The opportunity to restore the lantern making profession of young people leaving the city
Before deciding to return to his hometown in Dien Ban ward, Da Nang city, Mr. Le Vinh Ha once started a business in Ho Chi Minh City with a chain of four cafes in the old quarter style. However, economic fluctuations led him to choose to close business locations to find a different direction. Realizing the value of his hometown lantern, Mr. Ha decided to establish a lantern production facility named Thien Dang.
The early days of starting a business were full of challenges because the production process required meticulousness in each stage and solid skills of the craftsman. To train a skilled worker, the facility must spend 3 to 5 months on thorough guidance. Raw bamboo materials after being processed and cut into sections will be split into bars, soaked in water for 2 to 3 days against termites, then dried and smoked to create durability before moving to the stage of wrapping the frame, gluing fabric and completing details.
Thanks to uniform quality, the facility's products currently supply the market with 300 to 500 lanterns per day, serving both domestic markets and exports to the US, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Europe and Malaysia.
Mr. Vo Nhu Minh - Secretary of the Youth Union of Dien Ban Ward, Da Nang City - assessed: "This is one of the typical models of young people returning to their hometowns to start businesses in the area. Over the past time, the Ward Union has accompanied and supported grassroots levels in communication and product promotion, and at the same time acting as a bridge to help grassroots levels access preferential loans from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies to expand production.
Thanks to his efforts to preserve the traditional craft, Mr. Ha was honored to be awarded the Luong Dinh Cua Award by the Central Youth Union for young farmers in 2025.
Mr. Vo Nhu Minh shared: "In the next direction, the Ward Union will continue to accompany the grassroots to develop the model, and at the same time promote linkages to promote other typical products of the locality such as powdered incense or fine art wood to create more job opportunities for workers.
Accompanying and supporting young people to start businesses and create livelihoods
Thien Dang facility also provides jobs for more than 20 local workers, most of whom are elderly people and agricultural workers in difficult circumstances.
One of the workers who has been attached to the facility for many years is Ms. Le Thi Lan (37 years old), working at the stage of decorating and gluing lantern fabric.
Ms. Lan shared: "Previously, I worked as a garment worker, the job was time-constrained. Since coming to work here, the job has brought stable income to help cover family life, and also helped me to be proactive in taking my children to school. The first days of learning the job were a bit unfamiliar, but when I got used to it, the job became more favorable.
Similarly, Ms. Le Thi Hoa also found a stable source of income at the facility when she entered her twilight years. In the stage of assembling lantern frames, Ms. Hoa said that this job is suitable for her health.
I have worked here for more than three years in the stage of making lantern frames. This job brings a stable income, helping me cover my own life in my old age without having to worry as much as before," Ms. Hoa confided.
Having gone through more than 3 years of starting a business in his hometown, Mr. Le Vinh Ha expressed his agreement with his choice when deciding to return to his hometown river.
