Nguyen Kim Thoa was born in 1973 in Hanoi. When she was about 6 or 7 years old, she expressed her strong passion for making the tiny mocks-up with bamboo and wood. Her father discovered that her passion had exeeded the natural pleasures of a child. Different from the other kids who quickly fed up with the toys, Thoa was wrapped up herself in whittling carefully at wood and bamboo. She worked hard day after day. The more she worked, the more concentration she paid to her job, the more seriously she thought of her duty, and the more love she gave to the tiny models. Her mother said that she couldn’t understand why a little girl like Thoa could forget herself in making the tiny models. Thoa said that even in her dream she’s being taught by an invisible person how to make the models.

One day the passion and talent of  Kim Thoa has revealed. It was the winter 2000, her twin-brother introduced her artistic work “The house on stilts of Uncle Ho” to Vietnam Federation of UNESCO Associations (VFUA). Everybody was extremely surprised with her sophisticated work because it was totally different with the other Uncle Ho’s house model they had ever seen. On the space not more than 2 bricks, the models has enough orchard, fishpond, title roof, hedgerow with tiny leaves… Especially, though just as wide as a pack of cigarettes, the inside of the Uncle Ho’s house model has all of his furniture such as his bed, desk, alarm clock, pair of rubber scandals, etc. All of them are just as small as seeds. Looking at Thoa’s work, the painter Trinh Yen - the member of Executive Board of Vietnam Federation of UNESCO Associations said that there was no competitor to Thoa’s marvelous masterpiece. Thoa was admitted to Vietnam Federation of UNESCO Associations in that year.

Now, after 10 years of striving, not betray the expectations of everyone, she has the remarkable achievements. In the 1000^th Thang Long - Hanoi anniversary, she informed VFUA that she completed nearly 10 models, mainly making of bamboo and wood. They are: One Pillar Pagoda model finished in 4 months; the mock-up of  scene “The meeting of Kieu and Kim Trong” finished after 4 years of  continuously ; the mock-up of the Gothic architecture of Hanoi Cathedral, which is finished after two years of working – a new way of thinking and style of the architecture. Besides, she also made some mocks-up illustrating the life of Buddha. Now, her mind is devoted to a new intricate and sophisticated mock-up requiring years of implementation – a “fresco style” mock-up so called “Temples Street” on the Vietnamese traditional drum. In the drum-barrel which diameter is 81 cm, she will engrave 25 models of the Main Gates of the particular pagodas in all over the country. Inside the drum, she will display a 1000 of tiny statues of Buddha   that has carried out in 2 years. It is fully astonishing to behold the 1000 Buddha’s model of the same size as a bean in varied poses with enough legs, hands, eyes, nose, ear-holes and even the facial expression in the face which is just as big as a small green pea. This work not only reaches the peak of Vietnamese traditional fine crafts but also reflects a deep and abundant inner feeling of the artist.

Some of her works were displayed in Hanoi Museum on the occasion of 1000^th Thang Long – Hanoi anniversary. Thoa’s tiny models drawn attention and interest of the visitors. To present her work to the public is the achievement of 10 years of enduring and striving that Thoa has devoted. In addition, it is also the accomplishment of the sympathy and care of her relatives in her big family – a simple labor family in Hanoi. The love and compassion of her family has greatly supported her both in taking care of her small family and composing the artistic works.

Attracted by the masterpiece of a Hanoi girl, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, President of Vietnam Federation of UNESCO Associations complimented “Kim Thoa has risen above the level of a fine crafts standard thanks to her generalizing, synthesizing and stylizing skills that are shown in all of her artistic works. Her aptitude is special and unique. Therefore, she needs to be taken care of and supported to become a talented person serving for society”.

Source: Ngay Nay Magazine