Alongside the renowned Tong Xa village, Van Diem boasts nearly 900 years of bronze casting tradition. Its products are highly diverse - ranging from altar offerings and feng shui artifacts to commemorative statues - each reflecting extraordinary craftsmanship. Prices vary widely, from just a few million VND to hundreds of millions (from several hundred to tens of thousands of USD), depending on size, material, and level of detail.

This is now the busiest season of the year in Van Diem. Inside the fiery workshops, the rhythm is constant and focused. Craftsmen work tirelessly to complete a growing wave of Tet orders.

Duong Xuan Tuyen, a veteran bronze artisan with nearly 40 years of experience, shared that since the lunar month of October, all workshops have been working overtime. Tet orders typically increase by 30–40% compared to other times of the year, and Mr. Tuyen now works 12–14 hours a day to meet deadlines.

"Every month during the year-end, my workshop processes 6–7 tons of bronze. Most of the products are altar items and symbolic animal statues.

In recent years, we’ve also seen a rise in orders for commemorative portrait statues of loved ones. These start at US$830 each and vary based on size and finish. We currently craft about 100 of these statues monthly,” Tuyen said.

To create a bronze sculpture, artisans go through several intricate stages: model sculpting, mold crafting, melting metal, pouring, mold removal, cooling, and finally, polishing and finishing.

For hand-cast portrait busts, the most difficult stage is modeling. These lifelike statues are often based on a single photograph. "To reflect a person’s spirit and presence in bronze, the sculptor must have not only technical skill but also a sharp imagination and sensitivity," Tuyen explained.

During the melting stage, extreme focus is required as the furnace reaches over 1,000°C. It takes about 20 minutes for the bronze to fully melt - then it must be poured into the mold immediately. A delay will ruin the consistency and detail.

After a full day of cooling, the mold is broken open, and the piece is moved to the finishing phase - refining intricate details and polishing to perfection.

“Because each bronze piece takes so long to complete, we usually stop taking Tet orders by mid-December (lunar calendar) to ensure on-time delivery,” Tuyen added.

Not far away, at Hoang Ngoc Truc’s family workshop, the pace is just as intense.

Truc’s workshop specializes in statues of national generals and sacred altar items such as incense burners, ceremonial cranes, and copper urns. Truc is also a master of raised engraving and traditional inlaying techniques, such as tam khí (three-metal inlay) and ngũ sắc (five-color inlay).

“Before I inlay or engrave, I sketch the design directly onto the bronze surface. With over 20 years of experience, I don’t need templates - I can draw freehand, shaping both form and soul as I go,” he said.

According to Truc, bronze items with inlays cost about USD $200 more than plain ones. His workshop produces 50–60 pieces per month on average, depending on complexity and size. During Tet, production doubles, and the team often works overnight to fulfill orders.

Meanwhile, Tran Mai Dung, manager of a bronze goods store in Y Yen, said he has been urging workshops to speed up production for Tet offerings and gifts.

His store specializes in altar items and decorative statues, including custom zodiac designs for the New Year. In addition to traditional sales and local workshop partnerships, Dung’s team is expanding into e-commerce through platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and their website to reach more customers.

"Thanks to this, our order volume has been growing steadily every year," Dung shared.

Trong Tung