Sticking with the craft of making piggy banks.

Ms. Hai has been involved in the piggy bank making business for 5 years.

Tuan and Hai, a married couple, are not yet 30 years old, but they have been involved in the piggy bank making business for over 5 years. Hai confided: “Back then, our family's finances were very difficult. Initially, we started this business with nothing. My husband would collect finished piggy banks and sell them along the roads in various localities. Later, we started supplying them to grocery stores in the markets. Once we had a stable customer base, we boldly invested in facilities, bought raw materials, and then processed and finished the products.”

To bring their business to its current stable operation, Mr. and Mrs. Tuan have gone through many ups and downs, joys and sorrows in their craft. The biggest challenge is finding skilled labor. Because this is a new profession for the local people, few people do it, so they are not proficient. To produce a finished piggy bank, they import raw piggy banks from Lai Thieu, Binh Duong province, and then have workers perform the sanding and painting processes. On average, their business provides employment for about 20 regular workers each day, doubling that number during peak season. Ms. Nguyen Thi Nam, a local resident, has been involved in sanding for many years, so her hands are nimble and skillful. Ms. Nam shared: "I work for a living, earning a salary based on the number of products. On average, I work from 7 am to late afternoon, earning about 200,000 VND. This income is enough to help my family cover our living expenses."

Workers sand down rough clay piggy banks.

To create aesthetically pleasing products that meet customer preferences, the craftsmen must be quick and skillful. In a highly competitive market, Ms. Hai and her husband had to find their own unique path, constantly innovating in each product design. “Besides making piggy banks, I source designs like the 12 zodiac animals for each year or cartoon characters that children love. Thanks to their unique shapes, styles, and patterns, they are very popular with customers,” Ms. Hai explained.

Every year, from October to February, this product is in high demand. On a typical day, their piggy bank workshop can produce between 2,800 and over 3,000 piggy banks of various sizes. According to Ms. Hai, piggy banks are closely associated with the childhood of countless children; they are something everyone has owned to store their savings and New Year's lucky money. The appeal of each piggy bank lies in its eye-catching colors and simple yet harmonious drawings, creating bright and innocent designs. Ms. Le Thi Bich, in charge of color mixing and patterns at the workshop, said: "From the simple white-brown clay when it first comes out of the kiln, with subtle touches, the craftsmen have given the piggy banks a new look, attracting buyers."

The piggy banks made by the couple Tuan and Hai are popular in many provinces and cities. Thanks to this, the workers here feel secure in sticking with the profession. Unable to hide his happiness in pursuing this traditional craft, Mr. Nguyen Van Kien confided: “This job is hard, constantly surrounded by mud and getting stained, but it also has its own joys. By sticking with this profession, we have jobs and a fairly stable income.”

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Liem, a Culture and Social Affairs official at the Thuan An Ward People's Committee, said: "Although making piggy banks is messy with mud and paint, Ms. Hai and her husband still maintain their passion for the craft, striving to preserve it so that this traditional profession does not fade away. Their business has contributed to creating jobs for local people, helping them earn extra income and stabilize their lives."

Text and photos: Chấn Hưng

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/bam-tru-voi-nghe-lam-heo-dat-a185639.html