From a sea captain to a memory keeper
Having been a talented player for many years drifting in the waves, in 1989, Mr. Nguyen Van leo (75 years old, Thoi Thuan commune, Vinh Long) decided to "go ashore". Although he is far from the sea, his love for his homeland still urges him to find a new direction to stick with the memories of the coastal village.
At first, he only made a few models of fishing boats and precious fish to make people miss their profession. However, that job quickly became a great passion, a way for him to preserve memories of a time ofotering.
Without learning carpentry, Mr. Ba leo researched and tried wrongly and then persistently vague. "When doing things, I have to do every small detail to make them the most similar in real life, because I want viewers to understand how the ancient seafood industry was," said Mr. leo.
From jackfruit wood and hanging on the bamboo, he worked day and night. Some models are made in a few days, some models take a month to complete. After 36 years, he has created more than 500 models of ships and boats; 49 models of aircraft, warships and many models associated with the history of Thoi Thuan.
The old artisan said that each product is a "soul" of his hometown. He saw model work as not only a job of fun, but also a way to left history to his children and grandchildren in the future.
Record and dream of keeping the soul of the coastal village
In 2010, his collection "Aquaculture and Riverway Model" was recognized by the Vietnam Record Center as the largest collection, with 150 unique models.
But what he cherishes most is not the record, but the educational value of those models. He traveled everywhere, met living witnesses to record in detail each house, fence, and mat area, then recreated it with wood.
This is a historical relic, a lesson for the younger generation about revolutionary traditions, Mr. Ba Leo shared. His small house has now become a "membery museum" - where many groups of students come to listen to him tell the story of the coastal village and the heroic Thoi Thuan story.
Even at the age of 75, he still works hard, carving pieces of wood. He refused to sell the product because he considered it a "relic of his homeland". His biggest dream is to have a local exhibition room to preserve all works and donate them to the community.
Secretary of the Thoi Thuan Commune Party Committee - Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phong - said that the products of artist Nguyen Van leo are vivid documents about the heroic time of the locality.
"The commune is implementing a plan to establish an exhibition room, so that this place can become a traditional educational destination for the younger generation," Mr. Phong added.
