Making a fortune in the Land of a Million Elephants

(Baonghean) - Nguyen Dinh Chung is known by the name "Dinh Chung Furniture" in Vientiane, Laos. Chung is famous for owning one of the top shops specializing in handicrafts and driftwood art in Vientiane. Every year, the Laos-Vietnam Trade Fair selects him as a representative of young Lao businesses to showcase their products.

Finding Nguyen Dinh Chung is not difficult, as his shop is located on the road from the center of Vientiane to Vattay Airport, the ASEAN road, Sidamduan village, Chanthabouri district. The shop boasts hundreds of products, all exquisite driftwood art pieces, meticulously crafted from tree stumps and roots left abandoned on the barren fields of Laos. This means that, through his hands and creative mind, these lifeless roots suddenly come to life, spontaneously reciting proverbs, ancient poems, and old stories. His customers come from all walks of life, but most are Chinese. They buy everything from furniture sets and elephants to statues of the deities of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity; and the Twelve Zodiac animals. Bamboo, chrysanthemum, pine, plum blossom; birds, animals… even fairies, Buddha… or "picturesque landscape" wood carvings… These works are all transformed from gnarled roots and sturdy trunks brought from the wild fields of Laos.

Upon arriving at his home, one is overwhelmed by the creative works of art and impressed by the willpower of a son of Nghe An province. Born in Cua Lo town, at the age of twenty, he traveled all the way to Ho Chi Minh City to learn the craft of wood carving. He said that when he looked at the driftwood sculptures, he felt his soul at peace, his heart was kind, and he could gaze at them endlessly; that's why he was determined to learn the craft. After finishing his studies, he returned to his coastal hometown and tried to apply the wood carving skills, but found it somewhat counterintuitive, so he decided to venture all the way to Laos to make a living.

Handicraft wooden products by Mr. Nguyen Dinh Chung.

For the first two years as a carpenter, he tirelessly sought ways to make ends meet. He tried to preserve his craft while also considering how to capitalize on the strengths of his new land. Seeing the vast forests and mountains of Laos, and the people's habit of slash-and-burn agriculture, with many tree stumps burned and left abandoned, he realized he had to exploit this potential, transforming nothing into something, turning the useless into something valuable. Thus, using his learned skills, along with his intelligence and creativity, he built his business. He collected tree stumps and logs floating in the river and crafted them into goods worth hundreds, even thousands of dollars.

His products are both durable and possess outstanding artistic value, reflecting Eastern legends intertwined with Laotian culture, making them very popular with foreign customers. Because of this, he exports dozens of these items every year.

In his thirties, Nguyen Dinh Chung had built a substantial fortune worth millions of dollars. Having achieved business success in Laos, he always made time to repay the kindness of his parents and relatives.

Chung is tall and slender, with a distinct Nghe An accent; he dresses elegantly and drives a luxury car like any wealthy businessman in Vientiane. However, every day he still spends his time struggling with the gnarled roots brought back from distant fields. His wife is also from Thanh Hoa province; one might think she'd be content with her husband's success, but she spends her days selling goods at the Khuadin market until late at night before returning home to pick up their children. And every day, it's around 8 PM before the whole family can gather around the dinner table.

Now, Nguyen Dinh Chung's fine woodworking workshop provides stable employment for 20 Lao workers and 20 workers from Nghe An province, with an average income of 8 to 20 million VND per month, depending on skill level. The workers are all satisfied and committed to the workshop. Nguyen Van Linh, from Nghi Loc district, who has followed Chung to Laos for over 10 years, said that there are many groups of Vietnamese and Lao craftsmen working in various stages of production, but they all work together harmoniously, with love and dedication, and with high efficiency. Both Vietnamese and Lao craftsmen have their own unique creativity; working together, they have created a fusion of two cultures to produce the best products that meet all the artistic requirements of customers. As we finish writing this article, a customer has already placed a deposit for a set of root-based furniture worth 50,000 US dollars.

National Day(VOV Vientiane)