"King of pets"
Artisan Nam Cong, real name Nguyen Van Cong (77 years old, residing in Hung Khanh Trung B, Cho Lach district, Ben Tre province), is known as the "king of bonsai" for creating bonsai with unique shapes and features that are hard to find anywhere else.
Previously, Nam Cong's family grew fruit trees but the income was not high. In the early 1980s, realizing that the provinces and cities needed trees to beautify the urban areas, he decided to destroy the garden to plant ornamental trees.
"I chose Sanh and Si because this type of tree has good vitality and quickly creates shade. As expected, when I had the goods, many customers from the Eastern provinces asked to buy them," Mr. Nam Cong shared.
Mr. Cong added that after changing his career, for a period of time he was continuously invited by green companies everywhere to exchange and consult on tree planting methods. During that time, no matter how much he made, it was not enough to sell. After only a few years of changing his career, he bought an additional 4 hectares of land to grow raw materials.
According to Mr. Cong, the 12 zodiac animals are the most difficult products to make in the ornamental animal industry because of their many sizes and many large and small details. Among them, the dragon-shaped ornamental animal is the easiest to make because no one can argue with the artist's imagination of the mascot. As for creating the shape of a buffalo or dog, if the facial expression or belly shape is incorrect, everyone will immediately recognize it, so it is very difficult to make.
“The most expensive product I have ever sold is a pair of dragons over 20m long, worth 80 million VND. However, most of my products are priced around 10 million VND, all made to order,” said Mr. Nam Cong.
Pets exported
Mr. Nguyen Van Cong said that in 2013, he exported many of his unique products to Singapore, Australia, and Cambodia according to orders. The main exported products include: elephants, airplanes, horse-drawn carriages, hexagonal houses, etc.
“After completion, these products are cut into small pieces and put into containers to be shipped overseas by sea. Then I have to fly there to assemble and deliver them to the ordering unit,” said Mr. Cong.
Artisan Nam Cong said that now, he makes almost all products, just need the ordering unit to briefly tell about the shape and size, I will sketch, make an iron frame to bend into the shape of an animal or special shape according to request. In which, from insects such as ants, butterflies, and butterflies to elephants, horses, and deer, all are shaped to look real.
"Currently, my facility regularly creates jobs for nearly 20 workers. Many skilled workers have opened their own facilities, but I never hide my profession," said Mr. Cong.
From the sole establishment of artisan Nam Cong, the flower and ornamental land of Cho Lach (Ben Tre province) now has more than a dozen establishments specializing in making ornamental animals and figures to supply the domestic and foreign markets. Currently, artisan Nam Cong is passing on his profession to his youngest son to take over this ornamental craft. At the same time, he is instructing the team of workers on techniques to bend trees and make products according to customers' orders.
