Old men earn hundreds of millions each year from rattan and bamboo products

The families of Mr. Tran Duy Thanh and Mr. Quang Manh Tuan in Quang Phuc village, Tam Dinh commune; and Mr. Kha Van Thuong in Tam Bong village, Tam Quang commune (Tuong Duong) are famous households with the profession of producing rattan and bamboo tables and chairs that are known to many people.

Mr. Tran Duy Thanh is considered the most famous artisan in bamboo and rattan weaving in Tuong Duong district. He shared: "The unique feature of the tables and chairs made from bamboo and rattan is the elaborate and meticulous rattan weaving, the curved rings forming circles and the bamboo sticks creating the strength of the product."

Rattan and bamboo woven tables and chairs of Mr. Tran Duy Thanh in Quang Phuc village, Tam Dinh commune (Tuong Duong). Photo: Nguyen Hanh

Up to now, Mr. Thanh has been in this profession for more than 20 years. Since he started his career until now, his rattan furniture products have been sold out as soon as they were made, never unsold. Currently,The high chairs cost 180,000 VND/piece, the low chairs cost 150,000 VND/piece. On a normal day, you can weave at least 2, on a good day, 3-4. A regular woven table and chair set costs 1,500,000 VND/set. A table and chair set with a tray woven with brocade patterns costs 2,500,000 VND/set...

On average, Mr. Thanh sells 3-4 sets of tables and chairs per month, and 5-6 sets in busy months; he earns 10-12 million VND per month from weaving rattan and bamboo tables and chairs.

Currently, Mr. Thanh mainly makes products according to customers' orders. The products are not only supplied to local people but also exported to many places such as Vinh City, Hanoi, Saigon, etc. Many times he had to extend the appointment time because the quantity was too large for him to handle alone and had to hire more workers.

It is known that he was once invited by the Rural Development Research Institute in Hanoi to teach vocational training to the people. Not only did he enrich himself, Mr. Thanh also opened 3 training courses for the villagers to develop the economy and escape poverty.

To create a beautiful, sophisticated, long-lasting set of handmade furniture, the weaver must be skillful, thoughtful, creative and have a good aesthetic eye. Photo: Nguyen Hanh

Mr. Kha Van Thuong, Tam Bong village, Tam Quang commune is also one of the households with large income from the craft of producing handmade tables and chairs from rattan and bamboo.

According to Mr. Thuong, to weave a set of rattan furniture, one must go through many stages, such as splitting bamboo, shaving rattan, pressing the bamboo trunk into a circle...

The raw materials used to make the product include three main materials: rattan, bamboo and reed. The raw materials must be carefully selected and soaked in water for a period of time to avoid termites. The rattan weaving process requires patience, meticulousness and sophistication.

In the production process, the most difficult step is weaving the brocade tray surface, because the shape of the brocade must follow certain lines; the brocade fibers must be dyed from tree bark to boiling water.

Currently, each table and chair set that Mr. Kha Van Thuong sells on the market has different prices depending on the size; the largest table and chair set costs 6,000,000 VND/set; the medium-sized set costs from 2,300,000 - 2,700,000 VND; the small set costs from 1,200,000 - 1,500,000 VND. As for brocade trays and regular trays, the price depends on the size...Every month, Mr. Thuong makes about 50 large and small chairs and 7-8 tables; after deducting expenses, his income is from 80-100 million VND/year.

In the production process, the most difficult step is weaving brocade, because the shape must follow certain lines. In the photo: Brocade rattan products of Mr. Kha Van Thuong in Tam Bong village, Tam Quang commune (Tuong Duong). Photo: Nguyen Hanh

The handicrafts of the artisans here always sell well, often not enough to meet the needs of the people. Without the need to advertise their names, their products are passed on by word of mouth and create great attraction for consumers.

However, currently, households producing bamboo and rattan products are facing some difficulties in terms of input materials; due to the amount of rattan and reed having decreased significantly compared to previous years, exploiters have to go deep into the forest to find them./.