Hue, the dreamy ancient capital, captivates visitors not only with the ancient beauty of its tombs and pagodas but also with traditional craft villages deeply rooted in local culture. Among them, Thuy Xuan incense village stands out as a must-visit destination, where visitors can immerse themselves in a fragrant, colorful space and explore the centuries-old tradition of making agarwood incense. Located approximately 7km southwest of Hue city center, Thuy Xuan incense village is not only a renowned producer of agarwood incense but also a living museum of culture and history in the ancient capital.
History and Culture of Thuy Xuan Incense Village
The origin of incense making in Thuy Xuan village remains a mystery. However, it is known that during the Nguyen Dynasty (1802 – 1945), this place became the primary supplier of agarwood incense to the royal court, mandarins, and the entire Thuan Hoa – Phu Xuan region. Thuy Xuan incense was not merely a product for spiritual life but also a symbol of sophistication and elegance in Hue’s culture.
Through historical ups and downs, the incense-making profession has been cherished, preserved, and developed by the people of Thuy Xuan. Today, the village not only maintains traditional handicraft production methods but also integrates tourism, creating a special attraction for domestic and international visitors. The harmonious combination of traditional cultural elements and modern tourism has made Thuy Xuan incense village a unique destination, both preserving historical values and providing a stable income for local people.
Exquisite Handmade Agarwood Incense Production Process
What sets Thuy Xuan incense apart and makes it famous is its meticulous handmade production process and entirely natural ingredients. From selecting raw materials to completing an incense stick, artisans must go through many elaborate stages, requiring skill and experience.
The main ingredients for making incense include bamboo sticks, incense powder, and natural herbs. Bamboo sticks are carefully split and whittled from mature bamboo plants, ensuring straightness and durability. Incense powder is made from agarwood powder, aromatic root powder, and other precious herbs. The secret to the distinctive fragrance of Thuy Xuan incense lies in the family’s traditional incense powder recipe, passed down through generations. Each family and artisan has their own secrets, creating diversity and richness in the aroma of Thuy Xuan incense.
The steps of making incense include:
- Preparing incense sticks: Bamboo sticks, after being split and whittled, are dyed and dried. The colors of the incense stick bases are often very diverse, creating a distinctive vibrant beauty for the incense village.
- Mixing incense powder: Incense powder and herbs are mixed in a specific ratio, creating an incense powder mixture with a distinctive aroma.
- Wrapping incense: Incense powder is kneaded with water to create plasticity and then wrapped evenly around the bamboo stick. This step requires skill and experience to create incense sticks with a beautiful and uniform shape.
- Drying incense: After wrapping, the incense is dried under sunlight until completely dry. The drying process also affects the quality and aroma of the product.
- Finishing and packaging: Dried incense is quality checked, bundled, and packaged.
Colorful bundles of incense sticks at Thuy Xuan incense village, Hue.
The meticulousness and care in each step, along with natural ingredients and family secrets, have created high-quality Thuy Xuan incense sticks with a gentle, pure, and safe fragrance for users’ health.
Thuy Xuan Incense Village: A Unique Cultural Tourism Destination
Today, Thuy Xuan incense village is not only famous for its traditional incense-making craft but has also become an attractive tourist destination in Hue. Visitors come here not only to admire the vibrant beauty of colorful bundles of incense sticks but also to learn about the incense-making process, experience production steps, and purchase quality agarwood incense products.
Explore the vibrant colorful space:
Stepping into the incense village, visitors will be amazed by the space filled with colors of thousands of bundles of incense sticks displayed everywhere. Green, red, purple, yellow… blend together to create a lively and captivating picture. This is also an ideal place for visitors to take photos and capture memorable moments.
Experience the traditional incense-making craft:
Many incense-making households in Thuy Xuan have opened their doors to welcome tourists to visit and experience. Visitors can directly observe artisans performing incense-making steps, even try their hand at wrapping incense, creating products with personal imprints. This is an interesting and meaningful experience, helping visitors better understand the cultural values of the traditional craft village.
Shopping for agarwood incense souvenirs:
Coming to Thuy Xuan incense village, visitors cannot miss the opportunity to buy quality agarwood incense products as gifts for relatives and friends. Shops and stalls sell a variety of agarwood incense, from stick incense, coil incense, premium agarwood incense to other handicraft products such as conical hats, paintings, and souvenirs. Visitors can freely choose their favorite products, bringing home gifts imbued with Hue’s essence.
Combine visiting nearby attractions:
Thuy Xuan incense village is located on the famous tourist route of Hue, close to many other attractive destinations such as Tu Duc Tomb, Vong Canh Hill, Tu Hieu Pagoda… Visitors can easily combine visiting the incense village with these destinations for a complete and diverse Hue exploration journey.
Tourists enjoy experiencing incense making at Thuy Xuan traditional craft village.
Sustainable Tourism Development in Incense Village
The development of tourism in Thuy Xuan incense village not only brings economic benefits to local people but also contributes to preserving and promoting the traditional cultural values of the incense-making profession. However, for tourism to develop sustainably, there need to be synchronous and effective solutions.
Invest in infrastructure and tourism services:
To attract and serve tourists better, the incense village needs to invest in upgrading infrastructure and tourism services. Improve roads, public toilets, signposts, rest stops… At the same time, develop diverse and quality tourism services such as homestays, restaurants, cafes, and tour guide services.
Preserve and promote traditional cultural values:
In the process of tourism development, it is necessary to focus on preserving and promoting the traditional cultural values of the incense-making profession. Maintain traditional handicraft production methods, preserve family secrets, and encourage young artisans to inherit and develop the profession. Organize cultural activities and festivals related to the incense profession to introduce and promote the cultural values of the craft village.
Raise community awareness and capacity:
Raise community awareness about sustainable tourism and the role of tourism in socio-economic development. Train and foster the capacity of local people in tourism skills, community tourism management, communication, and foreign languages. Encourage community participation in tourism activities, creating jobs and increasing income for local people.
Tourism promotion and marketing:
Strengthen promotion and marketing of Thuy Xuan incense village tourism on media channels, social networks, and tourism websites. Participate in domestic and international tourism fairs and exhibitions to introduce tourism products of the craft village. Build a tourism brand for Thuy Xuan incense village, positioning it as a unique and attractive cultural destination in Hue.
Tourists happily taking photos with colorful incense bundles at Thuy Xuan village.
Conclusion
Thuy Xuan incense village is not only a famous traditional craft village of Hue but also a unique and attractive cultural tourism destination. With the vibrant beauty of bundles of incense sticks, the exquisite handmade production process, and a cultural space rich in identity, Thuy Xuan incense village promises to bring visitors memorable and profound experiences about Hue culture. Come and discover Thuy Xuan incense village to fully feel the traditional beauty and hospitality of the local people, while contributing to the sustainable development of this traditional craft village.