As the Tet holiday approaches, the Vietnamese New Year which begins February 1 this year, sales are increasing as people flock to temples to light incense during worship, or burn sticks at the House.
Busy dyeing, drying and cutting bamboo bark to make incense sticks, the workers nevertheless find that sales are not there.
Aerial view of an employee spreading out incense sticks to dry in a courtyard in Quang Phu Cau, a village on the outskirts of Hanoi, on January 12, 2022 Nhac NGUYEN AFP
They fell "by 30% compared to the same period last year", Nguyen Thi Luyen, 59, told AFP.
In 2021, Vietnam experienced its weakest economic growth in 30 years, 2.58%, and draconian restrictions, including a strict three-month lockdown, to combat the spread of the virus.
"Normally, there would be trucks carrying our products to central provinces and border provinces.
This year, due to the pandemic prevention policy, trucks cannot transport goods there," said Nguyen Thi Luyen.
Quang Phu Cau is one of the many villages that make incense, with scents adapted to the specific taste of each region of the communist country.
Transport of dried incense on a cart, in Quang Phu Cau village near Hanoi on January 12, 2022 Nhac NGUYEN AFP
Most families in the village are involved in this ancient trade, whether it's cutting bamboo planks, dipping thin strips in pink dye, or coating dried sticks in an aromatic paste.
“We really hope things will get back to normal soon,” Ms. Luyen says.
© 2022 AFP