Good knives forged at bargain prices
More than 100 kilometres away from Ha Noi lies an old village that has made a name for itself in
The villagers of Trung Luong forging village (Ha Tinh province) are rushing to produce knives and sickles to serve the Tet market. The increased demand made the workers unable to keep up with the orders.
On the occasion of the Lunar New Year, Truong Huu Binh and his wife (54 years old, Trung Luong forging village, Hong Linh town, Ha Tinh) received a large order with thousands of knives. “We get up early in the morning but do not do enough to meet the demand of the Tet market,” Mr. Binh said.
According to Mr. Binh, Trung Luong is a traditional blacksmith village, dating back hundreds of years. His family also passed from father to son to work in blacksmithing. This man started working when he was 19-20 years old and still “keeps the fire”.
“Every day, we make about 16 knives, earning about 300,000 VND. Besides farming, this job helps us have more income,” said Mr. Binh.($1=24,000 VND)
Many households in Trung Luong ward are busy perfecting knives and sickles to serve the needs of customers. These days, coming to Trung Luong village, the most prominent sound is the sound of steel hammering, forging, grinding, etc. Any household with a lot of noise will have more income.
Mr. Tran Quang Vinh (51 years old) has 30 years of experience with blacksmithing. “I get up at 4am, work at least 14 hours a day, earn about 300,000 VND. Compared to other jobs, such a low income, but we still maintain it. Two months of Tet sell the most,” he said. Vinh said.
To create a knife, the worker must be meticulous and persistent with each stage, from cutting steel to shape, firing, and beating the workpiece to shaping and sharpening the product.
From the talented hands of the workers, products of knives and agricultural tools of Trung Luong village are produced and sold in the market all over the country. Over a long period of time, the products of this traditional craft village still affirm the brand and have its own characteristics.
20 years ago, Trung Luong forging village had more than 300 households doing the craft. In addition to knives, they also produce agricultural tools such as plows, hoes, shovels, etc. Due to the great competition of industrial products with many designs, the craft village has only more than 30 households sticking to this profession often. regular, the rest is seasonal.
According (Dan Tri)