Bringing traditional crafts back to the villages.

(Baonghean) - “My hometown is rich in raw materials for making household furniture; the land is vast, and the workforce is abundant, so why can't I develop this craft in my homeland?” - This was the burning desire of Mr. Nguyen Van Ho (Hamlet 4, Nghi Lam, Nghi Loc) throughout his many years of struggling to make a living in a foreign land. The result of these concerns is the establishment of his household furniture production workshop in 2012, contributing to providing regular employment for more than 40 local workers...

Nguyen Van Ho's household furniture workshop, Hamlet 4, Nghi Lam Commune (Nghi Loc District).

Visiting the household furniture workshop of young owner Nguyen Van Ho, I was truly surprised to see that the skilled workers who meticulously crafted the exquisite wooden ladles and spoons were all villagers with calloused hands. Amidst the sounds of saws and chisels, Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Dung, the team leader, cheerfully said: “Most of the workers at the workshop are farmers. After the harvest, during their free time, they all apply to work at Mr. Ho’s woodworking workshop; the salary is stable, and they don’t have to leave their hometowns…” She then pointed to a young man operating a saw nearby. That was Nguyen Minh Nhat, who specialized in operating various types of saws and cutting machines – a strenuous job. However, for him, a stable income of 6-7 million dong like this is hard to come by in his hometown. Therefore, he always strives to improve his skills to meet the demands of the job.

The process of making wooden spoons, ladles, and other utensils, including the sanding stage, requires a lot of labor. This work, which demands patience and meticulousness, is well-suited to female workers. Nguyen Thi Kim (Hamlet 19, Nghi Lam), one of the young female workers recently started at the workshop, shared: “After finishing high school, I was lucky enough to get a job as a worker at Mr. Ho’s wood workshop. I earn nearly 3 million dong a month, which helps support my family without having to go far away to work.”

Kim's thoughts mirrored Ho's aspirations 10 years ago: to find a job in his hometown. After graduating from the Vietnam-Korea Vocational College of Mechanical Engineering, Ho struggled to find work. He stayed in Vinh City, taking on various odd jobs for small private mechanical engineering companies and factories. After two years of experience in different jobs, the wages were meager and unstable, and he even faced unemployment at times. Undeterred, he decided to move south to find work, with the intention of returning to his hometown to start his own business. An opportunity arose when he was hired as a human resources manager for a furniture manufacturing company in Ho Chi Minh City. For six years, besides excelling in his professional field, he diligently studied the furniture manufacturing industry. He taught himself the production processes, learned about different types of machinery, and product designs. On weekends, Mr. Ho even asked the company manager for permission to practice operating machinery and performing a few tasks to hone his skills. He recognized the promising market for household furniture, as his hometown had abundant raw materials and a plentiful supply of unskilled labor. From there, he nurtured the dream of bringing the household furniture carpentry trade to his village…

In 2012, with nearly 100 million VND in capital accumulated over his years of working in the industry, Nguyen Van Ho returned to his hometown to invest in building a workshop and purchasing machinery such as saws, drills, grinders, etc., to establish a production line for household wooden furniture. He sourced longan wood as the raw material, sourcing it from mountainous districts like Do Luong, Thanh Chuong, and Con Cuong. However, a challenge arose: making household wooden furniture was a relatively new profession in the countryside, a place traditionally focused on farming. While there was an abundant labor force in his hometown, they lacked the technical skills needed for this type of product. He took on the dual role of owner and mentor, guiding the workers through each stage of production: raw material preparation; product shaping; Operating the machinery until completion… “In the beginning, there were some batches of goods that were substandard and did not meet the requirements, so I had to accept the losses, sometimes tens of millions of dong. In return, I gained work experience and improved the skills of my workers,” Mr. Ho said.

Thanks to the dedicated guidance of the young owner, the initial 10 workers honed their skills and officially began producing the first batches of goods. The product distribution was quite convenient as Mr. Ho had established business partners from his time working in Ho Chi Minh City. As a result, after the workers' skills improved, the products from his workshop sold very well. In the first year of production, Mr. Ho's workshop exported approximately 15,000 household wooden furniture products. After more than a year of development, he boldly borrowed more capital and opened another workshop; the workforce also gradually increased.

To date, Mr. Ho's production facility produces 30,000 to 40,000 products annually, generating revenue of 4-5 billion VND per year. Even more encouraging is that the facility provides regular employment for over 40 local workers, with incomes ranging from 3 to 7 million VND per person per month. Mr. Nguyen Van Ho's dream of having a job right in his hometown, so that the women and young people of the village no longer have to search for work elsewhere like his generation did, has come true. However, he still feels a deep concern: "I must always strive to maintain stable employment and further develop it, so that more people have the opportunity to work and earn a better income!"

Diligence, perseverance, adaptability, and a progressive spirit are the admirable qualities of the young boss, Nguyen Van Ho, who is just over 30 years old. What I admire most is his work ethic: always creating opportunities for himself and maintaining intense focus on his goals with unwavering determination – "once you start, you'll get there!"

Text and photos:Dinh Nguyet