Drilling and picking up Yen Dong blacksmithing

(Baonghean) - Just arriving at the entrance of Yen Dong village (Dien Van commune, Dien Chau district), we heard the sound of a jackhammer coming from the house of Mr. Tran Van Thanh (64 years old). He and his wife were rhythmically hammering, sweat soaking their backs. Mr. Thanh is the only person in Yen Dong village still attached to this hard job.

Stopping his hammer to greet the guests, Mr. Thanh thoughtfully recalled the prosperous period of the family blacksmithing profession that used to be the livelihood of about 20 households in Dien Van. “My great-grandfathers were originally from Ha Tinh, and brought the blacksmithing profession here to start a business. The profession is passed down from father to son, so the sons in the family are passed down the secrets by their fathers, so the blacksmithing profession in Dien Van is mainly from families of the Tran family. I am the 5th generation to keep the traditional profession of my ancestors,” Mr. Thanh shared.

Mr. Tran Van Thanh and his wife are working hard at the forge.

About 20 years ago, when Yen Dong village still had nearly 20 families working in the trade, the atmosphere of the forges was bustling with buying and selling. Standing on the other side of the creek, one could hear the bustling sound of hammers and the sizzling sound of all kinds of agricultural tools...

Each furnace usually has 3 main workers and 1 assistant worker to meet the targets set by the blacksmith cooperative. The blacksmith products in Dien Van include many types, most of which are agricultural tools such as hoes, rakes, shovels, knives, machetes, etc. At that time, at any time, in Yen Dong village there were many famous skilled workers such as Tran Ninh, Tran Tinh, Tran Phuong, Dao Hai, etc.

Their products play an important role in building the Dien Van blacksmithing brand. Blacksmithing is a difficult profession and to produce good products, skilled people have their own secrets. That is also a condition for survival in the profession, so the secret is only passed on to the sons in the family.

Since childhood, Mr. Thanh was taught the secrets by his father. He became a famous craftsman at a young age. Farming tools engraved with his name were the first choice of customers in the markets, and customers came to import and sell them everywhere. Despite the products manufactured by factories with beautiful and rich designs on the market, the products from his family's hand-forging craft still hold a place in the hearts of customers.

Mr. Thu continues his wife's family's blacksmithing profession.

To produce quality products, craftsmen must be proficient in all technical stages, have experience in adjusting the furnace temperature, and predicting the age of the steel. In recent years, due to poor health, Mr. Thanh has been working moderately, mainly to keep his job, but he still attaches special importance to keeping his reputation with customers. His products are warranted and he is ready to remake them according to customer requirements.

The blacksmithing profession in Dien Van has now faded away, the whole commune now has only a few households still engaged in the profession, including households that specialize in buying back goods to process and sell. Mr. Thanh and his wife have 5 children, all 3 of his sons have left, choosing other jobs to make a living. Therefore, the worry that the profession will be lost constantly haunts him... When his son did not follow in his footsteps, Mr. Thanh decided to pass on the profession to his son-in-law with the hope that his children would have a job and at the same time preserve the family's traditional profession.

The desire to keep the blacksmith profession made Mr. Thanh feel uneasy.

Mr. Bui Sy Thu, Mr. Thanh’s son-in-law, said: “When I first learned the trade, I was discouraged and wanted to quit because I had no experience and the products I made were often defective. But then, with the encouragement of my wife’s family, I gradually became passionate about blacksmithing!” Up to now, Mr. Thu has been in the trade for nearly 20 years, making many types of products from knives, scissors, machetes, axes, spears, hoes, shovels, etc., which are always trusted and chosen by customers.

Leaving Dien Van blacksmith village, we did not bring with us Mr. Thanh's desire to preserve the profession, and could not help but feel regretful for the atmosphere of a long-standing traditional profession closely associated with the life of labor production in the countryside.

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