With more than 20 years crafting bronze products, Nguyen Van Trung has always “tossed and turned” to find a pathway for his homeland’s product. From a small workshop, now he has now turned his family business into a quite serious one. Trung was recognised as “Artisan with Golden hands” in 2010.

 “There are many bronze casting villages and Dai Bai is an old good name. As a descendant of the craft village, I always want to introduce the traditional products to consumers. I have trained the next generations on what my predecessors passed down,” said Nguyen Van Trung from Dai Bai commune, Gia Binh district, Bac Ninh province.

Bronze casting requires artisans’ patience and dedication in every minor step: making a mold, boiling the copper and casting it into the molds. Mostly being made with bare hands, it takes craftsmen weeks or even months to finish bronze products.

Trung said: “Unlike mass products, we have to spend days and nights finishing a product. However, quality is still our priority.”

Still, there are people, for the sake of profit, buying cheaper bronze products elsewhere to sell under the name of the craft village. Their behaviour has tarnished the reputation of Dai Bai bronze products.

However, if consumers notice, they will realise the delicacy on each authentic product’s patterns.

Nguyen Tan Dich from Dai Bai Commune said Dai Bai’s bronze products require more steps to complete. After crafting, we use our hands to finalise them. “And also we have always applied secret formula to produce high-quality products,” he added.

In order to protect the name of Dai Bai bronze, Bac Ninh province mapped out a project worth some 26,400 USD to develop and manage the craft village’s brand.

Dai Bai bronze casting was recognised as national intangible heritage in 2015 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The locality has also come up with practical measures to protect the lawful rights of consumers and producers.

Vice Chairman of Dai Bai Communal People’s Committee Nguyen Van Quang said: “First we have got to persuade local households to carry on with the traditional craft. Dai Bai bronze products have exceptional quality which generates high economic value. Counterfeit products have been discouraged in the locality.” He added that in the coming time, they will impose more aggressive penalties on households selling fake products.

 With their heads always turning to the traditional craft, Dai Bai people have passed down what they have been taught for generations to their young kids. Together with the local authority’s efforts, the passion shared among people is expected to move the name of Dai Bai bronze upward.-VNA