Local enterprising youths have given up their jobs at foreign firms to learn traditional Vietnamese crafts, many of which can be bought at the Travelling Trunk art fair in Hanoi.

The first fair session, recently held at the Trang Tien Plaza, has already been successful in creating a new community for both artists and shoppers.

Participants in the fair are young, art-loving entrepreneurs.

Dream of export pottery

One artist, Ta Tung, a 20-something who graduated with a degree in physics from a French university and worked for a Japanese company in Hanoi, recently quit his well-paying job to indulge in his real passion: Vietnam’s hallmark Bat Trang pottery, which originated some hundreds of years ago in Bat Trang village in Hanoi’s Gia Lam District.

“Bat Trang pottery is typically baked at 1,200-1,300 degrees Celsius and is thus totally safe to hold food. This gives it a huge advantage over Chinese pottery, which is baked at much lower temperatures to cut production costs and enhance the color, and is therefore quite toxic as it contains lead,” Tung wrote on his Facebook page dedicated to “Gom ta,” a type of traditional Vietnamese pottery.

He added that while studying in France, he proudly introduced the special pottery to his foreign friends.

According to Tung, the pottery’s allure lies not only in its time-honored tradition and safety but also in the artisans’ adept techniques, skills, and stunning designs, which are constantly being updated to cater to local and foreign clients’ diverse demands.

Tung visits his relatives, who are Bat Trang pottery artisans, to nurture his love for the art.

Set on becoming a pottery artisan in three to five years, Tung recently decided to quit his job and now devotes all of his time and energy to selling, promoting, and making the pottery.

While most of his friends consider his decision crazy and impulsive, his parents and relatives are enthusiastic and supportive of his choice, as he is learning and promoting the traditional work of his family.

Kid fashion designer

Mai Linh Chi, another 20-something who graduated from Hanoi Technology University, once worked for several foreign companies, including First Alliances, Harvey Nash, and Infinity HR.

In late 2013, she quit her well-paying job to work on her own project called “Pépite à Moi” (My Nugget).

Chi has been interested in designing young girls’ clothes since she was young.

Three years ago, she began living out her long-cherished dream of having her own children’s fashion company by working with her like-minded younger sister on their “Pépite à Moi” project.

The girls do most of the jobs themselves, including designing the clothes, selecting the materials, and sewing.

Chi's designs for kids are typically not colorful or rich in detail, but are delicate and elegant in their simplicity.

With her shop in Ho Chi Minh City doing quite well, Chi dreams of exporting her products and is working hard to enhance her skills.

“It’s not work, as I’m doing what I love,” she shared.

A fair for handicraft lovers

Giang Luong Ha, a woman in her 30s, serves as the catalyst that brings enterprising young people like Tung and Chi together.

She is the person behind the Travelling Trunk, which boasts a wide variety of dexterously hand-crafted items such as candles and silk handkerchiefs.

Unlike other, more conventional craft fairs, the Travelling Trunk is full of life: one can hear the voices of artisans peddling their wares, lively music, and shouts and laughter from shoppers and sellers alike.

Ha, who worked as brand manager for several world-famous brands such as Kenzo and Dior, suddenly realized that like her, local youths are eager to help develop and promote locally made products.

She then came up with the idea of bringing them all together at a fair, thus creating both a community for artisans and a venue that offers shoppers an array of items.