If you are a lover of pure cultural values and peaceful Northern countryside scenery, once come to Cao Thon musk village (Hung Yen) to find peaceful and idyllic emotions.
Introduction of Cao Thon Hung Yen musk village
Cao Thon musk incense village is about 40km away from Hanoi by car in Bao Khe commune, Hung Yen, located right next to the left dyke of the Red River with a fresh and peaceful natural scene. This is the cradle of the long-standing incense production profession in the North in general and Vietnam in particular. According to the elders in the village, this profession was initiated by Mrs. Dao Thi Khuong and passed on to the people in the village.
Cao Thon musk village in Hung Yen province 
This is the largest incense making village in the North
Currently, incense making in Cao Thon operates during four seasons, creating permanent jobs for about 600 workers. The profession of making incense does not require high human resources, so it is possible to take advantage of idle laborers, most anyone can do it with training. Experienced seniors will pass on the profession to their descendants, so the profession is always passed down from generation to generation. It seems that in the hearts of every citizen, making incense is not only a profession but also a responsibility to preserve the pure beauty of the homeland.
The profession of making incense has created jobs for hundreds of workers
Cao Thon musk village has more than 200 families, of which 170 households still maintain the long-standing profession of incense production. The annual production of incense in Cao Thon village is estimated at about 10 million sticks/year. With the increasing demand of the market, people have improved the design and quality to help the product be more and more consumed. Today, the market for incense consumption has expanded a lot.
Perfume in the village is increasingly improved in design and quality
Quality incense in Cao Thon musk village
Incense in the village of Cao Thon Hung Yen is always famous for its quality and special aroma, which is enthusiastically received by the market and exported to a number of countries. The special fragrance that is not mixed in any other region is thanks to the heirloom production know-how. I don’t know what’s outstanding about that secret, only know that incense powder is made from herbs and Chinese herbs. When burning incense, it will give off a pleasant and refreshing smell to help people’s spirit become more comfortable and relaxed.
The incense in Cao Thon has a special fragrance
Each household in Cao Thon village has its own herbal secret, so the scent is diverse. In each family, you can find for yourself different scents depending on your needs. Cao Thon musk village produces 3 main types of incense sticks, incense sticks and incense rings. There are also black incense, cinnamon flavor,… Any kind is carefully and skillfully made by the people’s hands and produces quality products.
Perfume ring
Thanks to its beautiful appearance, good quality and pleasant aroma, the market is increasingly accepting and expanding to many places. Consumers not only stay in the village, in the province, but also export to a number of countries from Thailand, India, Cambodia, France, Germany,… This is also a great result for efforts to preserve. and protect the traditional incense making profession of Cao Thon villagers.
The market of incense is expanding day by day
Each incense stick, when lit, represents the sacredness and gratitude of the next generation for the great-grandparents and grandparents as well as the respect offered at temples, pagodas, etc. That’s why people in the village always keep it. preserve and develop the profession of making incense in order to preserve the pure cultural values of a long time, and at the same time, if you want to teach your children and grandchildren, they must know how to look to their homeland and roots.
The profession of making incense is still being preserved and developed The process of making incense at Cao Thon musk village
Looking at the incense sticks, although quite simple and rustic, the stages from mixing powder, seizing, dipping, drying, and islanding are all done in detail, with meticulous attention to detail and the pure heart of the people.
The process of making incense is quite meticulous and detailed
After carefully selecting herbs, weighing enough to ensure the best taste, they will be ground into a fine powder. Continue to mix with glue to bind the powder. From the sticky incense powder to become incense, it is necessary to have a toothpick. According to the experience left by many experienced workers in Cao Thon musk incense village , the toothpicks must be carefully selected from the bamboo cake. This work will help the incense to have suppleness and curvature.
Village workers are making toothpicks
The length of the incense stick is about 35 – 40cm. To use a toothpick, you have to chop it up, soak it, dry it, and then dye it at your feet. The red dyeing not only makes the incense stick beautiful, but also marks the part of the powder used on the stick. All the above stages are mostly done by hand.
Most of the steps are done by hand
After the incense is finished, the worker will bring it to dry. This stage also needs a lot of effort because the weather is an important factor. Usually, people will bring incense to dry when it is dimly lit to catch up with the sun. If it’s sunny, just dry it from morning to afternoon. On days when the weather is warm and wet, the incense is very easy to mold, so people will have to work hard to dry the incense properly. It will take about 4-5 days to complete.
The process of drying incense
This period is very dependent on weather conditions
Developing tourism in Cao Thon musk craft village
In recent years, Cao Thon musk incense village has become a prominent address in the Hung Yen travel itinerary. Coming to Cao Thon, you will be immersed in the brilliant red and yellow color of the “bouquets” of fragrant flowers with a gentle scent. That feeling is more peaceful when standing in the middle of a quiet and rustic village scene. Going to any corner, every village, visitors will find in the yards in front of each family’s house spread out bunches of dried incense.
Cao Thon musk village is becoming a prominent tourist destination 
Pictures of bouquets of incense are placed in front of the house
In addition, when you come to Cao Thon Hung Yen musk village, you can also experience many interesting things such as learning about the production process, making incense sticks and bringing home products.
You can see the process of making an incense stick
Although Cao Thon village of Hung Yen has gone through many ups and downs, today it still exists strongly, contributing to economic growth and tourism in the quiet countryside.
Source: Collected internet.