Originally from central Vietnam, Le My Dam, 29, currently works as a construction worker in Ho Chi Minh City where he spends his free time creating miniature fruit orchards filled with trees that remind him of his childhood in the countryside.

Since moving to the city’s District 12, Dam has only been able to visit his hometown in Quang Ngai Province once a year.

Creating miniature trees is his unique way of coping with homesickness.

Now, after eight years of practice, he has mastered the art of 'growing' palm-sized fruit trees from clay and plastic.

His orchard presently brims with coconut, jackfruit, durian, papaya, banana, and coffee trees made from plastic, electrical wires, chopsticks, metal, tape, clay, and tree bark.

To make leaves, Dam uses plastic. His miniature fruits are made from clay and each tree trunk is from metal wrapped in paper and covered in real tree bark collected from Ho Chi Minh City’s suburban Hoc Mon and Cu Chi Districts.

The time to create each tree depends on the level of sophistication required to make it look real.

“It normally takes me two or three days to finish a tree, but sometimes it can take up to a month,” he said.

“The hardest and most time-consuming part is coloring the trees.

“I have to do research on each tree’s features so I can understand its shape and bark.

“Crafting these miniatures in my free time after work helps relax and destress.”

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