"I am still studying, researching and creating, not stopping any day in the past 70 years," Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tam (74 years old, Go Vap district, Ho Chi Minh City) opened the story with us when talking about his studying and working career.
Mr. Tam is the one who turns egg shells into works of art, whether they are the images of Santa Claus, cartoon characters or famous figures in the world...
He has created more than 1,000 egg shell products, setting a Vietnamese record as "The Most Eggs Peel Shaping Artist" in 2010.
During Christmas 2024, Mr. Tam also launched a product line including many models of Santa Claus with different styles or cave models, snowmen, reindeer... all made from the main material of egg shells.
"After all that time making eggshell products, I realized that there was nothing that could not be done, the important thing was whether I wanted to learn, explore, and research or not. And when I am willing to learn, acquire knowledge and constantly practice, everything is possible. Learning is never too late and creativity can spring up from anywhere," Mr. Tam affirmed.
Mr. Tam recalled that around 2001, after quitting his job at a foreign company, he returned to work teaching English to students.
And to make the lesson more vivid and intuitive, he came up with a way to make models and characters in textbooks to help students absorb more easily and be more excited about learning. And so he researched, learned, and the Santa Claus product was made from the first eggshell. And from here, his passion for creativity continues to grow.
In 2020, when the COVID-19 epidemic situation became complicated and his health somewhat declined, he officially stopped teaching.
"I stopped teaching, no longer directly imparting knowledge to students, but the transmission of inspiration for lifelong learning spirit, inspiration for creativity continued. I have more time to learn and research products made from egg shells, inspiring more students and the younger generation," Mr. Tam shared.
Each work created by Mr. Tam is a elaborate process, from finding suitable egg shells to designing, processing and coloring... Especially the process of finding and selecting egg shells that are suitable for the character's figure when it requires perseverance and patience.
Not only stopping at creating unique works, Mr. Tam also wants to spread this passion to the community. He is willing to share experiences with young people and cherish the desire to set a world record with the desire to make more people know about this sport.
"Iveping is like learning English at a new level, at first it was difficult to approach, but with each practice and learning, I acquired more knowledge, and gradually became proficient. Learning is the same, it will be the key for us to continuously develop and explore our own potential," said Mr. Tam.
