About 20 kilometers from downtown Hanoi, Thuong Mao Village in Phu Luong Commune, Ha Dong District, is known for its traditional carpentry. As the Vietnamese Lunar New Year approaches, the town is alive with the sounds of wood chopping and carving. Craftsmen enthusiastically begin the year-end production season almost two months before the celebration, producing elaborate woodwork creations rich in tradition and artistry.

A meticulous traditional craft

Old, experienced carpenters are a valuable asset to Thuong Mao Carpentry Village. Photo: Thong Tin Phu Luong

Craftsman Nguyen Quang Do, an elderly carpenter with decades of experience, shared the rich history of Thuong Mao Carpentry Village with The Hanoi Times. This charming village outside Hanoi dates back nearly 200 years to the Nguyen dynasty. In those early days, the local people relied on rice farming for their livelihood, but frequent famines and crop failures left the community in dire straits. Driven by a deep desire to help their fellow villagers, the community elders sought out skilled teachers to introduce carpentry. This initiative became a game-changer, providing new opportunities and helping lift the village out.

Throughout hundreds of years, the carpenters of Thuong Mao have been increasingly proficient in the art of wood carving and measurement. From the initial handmade products of wood, beds, and cabinets, they have improved their skills and moved on to building communal houses, temples, shrines, and churches.

Many works built by Thuong Mao carpenters can be found in Hanoi, in Khuong Thuong temple in Dong Da District, and their own Thuong Mao communal house or in Yen Bai Province with Van Phu temple. Despite the changes in time and space, their wooden architectural works are still almost unscathed to this day.

A wooden work made by Thuong Mao carpenters.

According to craftsman Nguyen Van Do, 70, most of the village's products are made to order. When customers place orders, they put all their trust in the hands of the craftsmen, and this trust is built through design and fine and exquisite creations that cement the brand of the carpentry village.

"We always meet our customers' requirements. It is a great honor for us to be commended by the state, which encourages us to uphold our values," he said.

"Experienced carpenters teach the traditional quintessence to the younger generation, who in turn apply the latest technologies to offer the most affordable and useful products," he added. 

Efforts to develop the ancestral trade

Carpentry is a craft that requires meticulousness and diligence, as well as the talent and skill of the craftsman. Each carpentry product must pass through six main stages, from drawing, wood preparation, sawing wood, mixing raw parts, preliminary processing, and finishing. Every carpenter from Thuong Mao village must be able to perform all of these stages.

In the past, carpenters in Thuong Mao mastered all stages by hand. Today, the young artisans of the village have adopted technologies for designing products and patterns on computers. Chiseling and carving are also done by machines, which helps to save a number of stages.

The reputation of the carpenters from Thuong Mao Village continues to grow, gaining recognition far and wide.

Though machine-made, the products of Thuong Mao's traditional carpentry village maintain a high level of exquisiteness, with sophisticated patterns that set them apart from mass-produced goods.

In order for the village's products to keep up with modern trends while keeping traditional features, the Association of Craft Villages regularly supports artisans and craftsmen to improve their skills through a series of industry promotion programs as well as exchanges with other craft villages.

Nguyen Quang Thoai, Chairman of Thuong Mao's Association of Craft Village said: "In recent years, households have invested in modern machinery, interacted with and learned from other handicraft villages, and adopted technologies to achieve greater economic efficiency. To guide the younger generation, we are actively holding vocational training courses to improve their skills and to awaken their passion for the traditional work of their ancestors."

A young carpenter of Thuong Mao- the future of the craft village.

Generation after generation has carried on the development of Thuong Mao Carpentry Village through the ups and downs of history. The village, which covers more than 105,000 square meters of natural land, is home to more than 350 households and about 2000 carpenters. The craftsmen here have always placed the highest value on quality and reliability to maintain the brand. In 2009, the village was recognized as a Traditional Craft Village at the municipal level.

Today, Thuong Mao Carpentry Village offers a wide range of handcrafted wood products. In addition to intricate fine art carvings and religious objects for churches, community halls, pagodas, and temples, the village also produces elegant wooden furniture with both ancient and neoclassical designs. From beds and wardrobes to tables, chairs, staircases, and door frames, each piece showcases the exceptional craftsmanship of the artisans.

Made from a variety of fine woods, the products are meticulously chiseled and carved, demonstrating both technical skill and artistic flair. Thanks to the trust and admiration of its customers, Thuong Mao Carpentry continues to thrive and prosper.