He dedicated his youth to preserving the craft of crossbow making.

Amidst modern life, crossbows are hardly used anymore in labor or hunting by the Dao ethnic group, but are mainly used for training and sports competitions. With the desire to preserve traditional crossbow-making techniques, Mr. Phung Ngoc Hoa, a Dao ethnic man from Khuoi Deng 2, Tan Ky commune, has maintained the craft for over 50 years.

Many villagers in Khuoi Deng hamlet have resumed practicing crossbow shooting.

Preserving the ancestral craft

Although many Dao people in the village no longer use crossbows like their ancestors did, Mr. Hoa still diligently makes them for younger generations to practice, contributing to the preservation of the ethnic group's crossbow shooting sport .

In a small stilt house nestled on the mountainside in Khuoi Deng 2 village, Tan Ky commune, the rhythmic sound of chiseling echoed through the quiet morning. Mr. Phung Ngoc Hoa struck each chisel stroke slowly, decisively, and precisely. Around him, many planks of wood, already smoothed, were neatly arranged, waiting to be transformed into evenly curved crossbows. The light from the window shone down, illuminating the sun-tanned, calloused, yet skillful hands of Mr. Hoa, who has spent more than half a century preserving the traditional crossbow-making technique.

Amidst the piles of wooden planks waiting to be crafted into crossbows, Mr. Hoa murmured: "I don't remember exactly when I learned to make crossbows, probably around the age of 15. Each traditional Dao crossbow has a body, limbs, string, and trigger. It looks simple at first glance, but to make a sturdy crossbow that shoots accurately requires experience and meticulous attention to detail."

Mr. Hoa said that making one crossbow requires five types of wood. Currently, precious woods are becoming increasingly scarce, and to protect the forest, Mr. Hoa only uses three main types of wood: ironwood salvaged from old houses, teak, and "may thac" wood. The crossbow body is made of ironwood, which is light and durable, and is hand-carved. The sections of wood selected for the crossbow limbs must have straight, even grain, no knots, and be dry. The most time-consuming and difficult part is shaping the limbs, as it requires both sides to be perfectly balanced.

According to Mr. Hoa's experience, the crossbow strings are made of hemp fibers; only tightly braided hemp fibers provide the necessary tension and powerful rebound for the arrows. Skilled craftsmen not only make beautiful crossbows but also meticulously calculate the string tension and the spring tension to suit each type of arrow. Even a difference of a few millimeters during assembly will cause the crossbow's trajectory to be inaccurate. Some precious woods can only be found in high mountainous areas, so gathering and sourcing the materials for a beautiful and precise crossbow takes a considerable amount of time.

Cultural aspects that need to be preserved.

Mr. Phung Ngoc Hoa, residing in Khuoi Deng 2 village, Tan Ky commune, has maintained the craft of making crossbows for over 50 years.

Decades ago, Mr. Hoa made crossbows to shoot rats, squirrels, and other animals that were destroying his fields and crops. In the 1990s, Mr. Hoa began to gain recognition when he participated in ethnic sports competitions and displayed his crossbows. Customers from many other localities, such as Bac Giang, Bac Ninh , and Hai Phong, came to him to order crossbows for shooting practice or as souvenirs.

At one point, Mr. Hoa sold more than 50 crossbows a year, each priced from 300,000 to 500,000 VND, generating additional income and improving his family's living standards. Throughout his career preserving the Dao people's crossbow-making craft, Mr. Phung Ngoc Hoa has supplied many crossbows to athletes both within and outside the province. Mr. Hoa himself was once a crossbow athlete, bringing many achievements to the commune's sports movement.

Thanks to his efforts in preserving the craft of crossbow making, many young people in the area have sought out Mr. Hoa for guidance in shooting. Although she has only been practicing for a few years, Ms. Dang Thi Thach has developed a love and passion for the crossbow passed down from her ancestors. She has also participated in and won awards at crossbow shooting competitions organized by the province.

For Ms. Dang Thi Thach, maintaining her crossbow training is not only about developing the national sports movement but also a responsibility to preserve the traditions and cultural identity left behind by her ancestors.

Ms. Thach said: "Seeing Mr. Hoa diligently carving and shaping each piece of wood to make crossbows every day truly moved me. That image motivated me and many others to practice. Every time I draw the crossbow, I feel like I'm touching the traditions of my ancestors, being reminded of my roots."

Mr. Hoa's joy comes from seeing young people rediscover their love for the crossbow, but his greatest concern remains how to attract more young people to learn how to make and shoot crossbows so that this craft doesn't die out and this traditional sport can flourish.

The crossbows of the Dao people, once symbols of strength, hunting weapons, and tools for protecting crops, have now taken on a new role as unique ethnic sports equipment, a cultural feature that needs to be preserved and promoted in modern life.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/202510/danh-ca-thanh-xuan-giu-nghe-lam-no-b4635bb/