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DNO - As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, artisans in Da Nang, including Hoi An ancient town are racing to meet demand for handcrafted lion heads and masks.
Despite competition from mass-produced imports, these workshops keep alive a centuries-old tradition that symbolizes joy, prosperity and cultural pride in Vietnam.
In Dien Ban Ward, Da Nang the family of Nguyen Vinh Tam has quietly nurtured the craft for over 2 decades.
Both schoolteachers by profession, Tam and his wife dedicate evenings to hand-painting the face of “ong Dia”, a folkloric figure accompanying lion dances, while sewing costumes for performers.
Each season, their small workshop produces around 5,000 masks, sold mainly wholesale. For Tam, it is less about profit and more about passion. “We work on them year-round so there is stock for the festival,” he says.
In Hoi An, artisan Nguyen Hung has elevated lion head making into fine art. His creations, often requiring 4 - 5 days of meticulous work, fetch between US$200 - 600, with some bespoke pieces reaching US$600 or more.
Recently, his workshop signed a contract with Ba Na Hills, a major tourist destination, to supply lion heads for performances and souvenirs. Hung’s products, which have won awards in national and international competitions, also attract foreign buyers.
Meanwhile, Mai Van Vang’s family workshop, one of the largest in the region, once produced up to 25,000 lion heads annually.
Although sales have slowed since the pandemic, demand remains steady, with prices ranging from just a few dollars for small paper heads to several hundred dollars for larger, ornate versions made of bamboo and sheepskin.
For these artisans, every lion head is more than a performance prop. It embodies cultural heritage and artistry passed down through generations.
As Hung notes, the lion represents good fortune, happiness, and unity values that continue to resonate with audiences, no matter how the market changes.