Đoàn Minh Căn

Artisan Doan Minh Can (57) is hailed as the “foremost birdcage master of Hue” or the “Birdcage King” for his masterful skill in artistic bamboo carving. Born into a family with a tradition of carpentry, he revealed his passion for the art of carving early on and studied under renowned master carvers in Hue. With a creative mind, he pioneered the shift from wood carving to bamboo, devising his own specialised tools to master aged bamboo fibres and turn them into vivid works of art.

The birdcages of artisan Doan Minh Can stand out for their royal-court carving technique combined with a folk creative spirit. On the feet, discs and hooks of the cage — where the finest craftsmanship is displayed — he depicts ancient legends such as the Eighteen Arhats, the Eight Immortals amid beasts, or dragons, phoenixes, pines and cranes. Every line is as soft as silk, lively and full of soul. Even the smallest details, such as the food cups and hanging hooks, are carved with matching dragons and phoenixes, reflecting a complete aesthetic vision.

To complete a high-end birdcage, the artisan must spend two to four months of meticulous work, from selecting aged bamboo, shaving the slats and bending them over fire, to carving and assembly.

The birdcages crafted by artisan Doan Minh Can are not merely enclosures for birds, but miniature architectural masterpieces exquisite down to the last detail. His works often recreate ancient legends, royal-court motifs or poetic landscapes.

Thanks to this perfection, artisan Doan Minh Can's works are sought after by collectors at prices ranging from tens of millions to hundreds of millions, and even up to a billion dong. Not only affirming their standing at home, his works — steeped in the “soul of Vietnamese bamboo” — have also reached the international stage, exported to many countries at high value, contributing to honouring and preserving the beauty of the traditional handicraft culture of the ancient capital of Hue.