Hanoi-based artist Thu Hien uses epoxy casting technology combined with the art of dried flower preservation to create beautiful flower lamps that capture the enduring beauty of fresh flowers and iconic Hanoi landmarks such as the Turtle Tower, Thang Long Imperial Citadel, and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

From a touching story

Hien started her career as a florist and owned a flower shop in Hanoi. 

Hien's products get support and love from customers. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times

Hien began making flower lamps based on a touching story from her customer who bought fresh flowers for his wife, who had cancer, and the man wanted to keep the flowers for his wife forever. 

Hien began to think of a way to preserve these sentimental flowers for a long time so that loved ones could keep them as souvenirs. 

Hien started exploring ways to prolong the beauty of fresh flowers. She came up with the idea of creating flower lamps to make products that are both artistic and useful.

In the beginning, she faced many difficulties because she had no guide. The knowledge she gained came from reading documents and digging on websites. She experimented with dried flowers in many different ways, with many different types of flowers, but was largely unsuccessful because after a few months, the flowers changed color or became moldy.

Thu Hien eventually hit upon the idea of using epoxy glue to make flower lamps. However, when she used regular epoxy, the quality of the lamp was unsatisfactory because the glue was designed by the manufacturer to be used on wood, which was not suitable for making flower lamps. Therefore, she asked the glue manufacturers to research and specifically design epoxy glue according to her requirements, a transparent glue without impurities to shape the permanent flower lamps.

Preserving the beauty of Vietnamese culture

Artist Thu Hien has more than 12 years of experience in the flower industry and has a passion for creating art with flowers.

According to Hien, the idea of making lamps from flowers is not new, but how to create products that are both highly artistic and valuable requires a long process of research and experience. Many elaborate and meticulous steps require sophistication in manufacturing.

"First, I choose flowers with bright colors and thick petals, then I incubate them in silica gel for five to seven days so that the dried flowers retain their color. Then I pour layers of epoxy glue into the mold, arrange the flowers, and add more background glue. I wait a few days for the glue to dry, then take the mold apart and polish it. After 13 steps of polishing, the product is attached to the base and becomes a flower lamp," Hien said.

It usually takes 10-20 days to create a 3D flower lamp, depending on the level of sophistication of the product.

In addition to randomly designed flower lamps, many customers come to Thu Hien asking her to make personalized flower lamps to preserve memorable memories for themselves and their loved ones.

Delicate, exquisite flower lamps that hold deep feelings for each individual and family have been created from a variety of emotionally charged things.

With her passion for Vietnamese culture, Thu Hien went beyond simple flower lanterns and created a line of flower lanterns with images of famous landmarks and cultural sites, including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Turtle Tower, Hanoi Flagpole, and Trang An Complex.

Recently, a handicraft company signed a contract to order 1,000 flower lamps for export abroad. Hien was very happy and hoped that her products would be beautiful souvenirs for tourists visiting Hanoi. 

Some products of Hien:

A flower lamp with image of One Pillar Pagoda. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times

In addition to lamps, Hien also makes a table of dried flowers. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times

Flower lamps with images of beauty spots and relics of Hanoi. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times

It takes many steps to complete a product. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times

Hien uses epoxy glue to freeze flowers. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times