About 30 kilometers from Hanoi’s center, Thong Nhat in Thuong Tin District, is a famous place for traditional glass blowing work. In the past, every house constantly made fire, creating decorative glass products.
To create a glass product, a multi-step process is performed. The glass pieces must be guaranteed not to stain and are classified by different colors such as blue and white. Depending on the requirements of each product, the production process can be different such as blowing, pressing, pulling, and rolling. However, the traditional processing method, which is blowing, is still used by many workers.
Mr. Luong Van Trai, who has more than 25 years of experience in glass making, said: “In recent years, my family has not only made light bulbs, test tubes with a simple way of shaping, but we have also created decorative glass with complexity and sophistication such as wind chimes, pine trees, and 12 zodiac animals. If the craftsman wants to pursue a glass blowing career, he must first love the job.”
To create wonderful products, skilled workers must know the "ripeness" of the glass. Initially when exposed to fire, the glass will be blue, and when burned to the point, the glass will turn white. At that time, if you blow slightly, the glass will expand to the desired size.
The craftsman "sticks" molten glass at the end of a long tube and then blows into the other end. As a result, the glass swells. While blowing, the craftsman must shape and adjust the thickness.
Some products of the glass blowing village in Thong Nhat Commune.
In Thong Nhat, about 20 people work in the glass-blowing profession. Very few young people follow the profession. Each glass factory has its own secrets, from the selection of glass materials to heating and shaping that make products with high durability, transparency, uniformity, and safety.
Many glassblowing households in Thong Nhat now not only make traditional products but also do research to make items and equipment used in the fields of health and education.
To make glass products such as medicine tubes, glass bulbs or any other glass objects, there are many steps to go through such as blowing, pulling, pressing, rolling, etc.
In the glass shaping steps, blowing technique is the most important. Craftsmen must regulate their breathing so that it is smooth and suitable for each product. Even skilled workers must hold their breath to achieve the desired shape.
Besides the ingenuity to regulate breathing, craftsmen need to have good health to withstand the heat of the fire. Ms. Ta Thi Nga said that, after many difficult years to adapt to the development of society and the increasing requirements of customers, many households in the commune have carried out research to make new products, items and equipment in the fields of health, education to bring higher economic efficiency.
Once completed, these products will be shipped to consumers. The sophisticated glass products of the "Thong Nhat" brand are still popular today.

Bao Khanh