Coming to the blacksmith village (in Tien Loc commune, Hau Loc district, Thanh Hoa province) near Tet, from the beginning of the village to the end of the alley, everywhere you can hear the sound of hammers, knives being sharpened, the sound of machines running and assembling.
According to many locals, Tien Loc blacksmith village has existed for hundreds of years. Through many ups and downs of history, the blacksmithing profession has always been continued, passed down from generation to generation. Every time Tet comes, the blacksmith village becomes even more bustling.
Ms. Hoang Thi Ca (residing in Tien Loc commune, Hau Loc district) said that since she was a child, she began to get acquainted with the blacksmithing profession. Previously, forging knives, scissors, hoes and shovels was mainly done by hand, which was very hard work. But now, people have invested in more machinery and equipment, so the amount of products made is greater, and the blacksmithing work is less arduous.
"In addition to requiring physical strength, the blacksmith must also be meticulous and skillful to produce the best quality knives, shovels, hoes, etc." - Ms. Ca said.
Mr. Pham Van Tien (owner of Tan Loc Tai production facility, Tien Loc commune, Hau Loc district, Thanh Hoa province) said that, continuing the traditional profession left by his ancestors, up to now, his production facility has continuously expanded its scale, invested in machinery and produced many high-quality, durable products.
“We make knives, scissors, and farming tools all year round, however, we are busiest around Tet holiday, because at this time, people's demand increases sharply, buying these items to use during Tet holiday” - Mr. Tien shared.
According to Mr. Tien, currently, his facility supplies most provinces and cities in the country, even abroad, through many forms of online sales on social networking platforms and shipping to all over the country.
During Tet, the demand for knives and scissors increased dramatically, forcing Mr. Tien's production facility to increase its workforce. "Normally, our facility has about 50 to 70 people, however, near Tet, we have to increase it to about 90 to 100 workers. In addition, we also have to arrange overtime to increase the number of products to meet customer demand," said Mr. Tien.
According to the representative of the People's Committee of Tien Loc Commune, Hau Loc District, Thanh Hoa Province, blacksmithing is the main occupation of the locality. The locality has more than 1,500 households engaged in blacksmithing, bringing stable income and helping many households become rich. Blacksmithing takes place all year round, but is busiest during the period before the Lunar New Year, when orders from all over the provinces and cities pour in, blacksmithing households have to "work day and night" to produce batches of goods to serve people during the Tet holiday.
