I am not from Hue so I am not familiar with the terrain. When I asked around, my friends recommended that I take my “open mouth” shoes to Truong Dinh Street, Hue City to have them repaired. It would be a pity to throw them away because they were not too bad yet. When I got there, the first thing that caught my eye was the hard-working men with their torn or worn-out shoes.
Seeing an old man who was busy preparing his tools while having free time, I stopped by. After chatting, he introduced himself as H., (61 years old) from Huong So ward, Hue city. When he was young, his family was poor and he did not have the opportunity to go to school, and his parents died early. One time, when he went to visit an acquaintance's house, he saw an old man repairing shoes and sandals, so he was curious and tried it. The old man said: "You have a talent for needlework and sewing", so he decided to learn this profession. After a few years of studying with meticulousness, carefulness and a bit of talent, he was able to start his career early.
It is difficult to say that he will get rich from this job, but according to Mr. H., he will never worry about not having a job. As long as people still wear shoes, there will be no need to worry about unemployment. Thanks to this job, Mr. H. has a stable income to support his three children to finish college.
While Uncle H. and I were chatting animatedly, a girl came up behind me and asked me to fix the strap of her clog. At this age, his hands were still very flexible and his eyes were still sharp. He carefully inserted each nail and used a hammer to gently hammer the strap to firmly adhere to the body of the clog. He carefully used scissors to cut off each excess strap. When he was done, he gave the clog he had just made to the girl to try on to see if she was satisfied. For him, every time he finished fixing a pair of shoes and saw that the customer was satisfied, he was happy all day. If he was not satisfied, he would adjust it again until it was perfect. Sometimes, he would take the whole pair of shoes apart and spend a whole day trying to sew it back just because a stitch was off...
That seemingly boring job has been Mr. H's joy for the past few decades. He said: "Every day I don't come here to look at and "treat" old shoes, I feel very uncomfortable. Now that I'm sick and have to take a few days off, I miss my customers, my familiar seat and the smell of glue that I've been with for more than half my life."
Not far from Mr. H.'s shop is the shoe repair shop of Mr. L., one of the workers who has been doing this job for many years here. Mr. L. confided: Shoe repair is like an "art". This job looks simple but requires meticulousness and carefulness. You have to be happy and comfortable to do it, otherwise... after finishing the repair, you don't even want to look at it, let alone the customers.
According to Mr. L., this job does not bring in high income, but it is stable. Over the years, the job becomes ingrained in the blood and is difficult to quit. However, not everyone can do it, it requires the man's flexibility and hand strength. Only by witnessing the process with your own eyes can you see the skill and ingenuity of this "healer".
Every day in contact with customers, especially tourists , we determine that every Hue resident is a tourism ambassador of the ancient capital, and the way we interact with customers must also be appropriate for a tourist city," said Mr. L.
There is no need for advertising signs here, just a few plastic chairs, simple tools… in a small corner, it becomes a place to repair shoes and sandals for everyone. From workers, or this man, that woman, to motorbike taxi drivers or anyone can stop by to have their shoes repaired.
Shoe repairmen who are “passionate” about their profession like Mr. H. and Mr. L. all try to repair old shoes that seem unusable into new, intact shoes. That is why, despite living far away, many customers still travel to Truong Dinh Street, Hue City to have their shoes repaired.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of city life, we will never forget the image of the small street corner where workers still sit, diligently "reviving" old shoes and sandals.
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