Woodworking villages in Nghe An are deserted at the end of the year.

The Quang Phong carpentry craft has been well-known for a long time, with products favored by customers for their good quality and beautiful designs. From products costing a few million dong to sets of tables and chairs costing tens of millions of dong, all are beautifully crafted by the artisans here.

However, these days, visiting the Quang Phong carpentry village, one is quite surprised to see that goods are selling poorly and the carpentry workshops are operating at a reduced capacity.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, a carpentry workshop owner in Quang Phong carpentry village, said: "Every year at this time, the market for wooden furniture is quite bustling, with many trucks coming and going from the village carrying goods. On some days, we sell 4-5 sets of cabinets, tables, and chairs. But now, the goods are overflowing, and even after waiting all day, no one comes to buy anything."

Another business owner in Quang Phong carpentry village added: "This year, purchasing power has dropped sharply. Throughout the year, we've only sold about 30-35% of what we sold last year, especially during the end-of-year period when we're preparing for Tet (Lunar New Year), but the number of customers is very small. The large amount of unsold goods has forced us to cut back on staff."

The lack of demand for wooden furniture has caused difficulties for many workers who depend on this profession for their livelihood. With irregular work and reduced income, many carpenters have had to abandon the trade and switch to other jobs.

Mr. Nguyen Canh Kieu, Chairman of the Quang Phong Ward People's Committee, said: The Quang Phong Ward wood carving and timber processing village was recognized as a craft village by the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee on December 30, 2002. Production and business activities mainly include items such as tables, chairs, cabinets, beds, and other household wooden furniture.

For a long time, carpentry has been a major source of income for the locality and created jobs for many workers in the commune, achieving revenue of nearly 100 billion VND/year. However, for almost two years now, the market for wooden products has faced many difficulties, and most establishments are experiencing a large surplus of unsold goods.

From a village with over 250 families whose members worked in carpentry, the number has now decreased to just over 170 households, with workers shifting to other professions.

One reason for the difficulty in selling wooden products is the impact of the economic downturn, with wooden products from northern provinces being more competitive and cheaper. Currently, in this period of difficulty in finding markets, about 35% of households have switched to producing other products suitable for the market, such as taking orders for flooring, processing plywood for walls, etc.

Sharing the same predicament, the traditional carpentry village in Quynh Hung commune (Quynh Luu district) is also facing a slump in sales. Mr. Le Van Minh, a carpentry workshop owner in Quynh Hung commune, said: "In previous years, around September-October, carpenters had to work at full capacity to serve customers, but now we are mainly selling off leftover stock from the beginning of the year."

In 2011, the Provincial People's Committee recognized Thuan Giang and Nam Thang carpentry villages as two provincial-level civil and fine art carpentry villages in Quynh Hung commune. Both villages have invested in modern machinery and technology, and have a skilled workforce producing a wide variety of wooden products.

Mr. Tran Dinh Trong, Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Hung commune, added: "The carpentry trade brings in a large source of revenue for the commune, reaching over 150 billion VND per year. However, in recent years, fine art wood products have been difficult to sell, and most craft village establishments have accumulated unsold goods. Previously, the commune had over 350 households engaged in carpentry, but now there are fewer than 200 households, and they are operating at a reduced capacity."

It is known that Nghe An province has many carpentry villages in the districts of Do Luong, Thanh Chuong, Quynh Luu, Nam Dan, etc., providing jobs for thousands of local workers. However, due to difficulties in finding markets, the carpentry industry has been stagnating for the past two years.

Given this situation, it is necessary to guide craft villages to be more responsive in grasping market demands, not producing mass-produced, hard-to-sell wooden household products, but instead creating unique products that meet customer requirements, thereby improving sales.