Early in the morning, the sun rose high, the golden sunlight spread evenly across the villages. The nature of the Tra Nam highlands appeared so peaceful and quiet. Following the sound of hammers and anvils, we arrived at the house of Mr. Ho Van Duong living in Tac Vin Residential Area (Hamlet 1), Tra Nam Commune, Nam Tra My District (Quang Nam). The picture of labor was so beautiful with the image of Ho Gia Huy spinning the torch, sparks from the red-hot iron bars flying everywhere, and Mr. Ho Van Duong using a hammer to hit, the two coordinated rhythmically, working enthusiastically despite their sweaty shirts. Mr. Thong sat there, next to a pile of papers, books and newspapers, his eyes squinting, his fingertips running evenly over the neatly printed lines. He also keeps a pencil tucked into his earlobe, so that whenever he comes across an interesting passage or knowledge he can reach out and take it right away, then mark it down and find it when needed: “Books, newspapers, official dispatches, and papers, if you are willing to open and read them, you are like a smart teacher. There, there are enough policies and regulations. If you understand and know, then people will listen, even if the rooster wants to crow, you still have to learn,” Mr. Thong shared. On the morning of March 19, in Quang Ninh, President Luong Cuong, Head of Inspection Delegation 1907 of the Politburo, chaired the Conference to approve the draft report of the Inspection Delegation of the Politburo and the Secretariat in 2025 for the Standing Committee of the Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee. Early in the morning, the sun rose high, the golden sunlight spread evenly across the villages. The nature of the Tra Nam highlands appeared so peaceful and quiet. Following the sound of hammers and anvils, we arrived at the house of Mr. Ho Van Duong living in Tac Vin Residential Area (village 1), Tra Nam commune, Nam Tra My district (Quang Nam). The picture of labor is really beautiful with the image of Ho Gia Huy spinning the torch, sparks from the red-hot iron bars flying everywhere, and Mr. Ho Van Duong using a hammer to hit, the two of them coordinated rhythmically, working enthusiastically despite their sweaty shirts. Dak Nong is one of the localities with many areas of key crops such as coffee, pepper, durian... however, drought is always a constant worry that makes farmers uneasy. According to Agoda, Phong Nha - a destination located in Quang Binh province, Vietnam, is at the top of the list of the most economical destinations in the region, ideal for spring trips in 2025. The People's Committee of Quang Ngai province has just issued an official dispatch requesting the heads of departments, branches, sectors, units under the Provincial People's Committee and the Chairmen of the People's Committees of districts, towns and cities to implement the tasks of Forestry in 2025. The creative art space "Da Nang in Me" will take place within 5 days to bring to the people and visitors experience Da Nang city in a completely new way. General news of the Ethnic and Development Newspaper. The morning news on March 19, there is the following notable information: Tam Dinh Red Cotton Flower Festival. Thien Mu Pagoda - "The first ancient temple" of the ancient capital. People with a deep love for Cao Lan culture. Along with other news in ethnic minority and mountainous areas. On the occasion of the anniversary of Vietnam Social Work Day (March 25), Central Party Committee member, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan sent a congratulatory letter to cadres, civil servants, public employees, employees and social work collaborators nationwide with warm regards and best wishes. The Department of Science and Technology of Quang Nam province has just issued a Plan to organize exhibitions of achievements in the fields of science and technology, innovation, information technology and post and telecommunications. The Government Office has just issued Notice No. 126/TB-VPCP dated March 19, 2025 on the conclusion of Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son at the meeting to review the Adjustment of the National Power Development Plan for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050. From March 26 to 27, the People's Committee of Binh Dinh province coordinated with the National Startup Association (VINEN) organized the 6th National Innovative Startup Forum - Binh Dinh 2025. The People's Committee of Phu Yen province has just issued a document directing provincial departments, branches, sectors, and unions; People's Committees of districts, towns, and cities to implement the construction of new rural areas in 2025 in the province.
Taking a break to invite guests for a cup of tea, Mr. Duong took the opportunity to light a cigarette, took a long drag, and then told a story: The Xo Dang blacksmithing profession has been around for a long time, and he has been involved with it since he was 15 years old. At that time, he followed his father into the forest to find firewood to burn charcoal to forge. Now that he is over 60, he can no longer remember how many knives, machetes, axes, spear blades, hoes, pruning tools, etc. he has forged to serve the people in farming, cutting trees in the forest, hunting, collecting firewood, picking bamboo shoots, etc.
The traditional blacksmithing of the Xo Dang people is mainly done during the off-season or at the beginning of the year to prepare for the new rice crop. Previously, the products were only used to exchange for food and to help villagers have tools for farming and going to the forest.
In recent years, the blacksmithing profession is no longer as good as before. The demand of the people is decreasing, blacksmiths can only produce at a moderate level. But the fire of blacksmithing still burns in his heart, becoming the motivation and urge for him to try to stick around to preserve the traditional blacksmithing profession of the Xo Dang people.
The residential area of the Xo Dang people is surrounded by natural iron ores around the hills. These iron ores have a very high iron content, usually in lump and sand form. Although still quite manual, Mr. Ho Van Duong's forge has now been fundamentally improved, combined with some other iron and steel materials to create a hand-cranked stove that is quite simple but convenient.
Mr. Duong said that the Xo Dang people’s forging techniques are not systematically recorded, only passed down from predecessor to successor. To have a satisfactory product for daily life and production, he must find good iron and steel, from choosing coal to setting up the stove, which requires high techniques.
To smelt iron ore, the Xo Dang people must go into the forest to find a tree called loang rlinh to make charcoal. Only with charcoal from this tree can the forge fire have the necessary heat to melt natural iron ore. Careful calculation is needed every time you forge a product, you must blow the fire so that the iron is red at the right level. Each time you strike the hammer, there is always a heavy sound, a light sound to create precision where the hammer is struck. The Xo Dang people possess a secret method to create high-quality iron ingots that are strong and durable and do not chip or break when used.
Once they have the desired iron ingots, traditionally the Xo Dang blacksmiths do not use coal anymore but only use other types of plants to produce lower temperatures. To produce finished products from iron bars and raw steel, the blacksmiths must go through many stages, requiring a lot of effort.
After being hammered smooth with a sledgehammer, iron and steel are put into a fire to be heated until they are red hot. This step requires the blacksmith to have a lot of experience, looking at the red color of the iron and steel on the fire to know whether the heating process has been achieved or not. Next, the hammer is used to repeatedly create shape and manually grind each detail until the finished product is produced.
According to Mr. Ho Van Duong, in the most important steps, which are the process of making “my country”, the Xo Dang people often use turtle shells to make glue, which means putting the product through the fire one last time and then dipping it in it. After dipping, the craftsman takes it to be polished one last time to complete the product.
The age of my water affects the sharpness of the tools. My water will determine the durability of the product. Depending on the product and tool, the price is different, such as a slashing knife and a machete cost from 250 - 300 thousand VND, an axe and a spearhead cost from 400 - 450 thousand VND, a hoe and a pruning tool cost from 150 - 170 thousand VND, a bamboo knife costs 140 thousand VND,...
From ancient times to the present, the Xo Dang people still maintain rituals associated with the blacksmithing profession. According to beliefs, before the blacksmithing season, the Xo Dang people often hold a ceremony to worship Giang right at the furnace. The ceremony to worship Giang usually includes a chicken, a jar of wine, and is performed by the main blacksmith of the village. They take wine and chicken blood and smear them on the anvil, the whetstone, the hammer, and pray to Giang with the wish that the blacksmith will produce many batches of iron, forge many sharp knives, and durable hoes.
Coming to learn the blacksmithing profession, sitting attentively watching each tempering, hammering, and grinding movement, Mr. Ho Van Luong (30 years old), a young man in the same village, said: This blacksmithing profession is gradually fading away and is at risk of being lost, because the current young generation of Xo Dang in the locality is not very interested in the profession. However, I believe that with my own efforts and the encouragement of Uncle Ho Van Duong, one day the younger generation will be passionate again, rekindling the blazing forges.
Mr. Doan Ngoc Hoai, Vice Chairman of Tra Nam Commune People's Committee, said: Up to now, the Xo Dang people have always valued the traditional blacksmithing profession. No matter how much modern life has changed, the "roots" of the traditional craft villages of the Xo Dang people in general, including the blacksmithing profession of Mr. Ho Van Duong's family, have always been preserved and developed.
Functional sectors and local authorities are also making efforts to find ways to restore the traditional blacksmithing profession of the Xo Dang people, to contribute to increasing labor productivity, meeting production needs in the journey of building new rural areas, and contributing to preserving the cultural identity of the Xo Dang people here.
Source: https://baodantoc.vn/giu-lua-ren-do-mai-1742287143305.htm
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