People who breathe life into stone

With the ingenuity, creativity and dedication of the artisans, the ornamental stone products become sophisticated, artistic and have high aesthetic value. Few people think that the stones falling along the mountainside have helped the people of Soi village "change their lives". The good news spread far and wide, after nearly 25 years, the products of the ornamental stone crafting village of Soi village, Phu Thanh commune (now An Nghia commune) have reached consumers all over the country.

The rural appearance of the stone carving craft village in Soi hamlet, An Nghia commune has changed, and people's lives have improved.

Changing life from ornamental rocks

Anyone who has traveled on the Ho Chi Minh route will be especially impressed when passing through Soi village to admire the giant artistic rocks displayed along both sides of the road. Visiting Thoi village in the autumn days of late August, the sound of sawing and chiseling rocks resounds throughout the village. Although he is nearly 70 years old, Mr. Nguyen Van Vinh - the first person to bring the craft of carving ornamental rocks to the villagers is still passionate and has a love for the inanimate rocks. It has been nearly 25 years since Mr. Vinh laid the foundation, bringing the profession of making a living to the people.

Over a cup of hot tea, Mr. Vinh shared: “At that time, the economic life of the people in this area faced many difficulties, mainly relying on agricultural production. I myself always wondered that the place where I live has similar natural conditions to the countryside of Phu Ly ( Ha Nam ) when there is a rich source of natural stone, beautiful colors, easy to shape. For that reason, I myself was determined to spend time and effort to bring the profession of making ornamental stones back to the people. From a side job during the free time, the model of making ornamental stones gradually developed and spread widely in the village, affirming its brand in the market.

Despite his old age, Mr. Nguyen Van Vinh is still passionate and concerned about the development direction of the craft village.

After nearly 15 years of establishment and development, the Soi village ornamental stone crafting village was recognized by the People's Committee of Hoa Binh province (old) in 2015 with over 60 members. However, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of members has now decreased to nearly 40 people. Of which, nearly 10 establishments are operating effectively and have established ornamental stone crafting enterprises. Some factories and production and business households still maintain operations on a small scale.

Stone products of Soi village are diverse in types, shapes and uses. The most popular are the types of stone used to decorate gardens, indoor landscapes, tables and chairs, rockery, feng shui mascots, stone lamps... In addition, some artisans also accept orders on request, making Buddha statues, reliefs, stone pillars to decorate gates, family temples... The common point of Soi village products is that the natural stone material is mined locally or in some neighboring areas.

Stones have rich and unique colors such as jade, cloud-patterned stone... Depending on the purpose of use, the craftsman will choose the appropriate type of stone to craft. The process of crafting ornamental stones goes through many meticulous stages, requiring patience and skillful hands to create products that meet the increasingly high demands of the market.

Stone carving artisans devote a lot of effort to creating unique products.

Skillful hands create soft, attractive lines of natural stone products

Through practical research in Soi village today, the best-selling and most popular products in the market are stone tables and chairs, landscape decoration... Accordingly, the average price ranges from 5-10 million VND for regular stone tables and chairs. In addition, some natural gemstones cost from 100-200 million VND. For highly aesthetic landscape decoration products, it also depends on the requirements and scale, and display form in the family yard.

According to statistics in 2024, the village's revenue will reach over 30 billion VND, creating stable jobs for about 200 local workers with a stable income of 8-10 million VND/month. Some experienced artisans and workers have a lot of experience, their income depends on the orders and revenue of the manufacturing facilities.

Affirming the craft village brand

Having been involved in the craft of making ornamental stones for nearly 20 years, Mr. Pham Van Xuan - Director of Khai Xuan Artistic Ornamental Stone Company Limited is one of the dedicated people, concerned about the sustainable development of the craft village. Currently, the company is providing jobs for over 20 workers with stable income. Total monthly revenue ranges from 200-300 million VND. The main consumer market is the southern provinces and cities. With his efforts and dedication to the common development of the craft village, Mr. Xuan was elected to hold the position of Head of the Soi village ornamental stone crafting craft village.

Mr. Pham Van Xuan (far right) regularly exchanges and shares experiences with members.

Mr. Xuan said: “Each ornamental stone product in Soi village is not only a decorative item, but also a work of art containing the passion and spirit of the craftsman. The uniqueness of Soi village ornamental stone products lies in the harmonious combination between the pristine beauty of natural stone and the skillful, creative hands of humans. No molding, no mass production, each work is a unique version - that is also the reason why the products here are favored by many ornamental stone players and garden art lovers.”

In the context of the impact of the economy, the craft village of Soi village has more or less encountered difficulties and challenges for sustainable development. The current problem is that the procedures related to resources do not have a clear legal mechanism. Production and business households still lack capital to expand the scale of factories and invest in modern machinery systems. In particular, the locality does not have preferential policies to support and guide the stable development of the craft village.

The ornamental stone carving profession has created regular jobs for many local workers with stable income.

Identifying the difficulties and challenges for the sustainable development of the stone carving craft village, businesses, production facilities and business households in the craft village have focused on training and improving skills. Strengthening the promotion and introduction of products, reaching out to customers through social networks and e-commerce platforms.

Equip machinery systems and apply scientific and technological advances to maximize production costs to reduce product prices. Regularly organize exchanges, meetings, and connections with stone craft villages in neighboring areas to exchange experiences and learn good and creative ways of doing things.

Landscape stone products with diverse designs and types are displayed along Ho Chi Minh road.

The ornamental stone carving craft village has helped the people of Soi village "change their lives", however, to develop sustainably, the locality and functional sectors need to pay attention to support, promptly encourage and motivate households doing the craft.

Along with that, coordinate with departments and branches to solve difficulties and problems in the production and development process. From there, create favorable conditions to "give wings" for the products of craft villages to continue to reach far in the domestic market, towards international export.

Duc Anh

Source: https://baophutho.vn/nhung-nguoi-thoi-hon-vao-da-238464.htm