Crafting Paper Lotus Flowers in Hue

Every summer lotus flowers bloom in the ponds and lakes of Hue. In the former imperial city of Vietnam the lotus flower has many meanings and uses. For generations artisans have crafted paper flowers, to be used for temple worship, during festivals and as decoration for the Lunar New Year celebrations. During this visit to Hue I went to a workshop to craft paper lotus flowers.

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Location of the paper Lotus Flower Workshop

At the Hue Traditional Craft Space you can make a conical hat, paint a conical hat, make a kite or craft a paper lotus flower. Since I had already made a conical hat keychain in Ho Chi Minh City and worried the kite would not make it home in one piece I went for the paper flower.

Next to the workshops the space also has a sales floor where you can buy handcrafted items from the Hue province, mass produced items from Vietnam, as well as teas, soaps, incense and essential oils. Right next to the door they also display a collection of the traditional Vietnamese Áo dài with many beautiful designs.

Crafting Paper Lotus Flowers

The lotus symbolizes purity. It emerges from muddy waters as a pure and delicate flower that emits a sweet floral smell and tastes sweet. The philosophy behind the lotus resonates strongly with both Buddhism and Vietnamese traditions.

Thanh Tien crafting village, located on the perfume river, is well known for its paper flowers. Paper Lotus Flowers are often used for decoration during Tet (Vietnamese New Year) and other festivals. The paper lotus flower is among the most expensive paper flower produced in the village. At the workshop you learn how to make these flowers the Thanh Tien way.

First the paper is dyed. Then you create the length-wise folds by wrapping the sheet of paper around a wooden rod, wrapping twine around it and hammering it into a tube! Afterwards you fix the ends together to shape them into petals. Once the glue is dried you assemble the flower bud with a hot glue gun. To make transportation easier the stem of the flower can remain separate. I took the flower and stem home and connected them there with super glue and a bit of green tape.

Since I was by myself and nobody else had signed up for the workshop I was told that I had to book and pay for two people. Which I did, but only since I could also make two flowers.

The Lotus flower carries much more significance than just being used in decoration. Hue is also well known for Lotus Flower tea. Vietnamese tea is stuffed into a fresh white lotus and left to ferment inside the flower. There are several ways to drink Lotus Tea. During the Nguyen Dynasty, lotus flowers from Tinh Tam Lake (located in a historic royal garden in Hue) were selected for royal ceremonies. At the Imperial Court lotus tea became a refined drink to enjoy.

Today you don’t need to be an emperor or part of the court to enjoy Lotus Tea!