Once upon a time, this traditional craft of making To He seemed to have disappeared

because it could not compete with foreign toys. Especially Chinese toys are cheap, durable
and diverse in design and color. However, thanks to the policies to maintain and develop the
traditional craft villages of the Party and the government, Xuan La craft village has been
preserving a unique art form of folklore. However, like many other traditional craft villages in
our country, there are problems in the "output" of the product. Xuan La is also reaching out
to find larger markets. People love to he is not the same as love modern, expensive toys.
But like in the rustic, bold national character of To He, in the craftsmanship from skillful
hands. The reason why they have not been widely promoted abroad is because of the
disadvantages of the material they are made of. Rice flour is very cheap and flexible when
molded but does not last long, easily moldy and dry, cracked. Each To He product is usually
only kept for 3 to 30 days (depending on the skill of the molder, the weather and how to
store it). Folk artist Dang Van To's family used to welcome many domestic and foreign
delegations to learn about the craft of making to he. Among those guests, there are many
people who have asked the question of bringing To He abroad. But the product made,
canned and brought to your country is dry and cracked. The plan to bring To He to the world
market had to be halted…indefinitely. On the one hand, the people of Xuan La still try to
maintain their traditional craft. On the other hand, they are constantly experimenting,
looking for new materials. Mrs. Dien's family is the first and only family in Xuan La to try to
make to he with knife flour. To he made of knife powder can be kept for a long time (about 1
year) without fear of cracking or mold. But the disadvantage is that it is very difficult to
mold and not as beautiful as the to he made from rice flour. The biggest desire of Xuan La
people is to have the help of local authorities and functional agencies in orienting the
development of the craft village. Especially with the help of scientists. Only then will Xuan
La craft village develop to its full potential and Vietnam will be able to step into the larger
"playground".