Traditional handicraft village maintenance

Tuong Binh Hiep lacquer village is not only the pride of generations of people working locally, but also the typical traditional culture of Binh Duong. In order for the once-famous craft village to never fade away due to the impact of industrialization and urbanization, the implementation of the conservation project combined with tourism development to revive the Tuong Binh Hiep lacquer village is overtly meaningful.

The characteristic identity

According to lacquer artisans, Tuong Binh Hiep lacquer village is the most famous and typical in Binh Duong as born in the 18th century to be considered as the cradle of lacquer crafting in Binh Duong where people at the time soon realized the advantages to gradually form the unique crafting village. Wood materials of all kinds combined with Phu Tho oil paint - a resin of beautiful, strange, glossy and durable colors, has created a glossy black enamel for lacquer works. Village artisans have constantly improved their techniques, and trained classes of artisans to inherit the traditional craft and develop long-term social figures.

Binh Duong provincial leaders and departments have a survey on a facility in Tuong Binh Hiep lacquer village

Over many generations, lacquer on the land of Binh Duong still retains its traditional beauty, which is sophistication, gentleness, and bold Asian characters. Tuong Binh Hiep Lacquer Village is the only in the South to have all 3 types of traditional lacquer, namely decorative lacquer, applied lacquer and artistic lacquer all in the smallest space, very separate in terms of visual language and art. Today, the facilities in Tuong Binh Hiep lacquer village are capable of producing quite a variety of lacquerwares from art paintings to cabinets, tables and chairs. Besides lacquer paintings, there are lacquer products for daily use and decoration such as vases, jars, plates, bracelets, and boxes.

Tuong Binh Hiep lacquerwares, in addition to quality, have their own artistic values on which lacquer businesses and production facilities are always well aware of improving the quality and artistic value of their products to attract customers to increase profits. However, the production of products currently depends largely on the skill of the craftsmen. The increasing cost of raw materials also increases the cost of products while the selling price in the markets of other countries is facing fierce competition. International customers are increasingly demanding for product quality, so the output is facing great demands.

Le Ba Linh – Deputy Chairman of Binh Duong Lacquer-Sculpture Association and Director of Tu Bon Lacquer Co. Ltd., said that under fierce competition in many manufacturing industries, the current stage requires enterprises to make efforts, learn, create, promptly grasp new models, trends, and standards to stay in line with the increasing requirements of customers.

The pride to keep

Over the past 10 years, the lacquer village is against many challenges. Currently, about 30 lacquer production and trading establishments are residing in the craft village with fewer than 1,000 employees in the industry. These figures show that Tuong Binh Hiep lacquer village, although recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage, is gradually fading. “In order to overcome problems, lacquer enterprises and establishments are actively sharing purchase orders. The ultimate goal is to keep the number of businesses and establishments stable, especially with a workforce of skilled workers. In particular, efforts are made to research and create new models to gradually apply science and technology to production, and take advantage of e-commerce channels to set up more selling channels for the products," added Le Ba Linh.

In order for the once-famous craft village of the country to stay, besides the efforts of dedicated artisans is the implementation of a conservation project combined with tourism development.

Thai Kim Dien - Chairman of Binh Duong Lacquer - Sculpture Association, said that the construction of the conservation area is an urgent project, making an important contribution to meeting the expectations of the people and artisans of the village after many years pending for innovation and development; thereby, creating the best conditions for businesses and craft village establishments to access preferential policies and develop local socio-economic through trade and tourism promotion activities in the area. At the same time, they could contribute to calling on all classes of people, businesses, social organizations, and industry associations to learn the long-standing historical value of a traditional craft village and a list of cultural heritages evidenced by the fact that national intangible object in Tuong Binh Hiep ward is recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Reported by Thoai Phuong – Translated by Vi Bao