During Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year), the craft of making piggy banks thrives.

In the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), the Minh Nhut pottery workshop in Thoi Hoa 2 area, Thot Not ward, Can Tho city, is always bustling. Ms. Nguyen Thi Ut, the owner, and her six workers divide the tasks among themselves: polishing, applying base colors, trimming details, etc., to meet delivery deadlines. From simply picking up and delivering goods, Ms. Ut has now built a stable production facility, generating an income of over 60 million VND per month and creating jobs for local workers.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ut (on the left), owner of Minh Nhut ceramics facility in Thoi Hoa 2 area, Thot Not ward, Can Tho city, discusses with local officials about the production and consumption of piggy banks during Tet (Lunar New Year).

Ms. Ut has been involved in making piggy banks for about 10 years. Previously, she worked as a nail technician and hairdresser, but due to family circumstances, she left her hometown and moved to Ho Chi Minh City to make a living. Thanks to a friend's introduction, she switched to selling piggy banks, taking orders and delivering them to earn extra income. When her business became stable, she boldly decided to pursue it long-term, starting her own production facility at home.

For her traditional terracotta piggy bank line, Ms. Ut chooses to buy raw ceramic pigs from kilns in Binh Duong , bringing them back to her workshop for careful processing before decorating. Each product must go through steps of cleaning, polishing, applying a base color, and then painting. Ms. Ut personally mixes the colors, creates the designs, and instructs her workers. Not content with familiar designs, Ms. Ut proactively innovates to retain customers and expand her market. In 2017, she taught herself online and created a line of 3D piggy banks with cartoon-style variations. Currently, in addition to the ready-made designs, her workshop accepts custom orders such as engraving names, logos, messages, company names, etc., to meet the increasingly diverse needs of customers.

For the past 10 months, Ms. Ut has developed a line of plaster pigs to ensure a steady supply and increase product value. Compared to traditional clay pigs, plaster pigs are easier to shape. However, in the initial testing phase, the products often had defects due to incorrect mixing ratios, air bubbles, and uneven surfaces, requiring her to redo the work multiple times to learn from experience. Now, the plaster pigs from her workshop have a beautiful, durable finish and are popular with customers. Traditional clay pigs cost around 5,000-70,000 VND per product; plaster pigs range from 20,000-500,000 VND per product (depending on size and design). On average, the workshop supplies about 5,000 products to the market each month, generating revenue of over 60 million VND.

According to Ms. Ut, during Tet (Lunar New Year), piggy banks become popular not only because of their vibrant colors but also because of their symbolic meaning of saving money. Many families choose to buy piggy banks as gifts for their children and grandchildren, reminding them of the habit of saving and accumulating; many customers order custom-designed piggy banks as gifts for the New Year. Therefore, production increases sharply during Tet, potentially reaching around 20,000 products. Currently, Minh Nhut's facility provides regular employment for 6 workers, with incomes ranging from 4.5 to 7 million VND per person per month, depending on skill level and the time of year.

Ms. Phan Thi My Xuan, Head of the Front Committee for Thoi Hoa 2 area, Thot Not ward, commented: “Ms. Ut is a typical example of a successful businesswoman in the locality. Starting from a small-scale processing facility, she successfully built an efficient production model, providing stable income for her family and creating jobs for workers.”

Text and photos: KIEN QUOC

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/ngay-tet-nghe-lam-heo-dat-len-ngoi--a198391.html