Traditional Craft Villages Abuzz with Activity Ahead of Lunar New Year

(DTO) Production is in full swing at the feather duster-making, cutting-board, and mat-weaving villages in Lap Vo and Lai Vung communes (Dong Thap Province) as they gear up for the Lunar New Year market. In recent years, despite numerous challenges, local craft villages have continued to innovate and improve product quality.

A BUSY SEASON FOR FEATHER DUSTER MASTER

For more than 40 years, the feather duster-making village in Lap Vo Commune has operated year-round, but it becomes especially busy in the final months of the year. Each worker handles a different step, from bending and sawing bamboo to finishing the dusters.

Just after finishing a phone call with a customer, Mr. Nguyen Van Loi, a resident of Binh An Hamlet, Lap Vo Commune, said the craft village is now in peak season, with output rising to three or four times higher than usual. Feather dusters come in various types, such as chicken body feather, tail feather, and upper feather dusters.

Mr. Loi shared: “In the past, I sourced raw materials from within the province, but now they’re scarce, so we have to buy from Ca Mau Province. 

At this time of year, workers are racing to meet Lunar New Year demand. My workshop produces around 10,000 dusters a month and provides jobs for 10 local workers. 

Every year, sales increase toward the end of the year. Last Lunar New Year alone, I sold more than 50,000 dusters of all kinds.”

Mr. Ho Trung Dung, a local craftsman who specializes in bending bamboo for duster handles, said: “Because I have to take care of my family, I can't work far from home. Thanks to this craft, I can earn an income while still managing family responsibilities. With years of experience and quick hands, I make about 200,000-300,000 VND per day.”

CUTTING-BOARD AND MAT-WEAVING VILLAGES RACE TO MEET LUNAR NEW YEAR DEMAND

These days, the Dinh Yen mat-weaving village (Lai Vung Commune) is busy with the Lunar New Year production. The rhythmic sounds of wooden looms and mechanical weaving machines fill the air.

Each person handles a different task: dyeing sedge fibers, drying them, preparing the warp, and weaving. Ms. Nguyen Kim Van, a resident of Lai Vung Commune, shared: “My family has been making mats for more than 30 years. 

The Lunar New Year production begins in the tenth lunar month. During peak season, we often stay up late dyeing and weaving to deliver orders on time.

This year’s mat prices have remained stable compared to previous years. In recent years, thanks to new machinery, production has become faster and more consistent”.

According to Ms. Tran Thi Ngoc, also from Lai Vung Commune, with weaving machines, each worker can produce up to eight mats per day, earning between 200,000 and 300,000 VND. 

As a result, household incomes have improved significantly compared to the days of fully manual weaving. The village’s mats are popular across the Mekong Delta, the southeastern provinces, and even in Cambodia.

Along National Route 54 in Lai Vung Commune, the wooden cutting-board village is also rushing to fulfill year-end orders.

Ms. Le Thi Khen, a member of the Dinh An Wooden Cutting-Board Cooperative Group in Lai Vung Commune, said: “In recent years, the market has shown greater interest in natural wooden cutting boards. 

This year, the Lunar New Year production has been livelier, with orders up to 1.5 times higher than usual. Each Lunar New Year season, my family supplies around 500-700 cutting boards of various types.”

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Viet, also from Lai Vung Commune and currently producing cutting boards for the holiday market, said: “To complete a cutting board, workers must go through several steps like sawing the wood, shaping it on a lathe, trimming, and sun-drying.

It takes about two days to finish 100 cutting boards. There are many types available, priced from 10,000 to 45,000 VND each, depending on size”.

According to local craftsmen, the cutting-board market for this Lunar New Year became active early, but thanks to securing raw materials well in advance, prices have remained stable.

In addition to traditional cutting boards, villagers have recently begun crafting phone stands, stools, and other small wooden items from leftover wood to increase their income.

By NAM PHONG
Translated by ANH DUC