Nam Dinh: Young man with talent for making miniature landscapes of ancient Northern houses

Famous on social networks, 9x guy Nguyen Van Tien from Nam Dinh is known by many people for his talent in making miniature models of old Northern houses.

Born in 1996, in Quang Tay hamlet, Hai Quang commune, Hai Hau district, Nam Dinh province, Nguyen Van Tien had a passion for bonsai since childhood. Right after graduating from high school, Tien decided to join the army to train himself. After leaving the army and studying at a vocational school for a while, Tien decided to return to his hometown to start a business and pursue his passion since childhood.

Stemming from his passion and interest in ornamental plants, Tien began to research and learn about how to grow orchids. After a while, the orchids declined, and Tien decided to find a new direction for himself. Then, fate brought the young man to the art of making miniature models of ancient Northern houses.

“ Once when I returned to my hometown in Hung Ha district , Thai Binh province, I visited many ancient houses with bold ancient architecture, with intact straw roofs, thatched roofs, rotten oval columns, dirt floors, green brick floors, etc. From then on, I was inspired by miniature landscapes of ancient countryside houses ” – the young man born in the 90s shared.

Talking about the early days of working with many difficulties and failures, Tien said: “At first, I did it because of my passion, at that time I didn’t care about whether I could make money from this job or not? The materials to make a miniature landscape have 2 basic materials, one is fomex (a type of foam PVC plastic ) and the second material is cement and terracotta tiles . At first, due to lack of experience, not knowing how to burn and build mini bricks, the models made were often easily broken, the proportions of the models were not balanced, harmonious, and lacked aesthetics … Not discouraged, I decided to learn and study more, then borrowed money from friends, and did it over and over again to make solid, balanced, and harmonious products like today” .

Nguyen Van Tien next to a model of an ancient house in the North (Photo: Dang Khoa)

Having the opportunity to visit and admire Tien's miniature landscape models, I understand why she has become such a hot character on social networks (Tien's Facebook page has nearly 100 thousand followers). All miniature landscape models are made meticulously, delicately and almost completely simulate the model of an ancient Northern house. The miniature landscape model of an ancient Northern house made by Tien is usually about 2 ^m2 in size, including a main house with 3-5 rooms, a kitchen, a barn, a bathroom, a toilet, a pond, a garden, a gate, a wall system, bonsai trees, etc. The wooden door system and wooden furniture, although very small, still ensure the correct proportions and are made of natural wood, so they are realistic to every detail.

A miniature model of a countryside house. (Photo: Dang Khoa)

The model of cement, bricks and terracotta tiles is poured with reinforced concrete, which is safe and very sturdy. The model is made of fomex because it is a type of plastic foam, so it is painted with an ancient moss color to create a nostalgic color for the work. Every time a new model is created, Tien posts it on her personal Facebook page "Tien Nguyen". Tien's products are beautiful, evoking ancient culture, so they are loved, followed and ordered by many people. Starting from 2022, many people have known and ordered Tien's house models. For models made of fomex material for indoor display at a cost of about 15 million VND/ ^m2 . The larger the model, the cheaper the price per ^m2 , the completion time is usually 15-20 days. For models made of cement, bricks and terracotta tiles, customers can display them outdoors to withstand the sun and rain, and the longer they are left, the more mossy and ancient they become. This type of model costs about 25 million VND/ ^1m2 , but if the customer makes it larger than ^2m2 , the price will be cheaper. The construction time for cement and terracotta tiles is from 40-50 days, even 60-70 days because it requires higher techniques. The price will include a full installation package and home delivery to the customer when ordering. From 2022 to now, Tien has made about 100 works but still not enough to meet the needs of customers. Tien's customers are all over the country. Customers can order according to available models and request length and width, or they can also order according to requirements, for example, recreating an old house, a house where the customer used to live... With a large amount of work, Tien is currently in charge of a group of 8 workers who work regularly: 5 workers in the workshop, 3 carpenters, 1 3D design technician. All have a stable income. Tien believes that joining the army is the most correct thing in his life. The military environment has trained Tien to be more persistent, meticulous, and to strive to overcome difficulties. Those are also the qualities that are needed when making miniature models of Northern houses. When asked about his future plans, the young man born in the 90s shared with an excited voice: " My plan in the near future is to increasingly improve the quality of products for customers . I want to aim for higher-end products made of precious wood . At the same time, I will guide young people to make this model and expand production . "

Dang Khoa

Source: https://congthuong.vn/nam-dinh-chang-trai-tre-voi-biet-tai-lam-tieu-canh-nha-bac-bo-xua-331518.html