“Keeping the fire” for the century-old blacksmith village in Hue

Nghe ren Bao Vinh (phuong Huong Vinh, TP Hue) co nguon goc tu lang Hien Luong (xa Phong Hien, huyen Phong Dien, tinh Thua Thien Hue) von noi tieng voi nghe ren, nghe sat truyen thong nhieu doi truoc.

Bao Vinh blacksmithing (Huong Vinh ward, Hue city) originated from Hien Luong village (Phong Hien commune, Phong Dien district, Thua Thien Hue province), which is famous for its traditional blacksmithing and iron craft for many generations.

Khoang 100 nam truoc, nguoi dan di cu vao pho co Bao Vinh (thuoc TP Hue hien nay), hinh thanh nen xom chuyen ren san xuat cac vat dung, dung cu phuc vu doi song.

About 100 years ago, people migrated to Bao Vinh ancient town (now Hue city), forming a blacksmithing village that produced tools and utensils for daily life. Here, the establishments processed and manufactured a variety of products, including: agricultural tools (plows, hoes, shovels, hammers, sickles), kitchen utensils (knives, scissors, pots, pans), decorative and fine art objects (gates, doors, fences)...

Tai day, cac co so gia cong va che tao ra nhieu san pham da dang, bao gom: dung cu nong nghiep (luoi cay, cuoc, xeng, bua, liem), dung cu bep nuc (dao, keo, noi, chao), do vat trang tri va my nghe (cong, cua, hang rao)...

Mr. Truong Ty, 56 years old (owner of a blacksmith shop in Bao Vinh old town) said that his and his relatives' blacksmith shop produces many products, including dozens of different types. Currently, the shop has 7 workers, working all year round, even during the rainy season, they still work to serve the market.

“San pham ren lam ra duoc nhieu nguoi mua, thi truong chu yeu la cac tinh mien Trung nhu Quang Tri, TP Da Nang va xuat khau qua Lao” ong Ty cho biet them.

Blacksmiths work to create handmade products.

Trai qua tram nam, nhu cau tieu dung tren dia ban ngay cang giam, mot so nguoi dan da chuyen sang lam nghe khac. Hien nay xom ren Bao Vinh co 28 ho lam ren voi 42 nhan khau giu nghe.

Over the past hundred years, the local consumer demand has decreased, and some people have switched to other occupations. Currently, Bao Vinh blacksmith village has 28 blacksmith households with 42 people keeping the profession.

Anh Truong Tien Nhat (35 tuoi, tru phuong Huong Vinh, TP Hue) con kha tre nhung da co nhung tam huyet nhat dinh voi nghe ren o dia phuong. Theo anh Nhat, muon lam duoc tho ren khong don gian, phai trai qua qua trinh hoc nghe khoang 10 nam. Con khi muon tao ra mot san pham hoan thien, nguoi tho khong nhung biet moi ren, ma phai biet ket hop voi han noi, sang tao.

Mr. Truong Tien Nhat (35 years old, residing in Huong Vinh ward, Hue city) is quite young but has a certain passion for the local blacksmithing profession. According to Mr. Nhat, to become a blacksmith is not simple, one must go through an apprenticeship of about 10 years. And when wanting to create a finished product, the craftsman must not only know how to forge, but also know how to combine welding and creativity.

“Nghe ren tuy vat va, nhung toi mong muon lam sao do de cong viec nay duoc on dinh, ba con dia phuong co the giu nghe, chu sau nay khong ai lam ren nua thi rat tiec”, anh Nhat bay to.

“Although blacksmithing is hard work, I hope to find a way to stabilize this job so that local people can keep the profession. Otherwise, it would be a pity if no one would do blacksmithing anymore,” said Mr. Nhat.

Moi day, ngay 26.11, UBND tinh Thua Thien Hue da cong nhan nghe ren Bao Vinh, phuong Huong Vinh, TP Hue la Nghe truyen thong tinh Thua Thien Hue.

Recently, on November 26, the People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue province recognized Bao Vinh blacksmithing in Huong Vinh ward, Hue city as a traditional craft of Thua Thien Hue province.

Ngay 1.12, trao doi voi Bao Lao Dong, ong Ta Duong Anh Tuan – Chu tich UBND phuong Huong Vinh cho biet, de duy tri va phat trien nghe ren Bao Vinh trong thoi gian toi, chinh quyen dia phuong se tap trung ho tro, khoi phuc va phat trien nghe ren truyen thong tao dieu kien thuan loi de cac ho gia dinh tham gia vao hoat dong san xuat kinh doanh.

On December 1, speaking with Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Ta Duong Anh Tuan - Chairman of Huong Vinh Ward People's Committee said that in order to maintain and develop Bao Vinh blacksmithing in the coming time, the local government will focus on supporting, restoring and developing the traditional blacksmithing profession, creating favorable conditions for households to participate in production and business activities.

Dong thoi, van dong cac ho dan lam nghe tiep tuc phat trien nghe ren truyen thong von co tai dia phuong; dau tu may moc, thiet bi tien tien nang cao nang luc, quy mo san xuat. Dong thoi van duy tri cach thuc lam truyen thong de duy tri net truyen thong, tinh xao tu ban tay dieu luyen cua nguoi tho ren.

At the same time, mobilize households to continue developing the traditional blacksmithing profession in the locality; invest in advanced machinery and equipment to improve capacity and production scale. At the same time, maintain traditional methods to preserve the traditional and sophisticated features from the skillful hands of blacksmiths.

“Viec quang ba cac san pham ren truyen thong la dieu khong the thieu. Chinh quyen dia phuong se phoi hop voi cac co quan chuc nang, cung nhu chu dong sang tao to chuc cac su kien de gioi thieu cac san pham ren den voi nguoi tieu dung” ong Tuan noi.

“Promoting traditional forged products is indispensable. Local authorities will coordinate with relevant agencies, as well as proactively create and organize events to introduce forged products to consumers,” said Mr. Tuan.