Artist Azim Khan Ronnie

Hanoi, Vietnam I 2019

"Vietnamese workers sit surrounded by thousands of incense sticks in Quang Phu Cau, a village in Hanoi, Vietnam, where the sticks have been traditionally made for hundreds of years. Incense plays an important role in the spiritual life of the Vietnamese. People use incense in all acts of worship. The bamboo bundles are laid out on the ground on sunny days to dry. To make the incense sticks, the bamboo is first cut in half, cleaned and dusted, and then one-third of the stick is dyed red, purple or yellow. To dry, the sticks are spread out on the ground or roadside for about a day. After drying, the sticks are collected and made into bundles of about ten and tied together. They are then sold in the provinces." - Azim Khan Ronnie