The Hội An Bangle
$85
Smooth round bangle of lacquered bamboo with hand-painted red and black geometric Vietnamese motifs.
Materials
Lacquered bamboo, hand-painted red and black geometric motifs
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Why Liz Chose It
“Seven days of lacquer and patience live in this little bangle. Lan's red-and-black motifs feel two thousand years old and completely of-the-moment at once — that tension is exactly what I love.”
— Elizabeth Groch, Founder
The Story of This Piece
The Hội An Bangle draws on Vietnam's ancient lacquerware tradition — an art form that has been practiced for over two thousand years and was once reserved exclusively for the royal court. The lacquer is derived from the sap of the sơn tree, applied in thin layers that are each sanded and polished before the next is added.
The geometric motifs on this bangle are inspired by the patterns found on bronze drums from the Đông Sơn culture — artifacts dating back over two thousand years that represent some of the earliest artistic achievements of Vietnamese civilization. The red and black color scheme is traditional, symbolizing prosperity and strength.
Each bangle requires approximately seven days to complete — the lacquer must cure slowly in humid conditions, and the hand-painting demands a steady hand and infinite patience. The result is a piece that is lightweight, durable, and possesses a luminous depth of color that no synthetic coating can replicate.
The Artisan
Nguyen Thi Lan
Age 33 · Hội An old town, Vietnam
Nguyen Thi Lan grew up in Hội An, the ancient port city on Vietnam's central coast that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Her family has been involved in lacquerware for three generations, though the craft nearly died out during the economic upheavals of the late twentieth century.
Lan studied fine arts in Ho Chi Minh City but returned to Hội An at 25, determined to revive her family's lacquer workshop. She modernized the designs while maintaining traditional techniques, creating pieces that appeal to contemporary tastes without sacrificing the painstaking process that gives lacquerware its distinctive beauty.
At 33, Lan runs her workshop in a restored shophouse in the old town, where visitors can watch her work. She employs five women artisans, and she has become an advocate for preserving traditional crafts in a rapidly modernizing Vietnam. She and Liz bonded over their shared belief that tradition and innovation are not opposites but partners.