On the days leading up to the Lunar New Year 2025, the agarwood craft village in Phu Hoi 1 village, Van Thang commune, Van Ninh district, Khanh Hoa seems to be more bustling because the agarwood making profession during the Tet season brings the warm scent of agarwood.
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| Van Thang agarwood carvers are meticulous with each stage of sculpting agarwood ornamental art. |
The craft village is located in the North of Khanh Hoa province, with mountains and forests on one side and the sea on the other. Van Thang is like a peaceful village picture, where traditional beauty is still preserved. Besides the unique features of the agarwood craft, the people here are still wondering how to maintain the craft, connecting with community tourism so that the scent of agarwood will spread far and wide.
As soon as we set foot in the village, the gentle scent of incense guides visitors into the small village, where every alley and every roof echoes with the bustling sound of chiseling, carving, and drilling incense. In the simple houses, people are diligently crafting: from carving each piece of Do Bau to extract the precious incense; under the talented hands of the people, unique works of art or jewelry gradually take shape.
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| Mr. Le Long (right) is a long-time artisan of the village. |
At the Van Thang craft village's product showroom, where the historical values of the agarwood-making village are preserved, Mr. Le Long, born in 1956, has been involved in the agarwood-making profession since his youth until now, is attentively making agarwood. With more than half a century of dedication, he has become a "multi-talented" artisan who is proficient in all stages from crafting, shaping agarwood landscapes, to making agarwood cones. With his keen eyes and many years of experience, he can recognize unique agarwood shapes, turning ordinary blocks of wood into vivid works of art. According to Mr. Long, making agarwood is the process of removing the sapwood that does not contain agarwood, retaining the most quintessential parts of the tree trunk. This job not only requires in-depth knowledge of agarwood, but also requires the skill, carefulness and talented hands of the agarwood-making craftsman.
For artisans like him, each agarwood product is not only a work of art but also the crystallization of time, effort and passion. Skilled craftsmen, like Mr. Long, can earn up to 400,000 VND per day. For Mr. Long, the true value lies in the pride in preserving and promoting a meaningful traditional profession.
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| Incense cone products are consumed a lot during holidays and Tet. |
In addition to the long-time artisans in the craft village, there are also young people who continue the profession left by their ancestors. Mr. Pham Huu Nghia, 40 years old, Phu Hoi 1 village, is one of the young people who continue the profession. According to Mr. Nghia, making agarwood is a tradition passed down from father to son, at the end of the year, the market demand for clean, traditional agarwood increases 2-3 times, with traders ordering from all over the country... In the past 2 months, his family has produced more than 2 tons of agarwood.
Ms. Nguyen Kim Oanh, representative of Chau Giang agarwood production facility, Phu Hoi 1 village, Van Thang commune, shared that sticking to and developing the traditional profession of her ancestors is the pride and responsibility of her family. The facility specializes in producing clean agarwood products, ensuring safety for consumers' health. Currently, the facility has 12 regular employees, and during Tet, output increases by 50-60% to meet market demand. The facility's products, such as ornamental agarwood and incense, are very popular with prices ranging from several hundred thousand to several hundred million VND, meeting diverse customer needs.
Mr. Huynh Van Hoa - Chairman of Van Thang Commune People's Committee said that the profession of making agarwood in Phu Hoi 1 village is a traditional profession, maintained for many generations. Currently, the craft village has more than 400 households participating in the production of agarwood products, from agarwood incense, essential oils to high-end handicrafts. These products are not only consumed strongly domestically but are also loved by international tourists.
The agarwood-making craft village in Phu Hoi 1 village, with its long tradition and unique features, was officially recognized as a craft village by the People's Committee of Khanh Hoa province in 2016. By 2023, the locality was identified as a place with potential for community tourism development, marking a turning point for the craft village.
To promote sustainable development, Van Thang Agarwood Cooperative was established, gathering artisans and workers to join hands to preserve and develop the traditional agarwood crafting profession. At the same time, the birth of many agarwood production and trading enterprises not only creates economic momentum for the locality but also inspires the younger generation. Many children of the village have boldly started their own businesses, continuing the heritage of their homeland by developing the agarwood craft in a creative and systematic way.
"In 2024, we will continue to develop tourism with more than 70 participating members, aiming to connect craft village culture with unique tourism experiences. However, we still face many difficulties such as lack of parking lots, accommodation and facilities for tourists," Mr. Huynh Van Hoa worried.
Mr. Tran Cong Duc - Director of Van Thang Agarwood Cooperative has been involved in the profession of finding and processing agarwood since he was young for more than 30 years. Through many ups and downs and difficulties, Mr. Duc is still passionate about the agarwood profession, wishing that the agarwood processing profession will be known by many people. Mr. Tran Cong Duc shared: "Agarwood has long been known as a valuable asset of Vietnam with high value and many applications in medicine and perfumery. Our craft village has experienced many ups and downs during more than 100 years of formation and development. In the past, our grandparents mainly exploited agarwood from nature, the work was very hard, having to go to the forest for months. But natural agarwood is gradually depleted, and since the 1990s, the movement of planting Aquilaria trees has been initiated to preserve the source of raw materials".
The official establishment of Van Thang Agarwood Cooperative in 2020 marked a new development step for the craft village with special attention from the State and local authorities. The cooperative has participated in the OCOP Program of Khanh Hoa province with four typical products: fine art agarwood, jewelry bracelets, stickless and stick-shaped agarwood incense. In 2021, the product "Fine art agarwood set" was recognized as a 3-star OCOP, affirming the quality and value of the craft village's products. In addition, the cooperative also focuses on production, actively participates in social activities and preserves traditional crafts, creating jobs for 50 - 70 local workers.
Van Thang agarwood has been associated with Khanh Hoa for 370 years of formation and development, a symbol of the quintessence of the craft village and cultural pride. Hopefully, Van Thang agarwood will develop more and more sustainably with the goal of building necessary facilities, training young human resources and promoting the craft village brand through modern media channels. This not only enhances the value of agarwood products but also brings a stable source of income to the people, while preserving traditional cultural values.
Source: http://baolamdong.vn/du-lich/202502/de-huong-tram-van-thang-bay-xa-cung-du-lich-cong-dong-29e59a1/
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