Traditional craft villages gradually disappear
On October 14, we returned to Nghi Phong commune (Nghi Loc district, Nghe An) to visit the province's only craft village making handmade do paper.
Sitting on an old iron bed, Ms. Vuong Thi Loan (born in 1966, residing in Hamlet 3, Nghi Phong Commune), is splitting large pieces of Do paper into smaller, square pieces and stacking them on top of each other.
She said her husband, Mr. Nguyen Van Ha, was in Ha Tinh to buy raw materials and had not returned yet.
"Waiting for enough materials to finish this batch of orders, because in the coming days, my husband and I will sit around doing nothing because no one is placing orders" - after saying that, Mrs. Loan pondered for a moment and then began to talk about her job.
Making do paper for more than 40 years, from the golden age when there were more than 100 households doing the job, Ms. Loan shared that currently the whole commune only has 3 households making do paper. If in previous years it was difficult because of the output, now finding raw materials is also extremely difficult.
“From early morning, my husband has to go to Nghi Xuan, Ha Tinh to buy Niet trees as raw materials, usually it takes until late afternoon to collect enough materials. In the past, we used Do trees to make paper, when the Do trees ran out, we had to use Niet trees.
Niet trees grow mainly in the wild and are very difficult to grow. In previous years, they could be bought in Quynh Luu district, but now they are no longer available, so we have to go all the way to Ha Tinh to buy them," said Ms. Loan.
The craft of making do paper in Nghi Phong commune has a long tradition. Following the tradition of father to son, the craft of making do paper has been passed down through many generations in Nghi Phong commune.
“The craft of making do paper has supported many generations of families here, I always keep in mind that I must preserve the traditional craft of my ancestors. But now the craft is hard, the income is low, my husband and I have 4 children, all 4 of them have chosen other jobs and not followed the family craft of making do paper” - Mrs. Loan sadly.
According to Ms. Vuong Thi Loan, the price of each sheet of Do paper is only from 5,000 - 25,000 VND, depending on the size and quality. With 2 people working together, they can only make about 50 sheets per day, earning about 400,000 VND/day. This amount of money after deducting materials such as niet tree trunks, lime, firewood... along with the whole day's effort, there is almost no profit.
Difficult to maintain handicraft villages
Some elderly people in Nghi Phong commune recounted that about 20 years ago, on beautiful sunny days, everywhere in the commune, they saw white do paper frames drying in their gardens and along the dirt roads.
But now, of the hundreds of households that used to make do paper, there are only three left. The do paper frames that covered the sky now only lie modestly in the yard or on the sidewalk of the concrete alley.
Do paper products are now mainly used to cover fish bellies. Occasionally, customers order in large quantities to make incense, handmade fans, kites, etc.
Mr. Nguyen Cong Anh - Chairman of Nghi Phong Commune People's Committee said that after Nghi Phong Commune planned to merge into Vinh City, the land price in the locality is increasing rapidly. The land where do or niet trees used to grow in the past has been cut down by people to make residential or agricultural land.
“Not only the Do paper making profession, but also some other handicrafts in Nghi Phong commune are facing many difficulties and are at risk of disappearing. However, this is an inevitable trend when the commune is shifting its economic structure, becoming the core area of Vinh city in the future,” said Mr. Nguyen Cong Anh.
