Junk or Treasure: Epilogue

Tất cả đều bắt đầu từ sự mê hoặc – cảm giác thu hút một ai đó đến với một món đồ. Với một số người, đó có thể là mùi ẩm mốc của những cuốn sách bìa mềm ố vàng xếp tràn trên kệ trong một hiệu sách cũ; với những người khác, đó có thể là mặt tiền của một cửa hàng đồng hồ, nơi những chiếc đồng hồ được đặt trong những chiếc hộp nhựa phủ một lớp bụi mỏng khiến họ phải dừng bước và chìm sâu vào suy tư.

“Đó là tình yêu sét đánh,” những kẻ lãng mạn thốt lên với ánh mắt mơ màng, say sưa nói về trải nghiệm kỳ diệu đi kèm với mỗi cuộc gặp gỡ. Nó bắt đầu với một món, rồi một món

Call it an art, a hobby, an obsession, whatever suits your fancy. But collecting is the last thing from being a piece of cake, more often than not, it is a wild goose chase to the ends of the world in search of something that means so much to the individual and that makes everything worthwhile in the end.

“It’s one in a million”

Rarity is the defining factor that would set a collector apart from a compulsive shopper. While the latter struggles to limit their purchases, collectors curate what goes into their stash of prized possessions. They are always on the lookout for one-of-a-kind items, never run-off-the-mill ones you can pick up at any departmental store. 

For Gundam shop owner and collector Nguyen Khai Hoan, he has on hand one of the 20 Phenex Mastermind robots that he secured through a reseller who won a lottery held by Bandai. Although he had to pay close to over 100 million VND, 10 times higher than the original price for the robot’s rarity, he is still in awe with the intricacies of the robot’s build today.

“When the LED turns on, it blows me away. It makes me want to cherish it and not touch it so much to prevent damage,” he said.

Hoan’s fascination with the craft of building Gundam models exists beyond a childhood pipe dream. After completing his university studies, he dedicated his entire career to running the Titan Gunpla shop with two of his friends against his parents’ wishes. Nevertheless, it was heartening to see a community thrive and grow together – Titan Gunpla Shop is now the largest Gundam shop in Saigon, and Hoan has even clinched 1st place at the 40th Gunpla Builders Contest in 2020.

Watch The 200-million Gunpla | Junk or Treasure

“To me, this is art.”

While monetary value is most commonly used as a benchmark of the market value of a collectible, exorbitant price tags do not necessarily equate to what a collector would deem precious. As the saying goes, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure – it ultimately boils down to the personal connection felt between the collector and the object that makes collecting such an intimate hobby.

Playing cards collector Terry Quan owns over 700 decks of cards to date, with his collection stemming from his interests in magic and cardistry. However, he has a soft spot for the Corona Luoye: Lac Viet playing cards designed by local artist Tuyệt Duyệt. “I’ve collected a lot of decks and there are almost no motifs or designs related to Vietnam. This is the first deck I see that is inspired by Vietnamese culture.” 

The motifs pay homage to the detailed designs on traditional drums from the Dong Son culture which hits close to home to Terry. Indeed, cultural value in any collection lands itself in an entirely different league than highly sought-after items with a high monetary value.

Watch The 1st Vietnamese Playing Cards | Junk or Treasure

“You can only truly appreciate an item when you feel its weight and its texture on your hands.”

To be able to own an object that is no longer produced and which also carries the weight of an era that has passed us by brings Nguyen Duc Huy utmost joy. The 22-year-old grew up scouring Le Cong Kieu street for Vietnamese antiques from ceramics, glass paintings, and costumes including the symbolic basket-shaped hats called Non-Cu. With modernization, the production of these hats has come to a halt – craftsmen no longer wish to expend resources on them, hence there are only around 40 of them left in the world.

“We’re always trying to simplify our lives, it’s only natural that these hats would fade into obscurity,” said Trong Nghia, a Vietnamese antique collector.

But gazing at the same object in a sealed glass box placed in a museum would never provide a visceral experience close to what the object has to offer to a passionate collector, Huy said. “To me, if an antique spends the rest of its life in a museum, then it’s already dead.”

Watch The Forgotten Hat | Junk or Treasure

“People collect things to keep for themselves, I collect things to share.”

Việc có thể cảm nhận một vật thể và chia sẻ chiếc hộp thời gian này với những người khác cho thấy việc sưu tầm không chỉ đơn thuần là xây dựng bộ sưu tập cá nhân, mà đúng hơn là điểm khởi đầu cho việc tiếp thu kiến thức. Nhà sưu tầm và nghiên cứu khoáng sản, Nguyễn Bá Tuyên, dành một số ngày cuối tuần để đưa các học sinh trung học cơ sở đến núi Thị Vải, nơi họ sẽ cùng nhau săn tìm khoáng sản. 

“Tôi muốn chia sẻ thông tin về từng loại khoáng sản mình có, nguồn cảm hứng trong hành trình sưu tầm và niềm đam mê khoa học,” anh nói. 

Mỗi vật thể trong bộ sưu tập rực rỡ sắc màu của anh đều có một cuộc đời riêng và một

Watch The Hidden Gem | Junk or Treasure

Collections are the gateway to learning about culture, with each object representing a memory frozen in time. These objects are also tangible sources of happiness, grief, guilt, or a multitude of feelings encased within. This mini-documentary series by Rice, titled Junk or Treasure, hopes to invite you to take a peek into the vivid worlds of these unique collectors, and even if it feels distant to you, always remember that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. Maybe you won’t understand it, but maybe someone else will.