Wooden carving of Songoku

Tran Duy and Japanese anime characters. Photo: FBNV

In 2019, Gen Z young people shared a special clip – a young man carving a statue of Goku out of wood with exquisite details, as if he had just stepped out of a Japanese comic book. The YouTube channel: Nghệ Nhân Âu Lạc Woodart Vietnam also achieved over 5.4 million views of this clip shortly after it was uploaded.

Tran Duy became known from that point on. The character Songoku from Dragon Balls is a global phenomenon with a huge fan base. And that's probably why the wooden statue of this character, along with the creation process by a very young person, attracts viewers. What's even more special is that Duy's videos all use English. This opens up access to the whole world through a widely spoken language.

Tran Duy and the Wood Carving Class tour at the Au Lac cultural tourism site. Photo: LTK

In 2022, Tran Duy went to Bhutan to teach sculpture at the invitation of the former Minister of Education of Bhutan. On his personal page, the young man born in 1997 wrote very innocently: “I went to Bhutan to teach sculpture. My luggage consisted of twenty kilograms, filled with the excitement of my high school days, of coming, living, and experiencing life in the highlands of snow-covered mountains (...). The people here had seen my sculpture videos on YouTube. They wanted me to come and pass on my knowledge to the young people. Not only skills and experience, but also the mindset to do new things. So I readily agreed, packed my tools, put them in my satchel, and rode straight to Thimphu, Bhutan.”

Tran Duy and his foreign friends are excited about the carved products. Photo: LTK

Tran Duy possesses the inclinations of both an artist and an artisan. His beginning with wood carving felt natural, as if it were the right time. Once he had matured enough and realized his calling, passion and a fresh start were inevitable.

“When I decided to pursue this career seriously, I wanted to try something different by making sculptures. But instead of learning from the craftsmen in the workshop, I taught myself – I imagined the 3D structure, brought the piece of wood into the kitchen, and carved it myself. I did this because I realized I have an ‘anti-school’ tendency – meaning I wouldn’t learn if someone taught me, but when I learned on my own, I did it very quickly. This might not follow the rules, but I will try my best to achieve my goals and what I want,” Duy once shared.

Father and son artisans Tran Thu and Tran Duy. Photo: LTK

Now, Duy's wood carvings are diverse, encompassing both paintings and sculptures. His carvings are meticulous, sharp, and possess a unique quality—unlike the somewhat rigid style of his father's carving. His emotions flow through the wood, perhaps beginning to speak from his childhood—even though, at that time, Duy admits he hated the sound of chiseling, sawing, and planing.

Now, the Au Lac wood carving workshop has become a cultural tourism destination, nestled in the heart of Go Noi village. It was also thanks to Duy that a wood carving class was born right here. Laughter rings out everywhere. "Suddenly, hearing both Vietnamese and foreign languages ​​echoing from behind the village bamboo hedge is so incredibly pleasant to listen to...", as Duy confessed on his personal page.

Is the message of bringing Vietnamese sculpture closer to the world perhaps a continuation of the spirit of "writing folk songs with wood" from his father?

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/tac-go-songoku-3140892.html