From driftwood drifting on the coast and riverbanks, the craftsmen in Hoi An Firewood Village (Quang Nam) have "reborn" into unique works of art, attracting domestic and foreign visitors to enjoy..."The world has many beautiful and very beautiful waterfalls. I chose to create Ban Gioc waterfall in the South because, in the border province of Cao Bang, there is Ban Gioc waterfall, the natural landscape there is beautiful, a place of solidarity and friendship between the two countries Vietnam - China. I want to send my ideas to educate my children and grandchildren, serving visitors who do not have the opportunity to go to Cao Bang...", Mr. Pham Viet De shared the initiative to dig rocks to simulate the work "A glimpse of Ban Gioc waterfall" in the South. On the afternoon of March 16, in Vinh Yen city, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the working delegation worked with the Standing Committee of Vinh Phuc Provincial Party Committee on the socio-economic situation, directions and tasks in the coming time, resolving the province's proposals and recommendations, and removing difficulties and obstacles. At the House of Community activities, a unique and useful project of the Boarding Secondary and High School for Ethnic Minorities in Bao Yen District, Lao Cai Province, has a space imbued with the cultural colors of ethnic groups, a place for boarding students to participate in experiential activities and collective activities. In order to arouse love for the homeland, awareness of preserving and promoting traditional cultural values in the young generation of union members and youth, the Youth Union organizations in Gia Lai have implemented many sightseeing activities and experiential models in border areas and ethnic minority villages. Vinh Thanh is one of the mountainous districts of Binh Dinh Province, with great potential for tourism development, from the traditional culture of the people to beautiful landscapes. In recent years, this locality has been organizing many activities to promote existing advantages to create unique tourism products to attract tourists. The whole country is like participating in a festival - a festival to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses. In the spirit of sharing and responsibility, the head of the Government has sent a strong message: by the end of October 2025, this program must be basically completed. That momentum and spirit have created the theme of 2025 - the Year of Settlement. The Harvest Festival (Praying for the Season) of the Dao Lo Gang people in Son Dong district (Bac Giang) has a long-standing tradition, maintained and preserved through many generations. Currently, the festival has been included in the preservation list by the district to promote the fine traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development. General news of the Ethnic and Development Newspaper. The morning news on March 15 has the following notable information: Bat Trang village festival is a national intangible cultural heritage. The unique beauty of the Tay Ninh Holy See. An old farmer turns a barren hill into a prosperous farm. Along with other news in ethnic minority and mountainous areas. The movement "Youth join hands to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses" has become one of the outstanding activities that Binh Dinh youth have carried out for the community in recent times. This activity has contributed to helping many poor people in remote, isolated and disadvantaged areas have stable housing. Recently, the Politburo decided to exempt all tuition fees for students from kindergarten to high school nationwide, starting from the 2025-2026 school year. This is a policy of great significance in implementing social security policies; especially for people in mountainous provinces such as Lao Cai, whose lives are still difficult, having their children go to school with full tuition exemption will help reduce the economic burden; thereby improving the attendance rate as well as the quality of education. From driftwood drifting on the coast and riverbanks, the workers in Hoi An Firewood Village (Quang Nam) have "reborn" into unique works of art, attracting domestic and foreign visitors to enjoy... On the evening of March 16, the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee, and Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Kon Tum province solemnly held the Ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Kon Tum Province Liberation Day (March 16, 1975 - March 16, 2025). At noon on March 16, during the working program in Vinh Phuc province, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a social housing project under the Nam Vinh Yen New Urban Area Project, phase 1.
Recently, many domestic and foreign tourists coming to Hoi An often visit the Firewood Village to take “virtual photos” in the art space, with hundreds of unique works. The products displayed here are mostly “reborn” from old wood and firewood floating down the river and collected by local people.
The Firewood Village in Cam Ha Commune, Hoi An City (Quang Nam) was initiated by Mr. Le Ngoc Thuan (45 years old). Chance brought Mr. Thuan to the Firewood Village in 2012, when he was running a homestay in An Bang beach area and saw many driftwoods floating in. Seeing how beautiful they were, he collected them, sorted them, and decorated the rooms in the resort.
“At first, I just thought of cleaning up the beach and using it to beautify my homestay. Guests staying at my villa saw the beautiful decorative items and asked me about the process of collecting firewood to make those products. They found it very interesting. Gradually, I had the idea of making more products, not just to decorate my room,” Thuan shared.
Thinking is doing, he started to make the first works from the firewood salvaged from the shore. The process of forming a product is completely handmade, from the carving, sculpting to shaping. Depending on the size, shape, and idea, the time to complete a work can range from a few days to more than a month.
According to Mr. Thuan, it only takes about 3-5 days to complete the shape of a snake, a fish takes more than 1 day, and larger statues such as the Central Highlands wooden statue, octopus, dragon mascot... take about 10 days to a whole month to be "launched". Therefore, the selling price for tourists and those in need is also different, from a few hundred thousand to thousands of dollars.
“It’s not about bringing a piece of wood back to display that it’s rebirth, but about making the work have a soul. What we bring to visitors and users is a story, not just selling a carved piece of wood. Each work is a story,” said Mr. Thuan.
As the number of works increased, Mr. Thuan had the idea of creating an art exhibition space and came up with a business idea. He said that the exhibition space at Luu Lu Village started operating in 2022, with hundreds of unique and eye-catching works. Since then, more and more tourists have known about it.
In parallel with his business, through the exhibition space at the Lumber Village, Mr. Thuan tells visitors stories about Vietnamese culture, people, and the message of protecting a clean environment. “Initially, the Lumber Village facility only had me and one worker. But seeing the good idea, I recruited more workers with the same passion, and up to now, the facility is providing jobs for more than 20 people with stable income.
In his story, Mr. Thuan shared that he is not an artisan, not a traditional wood carving artist, but with a passion for art and creativity, he has pursued it until today. “The important thing is the ideas, the stories about culture and art that leave an impression on each visitor. They enjoy the value of the story surrounding the work,” Mr. Thuan said.
Like thinking about where this firewood comes from, maybe in the mountainous area of Quang Nam. So it will be associated with stories about the culture of the Co Tu people. When tourists admire a wooden statue, or a statue of a gươi house, I will tell them stories about the culture of my people. There are festivals, there are artisans, there are gong beats resounding amidst the high flames.
Or perspective works about the Japanese Covered Bridge, Hoi An market, I will tell them about the beautiful scenery of Hoi An, about the people of the old town with unique cultural features. Each item made, it is no longer a simple piece of firewood, but is breathed into it with interesting stories. "When holding a product, visitors feel very "happy", and when hearing the story of its formation, they want to buy it even more as a gift or souvenir", Mr. Thuan shared more.
After nearly 4 years of establishment and development, Luu Cui Village has become well-known, and many customers have started ordering products from his establishment. Many hotel and homestay owners in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, etc. have ordered him to make their products to decorate their rooms.
In the long term, he hopes to bring his works to many countries around the world. Currently, he hopes that his art space will increasingly meet the tastes of tourists, thereby spreading messages about culture as well as environmental protection issues.
“I hope that my craft village will develop sustainably in the future and export its products. To do so, we will focus on building a production process and raw materials that meet standards, and improving quality to serve the needs of tourists,” Thuan added.
Source: https://baodantoc.vn/nhung-dieu-thu-vi-o-lang-lang-cui-lu-1742129107080.htm
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