Bamboo shop in Ha Noi
Sunday, January 24, 2010 (GMT+7)
Bamboo (Tre Viet) - a traditional Vietnamese medium - has always been used for basic necessities of Vietnamese life: building houses, furniture, pipes, water carriers and cooking utensils: it's as durable as the hardiest wood.
But with the development of the tourist traditional handicraft market, bamboo now comes as attractive interiors and craft products: tables, chairs, chopsticks, wind chimes, picture frames, bamboo bases, bird cages and fans. Bamboo products are mostly made by hand; the bamboo soaked in water for a couple of years and dried naturally.
Bamboo Shop (4b Hang Hanh) takes bamboo to new styles, sprung from Vietnamese traditional crafts. Under their parent company Tre Viet, they specialize in designing and manufacturing bamboo interior furniture and handicrafts. In smoked or natural bamboo varnished designs - either split or whole trunks - there are a multitude of tempting products: trays ($4-5), picture frames ($6), single bottle wine racks, candle holders, wind chimes, hanging lamps and magazine racks ($7). If you want to furnish your home, tropical style low chairs and tables ($25-27), shelves ($26) and long standing light-shades with rice paper ($29) can be exported back home.