Independent aging

There are familiar sounds that resound every morning, the sound of chiseling stone in the yard, the sound of hammering next to the red-hot forge, those sounds do not come from young men, but from the sunburned, veined hands of those who have gone through more than half a century of life. Self-reliant old age, taking work as a joy is no longer a trend, but an affirmation of the positive living spirit of an experienced generation.

Inanimate stones through the hands of Mr. Do Van Lien (living in Binh Phuoc ward) have become soulful and have feng shui shapes. Photo: Hien Luong

Sticking with the profession of casting pots and making rockery

Amidst the hustle and bustle of urban life, in a quiet corner of a small garden, there are sinewy hands that still knead soil and rocks every day, trim moss, and create miniature rock shapes in everyday life. Mr. Do Van Lien (64 years old, living in Binh Phuoc ward, Dong Nai province). Building rockery and creating bonsai pots is not only a way to make a living, but also a joy, a way for Mr. Lien to preserve a delicate hobby, cherish beauty, nurture the spirit and keep the soul young.

Mr. Lien said that more than 30 years ago, he left his hometown Thanh Hoa to start a business in the South. At first, he worked for a facility specializing in making ornamental plants, then he learned this profession. Currently, Mr. Lien has established his own facility and has achieved certain successes. Mr. Lien said that on average, in 2 days, he can complete a rockery and a pot, worth about 8 million VND.

“Today, the talented and skillful hands of pot molders and shapers are considered artisans. The miniature landscapes and products they create contribute to bringing people’s souls closer to and living in harmony with nature,” said Mr. Vu Minh Duc, Dong Nai Province Ornamental Plants Association.

“At first, I didn’t think I would be in this profession for so long. I saw someone doing it well, so I stood there watching and learning from them. It became a habit. It was fun, I earned money and did the job I loved,” Mr. Lien shared.

Understanding the psychology of customers, Mr. Lien always devotes all his effort and creativity to breathe life into each work. Only then will each rockery or animal have its own beauty, no work is the same as another, making the buyer always feel like he owns a beautiful work.

Each rockery that Mr. Lien makes is a work of art. Each product is worth from several million to tens of millions of dong, even up to 100 million dong depending on the complexity and requirements of the customer.

"Society is developing more and more, more houses are being built so more people are playing with bonsai and bonsai pots, I also have a steady job so I'm happy" - Mr. Lien confided.

With the development of the need to beautify living spaces, the profession of making bonsai pots and rockery is becoming a stable source of income for many people. These handmade products are not only popular in families, but also in constructions, tourist areas, and restaurants. Therefore, each bonsai pot or rockery is not simply a decorative object, but also has feng shui meaning, helping to bring prosperity and luck to the owner.

Many people wonder why they don't rest at this age. Mr. Lien said: "It's okay to rest, but resting is sad. If you still feel healthy and happy working, you will continue working. If you can still work, you will still have a meaningful life."

Keep the blacksmith profession alive

Also choosing the path of financial independence in his old age, Mr. Hoang Van Tham (60 years old, living in Phu Nghia commune, Dong Nai province) has devoted his whole life to the blacksmith profession. In the age of machines and mass-produced knives, he still holds the hammer and anvil firmly to create each knife, machete, hoe... by hand, not only to earn a living but also to preserve a traditional profession that is gradually fading away. For him, working is not simply a way to earn a living, it is also a way to live a healthy, happy and valuable life.

Mr. Tham said that he was from Thanh Hoa province, the third generation to succeed his father, he was a blacksmith. Since birth, he was familiar with the sound of the anvil and hammer of his father. Throughout his childhood, he witnessed the hardships and difficulties of the blacksmithing profession, but when he grew up, he was still passionate and could not separate from the profession. The blacksmithing profession in his hometown is hundreds of years old. In its heyday, the blacksmiths worked day and night, and the blacksmiths had no end of work. When he was 15 years old, he was taught the profession by his grandfather and father. In the morning he went to school, and in the evening he came home to learn how to forge plowshares. Although it was hard and difficult, he still loved the profession and did not complain. Later, when he moved to the South to live, he still carried the flame of the blacksmithing profession with him.

Mr. Tham shared: “This profession is a family tradition, I can tell right away just by looking at the red steel, whether the knife is sharp or not depends on the casting technique, I dip it in water to get the right color; doing it by hand is slow but the technique is high, the product is durable and beautiful, while doing it by machine is fast but not like that”.

Blacksmithing is a hard job. The blacksmith or the hammer-handling assistant must have the endurance to work from morning until evening. The heat of the steel billet is heated to thousands of degrees and the charcoal furnace is always red hot. To make a product, the blacksmith must go through many stages, from cutting iron and steel to shape, heating, hammering, dipping in water to quench, then heating, hammering, until the product is shaped, then sharpening and making the handle. Among them, the master craftsman is the soul of the forge, both patient and skillful.

Life changes, opening up many ways to make a living and so the number of people pursuing the blacksmith profession is gradually decreasing. For dedicated artisans like Mr. Tham, the desire and determination to keep the fire burning in their profession still urges them every day. And then, despite their old age and weak hands, experienced blacksmiths like Mr. Tham still light fires, hammer, and sweat every day by the charcoal stove to create durable and sophisticated handmade products.

For Mr. Tham, blacksmithing is not only a way to make a living, but also a career, a lifelong passion. Continuing to do the job is also a way to inspire and pass on skills to the younger generation, contributing to preserving the cultural identity of Thanh craft villages in the era of modernization and industrialization.

Hien Luong

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/202508/tuoi-gia-tu-chu-3d82e21/