Society

Unique 'craft secrets' in Tien Phong carpentry village

Diep Thanh • March 30, 2025 19:48

Tien Phong carpentry village (Xuan Hoa commune, Nam Dan) is not a famous craft village, nor has it received investment and development in scale. But amidst fierce market competition, what has helped this craft village maintain its enduring vitality and develop more and more?

Village love

Mr. Nguyen Trong Chien (born in 1973) - the owner of a carpentry workshop at the beginning of the village recalled: “I started learning and practicing the profession in the 80s of the last century, from a cousin. After about a year of learning the profession, I returned to open a workshop and continued to teach the profession to those in the village who needed it. Just like that, we taught each other and supported each other in opening workshops. Because there were many people in the village doing the same, gradually, the number of carpenters in the village increased day by day, becoming a close-knit community, and then becoming a craft village without realizing it.”

No one knows exactly when Tien Phong carpentry village was established, but the elders in the village all remember their childhood growing up with the sound of hammers, planes, chisels and their youth imprinted on the roads lined with golden wooden planks. And above all, they grew up, matured and developed together.

Also chatting with us that day was Mr. Dao Van Tai (born in 1974). Originally a "student" of Mr. Chien, Mr. Tai now has a larger workshop, more workers, and more orders than his "teacher". Whether it was difficult or now, when things are better off, the "teacher-student" relationship between the two workshop owners is always close, meeting and visiting each other almost every day.

What's special about l?Tien Phong BankPeople often "compliment each other". People from this carpentry workshop are willing to praise the talent and skill of another carpentry workshop and are not afraid to bring customers to introduce and order. Each workshop will try to focus on improving a main product so that when needed, the workshops can share orders with each other.

Mr. Dao Van Tai shared: “I specialize in making ceilings, Mr. Tai specializes in kitchen cabinets, Mr. Phuong specializes in making tables and chairs… Each of them has their own strengths, and they all do their jobs properly, so customers can choose whichever one they want. If we need to build a wooden house or a stilt house, we will take customers to the largest workshop in the village. They have many workers and work very professionally!” Indeed, these carpentry workshop owners are willing to spend time enthusiastically taking customers to visit other workshops, even though their own workshops are still busy with work.

Mr. Phan Xuan Hien - Head of Tien Phong hamlet said: “Tien Phong carpentry village began to form around 1970, passed down from the experience of building wooden houses of our ancestors. Up to now, the village has more than 40 households doing the profession, creating jobs for about 200 workers. In recent years, life has improved, customer demand has increased, so the craft village has become more and more prosperous, and manufactured goods have been delivered to all over the South and North. Many carpentry workshops have quickly updated the trend, invested in factories, modern equipment and machinery to speed up production.

The precious thing is that the villagers always support each other like brothers, share orders to work together, never compare, compete or undercut… As for the people - those who do not work in carpentry, they are very supportive and sympathetic to the nature of this job. Painting is inherently dusty, noisy and has an unpleasant smell, but no one complains or grumbles. Even families with sick people or small children only find ways to overcome it themselves and never use pollution as an excuse to make things difficult.”

Mr. Hien also shared that since being recognized as a craft village, each household engaged in the craft has been given a plot of land in the village's concentrated production planning area. However, since then (2014) until now, due to many difficulties, this concentrated production area has not been able to be handed over to the people. "If we can concentrate production, with the spirit of solidarity of the people, Tien Phong carpentry village will certainly grow stronger and create a more widespread brand" - Mr. Hien believes.

Women of the carpentry village

In the carpentry village, besides the leading role of men, the role of women is also extremely important. Quietly, the devoted and diligent women here become the spiritual support for the whole family, becoming special characters that husbands and children are always proud to talk about.

With pride like many husbands in the carpentry village, Mr. Dao Van Tai (born in 1974) said about his wife: “In addition to carpentry, my family also has a garden and several acres of fields, growing both rice and crops. While I only focus on carpentry and production management, my wife simultaneously takes on the work of cooking for the workers, managing the house, fields, and taking care of the children... When there are many goods, my wife also supports production to ensure progress. She has a firm grasp of the techniques and can do everything, but usually only helps with tasks within her ability such as painting, lacquering... She is extremely busy, working hard but never complains”.

Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Trong Chien also admitted that his wife is an indispensable member of the family, the wife who ensures that all work and relationships are smooth and favorable.

From the position of a son, Mr. Dinh Xuan Tuan Anh shared: “My mother has been a carpenter since she got married. Since then, she has been a member of the commune women's association, supported her father in the carpentry workshop, managed the fields and gardens, and taken care of the children. Not only is she multi-talented, but she also completes every role and task well, always cheerful, optimistic, and loves life. Not only my mother, in Tien Phong village there are many mothers and sisters who are also talented and admirable like that. My generation, my wife in particular and young women in general, no longer work with their husbands in carpentry like before, but they always support, understand, and are willing to share in their husbands' work. Hopefully, that tradition will be preserved forever.”

Although praised and respected, the women of the carpentry village are very modest and gentle. Mrs. Nguyen Thi Phuong - one of the typical women of Tien Phong village, affirmed: "Being the wife of a carpenter in this village is hard. I wake up early in the morning to cook and take care of the fields and gardens. When the sun comes up, I go back to the workshop to help my husband with woodworking. On days with little goods, I sand and paint, on days with a lot of goods, I saw and carry... everything is done. At night, when the workshop is closed and the workers are off, I take the opportunity to clean up because the wood dust covers the whole house... It's hard work, but everyone is passionate about it, happily supports their husbands, and is willing to stick with the job, no one wants to quit!"

Mrs. Phuong's sharing is also the common sentiment of most women in the carpentry village, whether they were born in the village or came here to get married from other places. In every carpentry workshop in the village, there are women with masks covering their faces, chatting happily and working quickly. They are not only workers, but also a source of positive energy for the whole workshop because of their joy, openness and love for their work. Even though the work may have many occupational risks, may be hard, dusty, may make their wrinkles more than their age...

Is it the love of family andlove of workcreated those special qualities?