Growing up with hometown heritage

Start with familiarity

Sensitive to new working trends and technology, a group of young people have started creating content from simple stories, such as: home-cooked meals on death anniversaries, going to Ky Yen festival, specialty craft villages...

Young man Huynh Xuan Huynh finds out about the traditional Lai Thieu pottery of the ancient South

After more than 3 years of building a personal media channel but starting to receive advertising commissions about half a year ago, Do Tinh (born in 1993, from An Giang ) shared: “I have a job as a sales person, but I still like to build a channel and tell stories about my home and hometown. Because there are things that I find familiar, but they are the unique identity of my hometown. If I don’t tell and share them with everyone, when my grandparents’ and parents’ generation passes away, those good things will easily fade away…”.

Also starting the journey of maturity with the familiarity of her hometown, with nearly 5 years of non-GMO corn noodles on the market, it is also the same amount of time that Hoang Phuong (29 years old, President and Director of Vietnam Napro Cooperative, Lang Son province) has been persistently working and preserving the native corn variety. Corn is an asset that is attached to the family, supporting Phuong's education - becoming the main source of raw materials to start the young girl's dream of exporting Vietnamese agricultural products. "My family has grown this corn variety for more than 20 years, and this is a native corn variety, non-GMO. We have researched and produced gluten-free corn noodles - a type of food that is popular with many people", Phuong said.

With stable products and a well-received market, from the cooperative developing local corn varieties, Hong Phuong started to build the “Loving Noodles” fund, because sustainable values always require a parallel journey of giving and receiving. The fund is taken from the profits of Vietnam Napro with the main activities being planting trees to protect the environment, creating landscapes for the locality and awarding scholarships to poor students who overcome difficulties.

Opportunities from urbanization

Going against the current familiar choices of today's young generation, Huynh Xuan Huynh (born in 1998, Director of Nang Ceramics Co., Ltd., Ho Chi Minh City) was born and raised in An Giang, but still has a strong desire to find the rustic Lai Thieu pottery, which has been associated with the people of the South for generations. Xuan Huynh shared: "In the city, I see many people, especially young people, often use disposable plastic items, or ceramic cups and bowls that are shiny but not very safe for the health of the user. I remember my childhood, my family as well as many people in my hometown, often used cups and plates made from Lai Thieu pottery - my hometown used to call it earthenware, not sharp but very durable and safe. So I searched for the pottery kilns in Lai Thieu, bought for myself familiar items and started connecting with the uncles and aunts of the craft villages."

The old craft villages are also gradually fading away in the urbanized lifestyle, but for young people, the challenge is also an opportunity with new ways to start. Contacting and convincing the pottery kilns with small orders, Xuan Huynh approaches customers through introductions on social networking platforms and fairs for young people. The old pottery line returns with a new look, a communication method that catches up with new, youthful trends, and the customer base is gradually getting larger...

“It is not wrong to say that the rapid urbanization has caused many ceramic kilns to disappear, and there are not many long-standing artisans still practicing their profession. But it is also in the rapid urbanization that the remaining ceramic kilns need to reach out more to the outside market, and they also begin to change to adapt. And when they understand that the quality and value of their products are superior to cheap, low-quality ceramic cups from outside, people are more confident in reviving traditional products, as a legacy from their homeland for generations,” Xuan Huynh expressed.

In addition to traditional Lai Thieu ceramic products, Xuan Huynh now also organizes tours and experiences of Southern craft villages for tourists. “If we don’t do it, don’t tell stories and don’t let visitors experience it, how will people know that our hometown also has quality craft villages, products that have been improved with new patterns and designs, and most importantly, how durable and safe they are for health…”, Xuan Huynh shared.

HONG DUONG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/truong-thanh-cung-di-san-que-nha-post803909.html