OCOP Star for Art Sculptures

Thiet Ung craft village - considered the cradle of fine art wood carving and statue carving in Van Ha commune, Dong Anh district, Hanoi. Many fine art wood carving products here have been recognized as achieving 3.4 stars of the "One Commune One Product" OCOP program, becoming a key economic sector of this locality.

The quintessence of wood carving art

Different from the majority of wood craft villages, Thiet Ung craft village, Van Ha commune, Dong Anh district (Hanoi) is known as a long-standing fine art wood carving village, by artisans with talented hands, creating unique fine art wood carving and statue carving products. Through dozens of generations, many generations of Van Ha fine art wood craftsmen have gradually created a brand in the market. After that, artisans passed on the profession to people in neighboring communes. The carpentry profession gradually spread throughout Van Ha commune, creating its own identity and mark.

Chairman of Thiet Ung Craft Village Association (Van Ha commune) Do Van Cuong said: To create a work, I will first sketch the image of the intended work, then use a saw to create a rough shape, then proceed to chisel each detail to create a clear shape of the work. This is also considered an important step that determines the sophistication, sharpness and soul of the work.

The business of Mr. Do Van Cuong's family has 05 products: wood carvings of rich pigs, wood carvings of lotus candlesticks, jackfruit, one-horned rhinoceros... recognized as 3-star OCOP. Especially the lotus sculptures. The wood carvings of lotus candlesticks that Mr. Cuong creates have many spiritual meanings. The lotus is a noble, sacred flower associated with the image of Buddhism, the embodiment of Buddha. In the worship space of each Vietnamese family, wooden lotus candlesticks are often displayed with the purpose of adding solemnity and elegance to the worship space. This product was made by Mr. Cuong with all his passion, so when it was sold on the market, it was very popular.

“For me, the lotus flower is a priceless gift from nature with a simple, elegant and pure beauty. The lotus represents the vitality and strong spirit of the Vietnamese people “living near the mud but not smelling of mud”. The lotus is also associated with the image of Buddha, with the image of the great President Ho Chi Minh. Therefore, when working as a woodcarver, I received special inspiration to create many works about lotus.” Mr. Cuong shared.

Not stopping at works about lotus, Cuong Hong fine art wood workshop currently has many unique products about wooden statues, wooden paintings, animal sculptures... Most of which are designed and directly sculpted by artisan Do Van Cuong himself.

Enhancing value

The entire Van Ha commune currently has 5 villages with nearly 2,600 households, of which 80% of households are engaged in handicrafts. The annual production value of handicrafts accounts for about 70% of the total income of the whole commune. In particular, the commune has 14 artisans recognized by the Hanoi People's Committee; 48 members are representatives of production households and wooden furniture manufacturing enterprises in the area... Participating in the OCOP program, Van Ha has 31 wooden handicraft products recognized as 3-star and 4-star OCOP products.

Mr. Nguyen Van Nhuan - Vice Chairman of the Van Ha Commune People's Committee said: Currently, handicraft production is the main source of income for local people. Since the OCOP Program, the Commune People's Committee has promoted and mobilized people to actively participate in order to enhance brand value. OCOP entities such as the establishment of Artisan Do Van Cuong have made great efforts to develop products and create many unique wooden handicrafts. In the coming time, the People's Committee of the commune will continue to mobilize people to maintain and develop traditional occupations, and request superior agencies to create conditions for people to have stable premises to build wood markets, industrial parks and create capital for production. Today, the stages of producing wooden handicrafts in Van Ha carpentry village are still maintained, but thanks to the application of science and technology, the speed has been accelerated and manual labor has been reduced. Van Ha is also a place where many companies specializing in wood processing and consuming wooden products gather, the revenue from wooden products production currently accounts for 90% of the income of the craft village, in which wood products used to make furniture, beds, cabinets and worshiping objects are dominant. The woodworking profession helps change the face of Van Ha commune's countryside, increase people's income to help them make a living from the profession and increasingly produce many beautiful and diverse designs. In particular, Van Ha craft village products are now increasingly promoted and exported to markets in Europe, the US, Japan, and China.

To integrate with the development trend, Van Ha wood craft village has proactively taken many solutions to preserve and develop the profession. Production households continue to improve the quality and value of products and design diverse product models, suitable for the needs and tastes of customers; increase participation in evaluating and classifying OCOP products; participate in handicraft product design competitions, tourism product design competitions in Hanoi and the country.

In addition, the craft village also organizes orientation activities, on-site vocational training for the younger generation in parallel with cultural studies at local schools. The craft village also focuses on promoting 4.0 technology in information, promotion, and product introduction on social networking platforms, strengthening trade promotion activities, etc., Mr. Nhuan added.

Source: Vietnam Business Forum

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