I didn’t just choose the art of bookbinding; in many ways, it chose me…

🧶 A journey from woven threads to pages of paper… 📔

I was born in a weaving workshop. My childhood, along with my brothers and sisters, was closely tied to the rhythmic, steady sound of weaving looms—a sound that truly became a part of who we are. ✨

As a young boy, I always followed my father everywhere. We spent entire days wandering through wood warehouses in Saigon or the bustling markets of Cho Lon looking for steel and machinery parts. On the way back, the two of us would often stop by the Bay Hien weaving village to find extra spare parts for the machines. My father wasn’t just a weaver; he was a master at building weaving looms. Watching him work with his hardworking hands every day sparked my own passion for craftsmanship. 🛠️

Those years spent with my father left a deep impression on me. I didn’t just learn about materials; I learned about the value of hard work and the spark of creativity. That childhood in the weaving workshop became the foundation for everything I do today. 💡

Today, I am a craftsman at Carta Rustica in Saigon. I don’t weave fabric like my parents used to, but I carry on those traditions to create notebooks and journals with my own two hands. ✍️

Why notebooks?

It could be a long story, but I want to share the special twist of fate that brought me to this craft. In 2011, while attending an exhibition in Thailand, I was deeply impressed by Zenith Paper’s booth and their beautiful Thai-made notebooks. At the time, even though I really wanted to partner with them, I was quite shy and lacked confidence. To my surprise, the owner of Zenith walked up, took my hand, and told me that my style and the notebook I was using at that moment had caught her eye. She asked if I would like to sell these beautiful notebooks. I grabbed that opportunity immediately… and that’s where the journey began! 🌏✨

Our workshop has now grown into a small bookbinding studio, dedicated to creating one-of-a-kind pieces for stationery lovers all around the world. 📦💌

To me, a notebook is not just paper and thread. It is a way to keep the spirit of craftsmanship alive, one page at a time. 🌿📖