Creative journey from banana fiber to award-winning work

In the exhibition space of the Hanoi Handicraft Gift Fair 2025, the work “Golden Lotus Offering to the Fatherland” attracted everyone’s attention, bearing the special mark of artisan Bui Khanh Dung, General Director of Musa Pacta Company, the person behind the passionate creative story. The idea was created and designed by Mr. Bui Khanh Dung, realized by partner Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, a creative artist.

The second prize-winning product "Golden Lotus for the Fatherland" in the exhibition space of the Hanoi Handicraft Gift Fair 2025. Photo: HOANG LAM

The work was inspired by the image of the lotus flower. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Trang shared: “To create “Golden Lotus for the Fatherland”, starting from the time Mr. Bui Khanh Dung worked in Japan, he had the opportunity to observe how the Japanese made paper from banana fibers. He thought about Vietnam, banana stems are a familiar material that is often wasted after harvest. When he returned to Vietnam, he was determined to research ways to reuse banana fibers and establish a company to produce products to help people consume them.”

Every detail of “Golden Lotus for the Fatherland” is meticulously handcrafted. Ms. Thu Trang expressed: "The product is designed based on the idea of ​​“golden lotus fiber” That is, regenerating natural fibers that have completed their life cycle. From banana stems after harvesting, workers press raw fibers. I use those fibers to create lotus clusters, creating a new life cycle, transforming old materials into artistic forms. The spirit of "sen fiber regeneration" is to revive the value of nature, conveying the desire for new life through each lotus petal.

Standing out from the story of recycled fibers, the product also impressed the viewers. Many visitors stopped in front of the display booth, Ms. Doan Phuong Linh, 31 years old (Hoan Kiem Ward - Hanoi City) shared: "I was impressed with the lotus light box product because of its delicate beauty. When I saw each lotus petal shaped softly, the light emitted gently, I was really attracted. What was more surprising was that they were made from banana fiber, a familiar material in rural life."

The beauty and cultural significance of the work "Golden Lotus Offering to the Fatherland"

  Not only attracted by the creative story but also by the aesthetic value and cultural depth that the product "Golden Lotus Offering to the Fatherland" conveys. Mr. Bui Khanh Dung said: "The 80th anniversary of the founding of the country is also a special occasion for "Golden Lotus Offering to the Fatherland". The composition of the work from lotus petals, lotus leaves, buds and calyx all must have 8. The number 8 has aesthetic value and symbolizes 8 branches representing the classes in Vietnamese society: From workers, intellectuals, the young generation together contributing to building the country".

Mr. Bui Khanh Dung added: “The work, after being miniaturized and displayed in a glass box, is expected to become a meaningful diplomatic gift. The lotus is the national flower of Vietnam, representing noble beauty, the will to rise from hardship, standing straight and spreading a pure fragrance reflecting the spirit of the Vietnamese people. “Golden lotus offering the Fatherland” carries many layers of meaning from the ecological message, reminding of the harmony between humans and nature to the spiritual and cultural values, honoring national identity and economic values, contributing to increasing income for farmers.”

Customers visit the display booth. Photo: HOANG LAM

From the special value of materials, ideas and messages, “Golden Lotus Offering to the Fatherland” was well-deservedly recognized at the competition, winning the second prize. This is the pride of the artisans themselves, and affirms the position of Vietnamese handicrafts on the journey of modern creativity. From a product with national spirit, the work has gone beyond the mere exhibition framework to become a symbol of the intersection between tradition and the aspiration for international integration.

THU HANG

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/van-hoa/doi-song/san-pham-thu-cong-my-nghe-lam-tu-than-cay-chuoi-855000