several steps including choosing materials and ways to embroider – such as a one-sided picture or a two-sided item – the sketch will be delivered to the artisans.  

The completion time of a product depends on its size, quality, and design. Sometimes, it takes the artisans up to a few years to finish one embroidered piece.

Director of Theu Viet Company, Tran Gia Huy, said he hoped his company would bring Vietnam’s traditional hand embroidery art to more art lovers both at home and abroad.

“Hand embroidery holds the country’s spirit as it comes from the villages, it is very peaceful and profound,” he said.

No one know when embroidery art first came to Vietnam, but tribute is often paid to Le Cong Hanh – who served as Vietnam’s envoy to China during the Ming dynasty – as the founding father of the art at the beginning of the 17th century. Le Cong Hanh is believed to have combined both Chinese and Vietnamese embroidery artistry and created the unique technique used in Vietnam today.

Ta Thi Men bought Theu Viet products as she appreciates them so much.  

“I choose Viet Embroidery as their products are beautiful and rich in culture, with meticulous attention to detail and subtly. The picture makes my house look luxurious,” she said.

Hand embroidery forms part of Vietnam’s culture and Theu Viet embroidered products are working to preserve and promote the values of the craft. 

Nguyen Thi Thanh has been working for the Theu Viet for seven years.  To create a complete hand embroidered product, perfect teamwork is needed. Traditional hand embroidered pictures have become a unique gift to many people.

VNA