Living by the profession
Visiting the Nhat Hao banana candy factory in Vinh Trinh hamlet, Vinh Thuan commune, I was impressed by the rich aroma of the hot banana candy batches ready to be made. Mr. Nguyen Van Minh, the owner of the Nhat Hao banana candy production facility, said that his family started making banana candy in 2014. In 2021, the banana candy making craft in Vinh Thuan commune was recognized as a traditional craft by the Provincial People's Committee.
Currently, Mr. Minh's family's products have received OCOP 3-star certification. "In about 2-3 days, I make a batch of about 25kg of candy, selling it for 65,000 VND/kg. After deducting expenses, the profit is about 5,000 VND/kg. My wife and I are self-employed and don't have stable jobs. Although the income isn't high, this profession has supported the whole family and helped me save money to build a new house," Mr. Minh confided.
The production process of banana candy at Nhat Hao facility, Vinh Trinh hamlet, Vinh Thuan commune.
Looking at their current success, few people know that Mr. and Mrs. Minh once went through a very difficult period to keep their craft alive. Previously, all stages of production were done manually, taking a lot of time and requiring hired labor. There was no stable market, costs were high, and profits were almost nonexistent. For many months, the couple had to borrow money to keep the workshop running. Mr. Minh even considered giving up the craft and going to Ho Chi Minh City to work as a factory worker for a more stable income.
Mrs. Pham Truc Ly, Mr. Minh's wife, emotionally recounted: "The local government provided capital to purchase production machinery. Now, processes such as cutting candy, packaging, and labeling are all done by machine, making it faster, more hygienic, and saving on labor costs, thus increasing profits. During holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year), the demand is very high, and we have to make candy every day to keep up with orders."
30 years of preserving the craft of basket weaving.
Leaving Mr. and Mrs. Minh's workshop, I visited the family of Mrs. Tran Thi Duyen, one of the few households still maintaining the weaving craft in Vinh Trinh hamlet, Vinh Thuan commune. The front yard was used to dry the woven products. Inside, Mrs. Duyen was diligently splitting long bamboo stalks to prepare for the next batch of products.
While splitting bamboo, Mrs. Duyen recounted, "This craft has been passed down in my family for three generations. It's been preserved for over 30 years, from my grandmother, to my mother, and now me. Previously, the whole neighborhood lived off weaving; every household did it, so it was called the weaving village. But now, woven products are no longer popular, so many people have abandoned the craft. It's hard work, the income isn't high, and it's not stable."
According to Ms. Duyen, to create durable and beautiful products, it is necessary to select bamboo that is glossy, old, and sturdy; therefore, the raw material selection process must be meticulous. The splitting and shaping of the bamboo strips is also very difficult, requiring meticulousness and skill; otherwise, the product is easily distorted and not in the correct shape.
Currently, the most frequently ordered product from Ms. Duyen's family is the woven basket. Some companies in Ca Mau province place orders for quantities sometimes exceeding 1,000 baskets at a time. Each month, she weaves 200-300 baskets, selling them for over 30,000 VND each, earning an income of 5-6 million VND per month. The busiest time is from October to November in the lunar calendar, when businesses prepare goods for Tet (Lunar New Year).
Wishing to preserve the traditional craft, Ms. Duyen often takes on large orders, then distributes and trains unemployed middle-aged women in the local area. She also sources high-quality bamboo, orders it in large quantities, and delivers it directly to the workers' homes. Those who are skillful and diligent can make 3-4 products per day, earning over 200,000 VND per day.
According to Ms. Hoang Thi Huong, Secretary of the Vinh Trinh Hamlet Party Branch, traditional crafts not only provide income for the people but also represent a beautiful and distinctive feature associated with the local identity. In the future, the hamlet will survey and propose to the competent authorities the implementation of policies to support machinery and equipment and find markets for products, thereby contributing to the preservation and development of traditional crafts in the future.
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/giu-nghe-xua-noi-lang-que-vinh-thuan-a425160.html
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