Despite her birth defects of body shape, Ho Thi Lang, residing in Hoa Phuoc Commune, Hoa Vang District, Da Nang, has never let her physical condition prevent her from leading a normal life. She sets up her own handicraft business - paper quilling art, and runs a small grocery store, to have more money to cover her living expenses.

With her physical defects, Ms. Lang cannot do heavy work, so making quilling paper helps her earn an income to cover her living expenses.

Lang was born into a poor family with 3 sisters. At the age of 6, she showed symptoms of bone and joint pain, disproportionate shoulders, and crooked spine. In addition, she had a spinal tumor that grew larger over time. She was labelled a hunchback after being diagnosed with scoliosis so her doctors recommended surgery at a total cost of nearly VND 200 million. However, her family could not afford to pay for her surgery so that she had to live with her disease. She is now only 1.2m tall, weighs only 25kg.

In 2014, Lang went online to learn about the art of paper quilling and then decided to go to Ha Noi to study this paper craft while working as a worker to earn money to support her parents due to not wanting to be a burden to her family.

Paper quilling is one of the interesting visual arts, but making paper quilling paintings requires effort, carefulness and patience.

As Tet comes, Lang's house of less than 10m² is filled with Tet paintings made of quilling paper. Tools to do paper quilling paintings include paper rolling machine, rolling rod, tweezers, glue and scissors.

She chooses pre-cut paper fibers to roll them into a ball, then uses tweezers to pick them up and shape them as desired. After that, she continues to use glue to stick the paper onto the surface of different materials.

Depending on the size and customer's requirements, the prices of products will be different. In particular, greeting cards cost from VND30,000-VND60,000 each, whilst the prices of paper quilling paintings range from VND200,000 to several million dong.

Lang said that the process of making quilling requires meticulousness and accuracy in every detail. In particular, folding quilling paper correctly is also a very important factor in the process of creating a beautiful product. Wavy twisted patterns and curved lines create the softness, uniqueness and difference of paper quilling art.

Paper quilling products made by Ms. Lang have beautiful designs and diverse themes

With the feelings of an unlucky person, she understands those with the same unfortunate fate as her. Since then, she has participated in vocational training for people in difficult circumstances or those with disabilities at the Charity Vocational Training Centre of the municipal Red Cross.

Last June, Lang’s quilling products won the first prize at the 2023 start-up idea competition themed ‘Economic development associated with increasing trade value for local products’ which was launched by the Hoa Vang District Chapter of the Da Nang Women's Union.

Chairwoman of the Hoa Phuoc Commune Chapter of the municipal Women's Union Le Thi Yen said proudly that Ho Thi Lang was a shining example for other disabled women in the community. In recent times, the locality has also encouraged and provided physical and mental support for her. She also hoped that agencies, organisations, and businesses across the city, and the country as a whole, will continue providing active support for her to have a better life in the future.

​Reporting by LAM NGAN - Translating by M.DUNG