These days, coming to Tien Loc blacksmithing village, Trieu Loc commune, Thanh Hoa province, it is easy to feel the urgent and bustling labor atmosphere from the beginning of the village to the end of the alley. The sound of hammering, grinding knives, the sound of machinery operating continuously to produce knives, scissors, and agricultural tools to serve the Tet market.
Many villagers said that no one remembers exactly when Tien Loc blacksmithing started, only knowing that the craft has been passed down from generation to generation, existing and developing over hundreds of years. After many historical ups and downs, blacksmithing is still maintained, every Tet and Spring, the blacksmithing village enters the most vibrant time of the year.
According to people, in the past, most production stages were manual, consuming a lot of labor and were considered a heavy occupation. However, in recent years, establishments in the village have boldly invested in modern machinery, contributing to improving productivity, product quality and reducing labor for blacksmiths.
Mr. Pham Van Tien, owner of Tan Loc Tai production facility in Tien Loc blacksmithing village, said that continuing the traditional craft of his ancestors, his facility has continuously expanded in scale, invested in more machinery, and produced many quality and durable goods.
The production facility of knives, scissors, and agricultural tools operates all year round, but near the Lunar New Year, it is always the busiest time due to increased shopping demand from people" - Mr. Tien shared.
Also according to Mr. Tien, to meet market demand during Tet, the facility must increase manpower. On normal days, there are about 50 to 70 workers, but at the time near Tet, it must increase to about 100 people, and at the same time arrange overtime to keep up with order progress.
As one of the large production facilities of Tien Loc blacksmithing village, Mr. Kieu Van Chung, Director of Tien Loc Mechanical Agricultural Cooperative, said that each year the unit produces about 500,000 products of all kinds, with diverse designs, with estimated revenue of over 10 billion VND.
“Previously, the blacksmithing profession was mainly a livelihood, feeding generations in the village. Now that the profession is applied scientifically and technically to production, many households have prospered, even become rich right in their homeland” - Mr. Chung said.
According to representatives of Trieu Loc Commune People's Committee, currently the whole commune has more than 1,500 households, with nearly 2,600 workers engaged in regular blacksmithing. Revenue from traditional craft villages reaches about 200 billion VND per year, the average income of workers is from 8 to 13 million VND/month, contributing to helping people stabilize their lives and gradually rise up to get rich.
