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VietNamNet Bridge – Binh An Village in Binh Lang Commune in Tan Tru District in the Mekong Delta province of Long An has been known for its tradition of making drums for over 100 years. The village is a hub making drums for ceremonies, unicorn dances and schools nationwide, and even for exports.
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A drum’s body which is in a round shape can be made from wooden sticks, or a whole block of wood. In the photo, Mr. Nam Men is covering a drum’s surface with leather. This drum which is made from a wood block has a dimension of 1m and the height of 2m. It takes four months to finish this drum.
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It takes over 20 meticulous steps to finish a drum. Each drum has its distinctive features to create different sounds so artisans are very careful and patient in crafting every detail of the drum. Binh An’s drum-making career has been through ups and downs. However, it has existed and developed thanks to those people with great passion and devotion who have managed to preserve the craft village.
As Tet is coming soon in about two more weeks, people in Binh An Village are in a hurry to produce drums to meet the demands of local customers.
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Mr. Ba Khia, who is among the fourth-generation artisans, prepares wooden boards to make a drum’s body which is made from different kinds of wood depending on the type of drums and sounds they want. Ba Khia has been making drums for over 40 years
The drum-covering skill has been inherited from predecessors since several generations ago. In the photo, Mr. Tam Van inspects his son plastering up gaps on a drum’s body
After completion, it is hard to indentify whether a Binh An drum is made from wooden sticks or a block of wood. The production of high-quality drums can help bring a stable life to local artisans – Photos: Tran Le Triet
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