Thuy Nguyen Iron Casting Craft

My Dong casting village, Thuy Nguyen, Hai Phong has been passed down for hundreds of years. In the past, the main products of the craft village were plowshares and some other household products, created by blowing the furnace with a steam pipe and pushing it by hand in households. In 1938, a foreign ship came to "pick up goods" at Hai Phong port and had a broken tail balancer, called "counterweight turtle", weighing about 1 ton. Upon receiving this information, with his passion for work and many years of experience in the profession, the village's furnace owner asked for a sample to try casting. The melting pots in the village were concentrated into 8 furnaces that were continuously burning. Under the hands of skilled workers and with the unity and cooperation of the workers, the "counterweight turtle" appeared before the astonishment of both owners and guests. My Dong casting profession has since become famous.

Product refinement.

Please join Vietnam.vn to experience the cast iron craft through the photo series "Cast Iron Craft" by author HoangHai, recording the activities of My Dong Cast Iron Craft Village (Thuy Nguyen District, Hai Phong City) which has existed for hundreds of years. Through many ups and downs, the craft village has increasingly developed, creating jobs for thousands of workers, creating diverse products, from decorative items to household items such as grills, cast iron pans... The work is hard, but the workers here always smile optimistically at visitors, proving that the workers here love and are dedicated to their profession. The photo series was sent by the author to participate in the Photo and Video Contest "Happy Vietnam - Happy Vietnam", organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Young worker.

Molding.

Products of My Dong casting village are diverse, serving all industrial, agricultural and civil fields.

Cast iron in the oven.

New product launch.

Cast iron.

Results.

Products of My Dong casting village are diverse, serving all industrial, agricultural and civil fields.

With a traditional casting profession of nearly 3 centuries, My Dong has gradually risen to become the leading flag of Thuy Nguyen district in economic development and traditional craft village construction. Promoting the traditional casting profession of their ancestors, My Dong people today inherit, innovate, and turn metal casting into the main economic sector of the locality. Up to now, the whole commune has nearly 100 cast iron households, 15 bronze casting households, dozens of mechanical workshops, forging, and accompanying services. Products of My Dong craft village are present in all domestic and foreign markets. Decorative products, grills, gas covers, cast iron lamp posts, etc. are favored by construction project owners and are increasingly exported to other countries. Many high-quality casting and mechanical products are supplied to the shipbuilding, motorbike assembly, and precision mechanical industries such as ship propellers, bearings, springs, electric motor housings, pumps, sewing machine feet, motorbike frames, etc. We are proud of the traditional casting craft village in our beloved homeland of My Dong. In 2024, the Photo and Video Contest "Happy Vietnam" will continue to be organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications in coordination with the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists on the website   https://happy.vietnam.vn is open to all Vietnamese citizens and foreigners aged 15 and over. The contest aims to honor individuals and groups with positive information products, making practical contributions to the propaganda and promotion of a beautiful image of Vietnam to the world. Thereby helping people in the country, compatriots abroad and international friends access authentic images of the country, Vietnamese people, Vietnam's achievements in ensuring human rights, towards a happy Vietnam. Each category (photo and video) has the following prizes and prize values: - 01 Gold Medal: 70,000,000 VND - 02 Silver Medals: 20,000,000 VND - 03 Bronze Medals: 10,000,000 VND - 10 Encouragement Prizes: 5,000,000 VND - 01 most voted work: 5,000,000 VND The winning authors will be invited by the Organizing Committee to attend the Announcement Ceremony and Award Ceremony and Certificate on live television of Vietnam Television. Vietnam.vn