Opportunities and challenges… 39

Opportunities and challenges of

traditional craft villages
(case study on carpentry Chàng Sơn, Thạch Thất, Hanoi)

PHÍ THỊ BÌNH (*)

tradition in Thạch Thất district. Chàng

T
raditional craft village be
considered as the factors cannot village establishment, they studied in
be separated in Vietnam’s village history and ancient materials, older
traditional craft village, its include 2 people in this village known that Chàng
opposite factors is sift supply and close village established in early AD, “Chàng”
of traditional craft village in rural area is one kind of carpentry’s instrument. And
and the dynamic, creative of people with now there is no writing document about
opening factors in joining global Chàng Sơn carpentry’s history.
economic and mordernization. In other There is space of cultural diversity
words, traditional craft village are non- training, with the interleaving, harmonic
agriculture that having advantages in between element of traditional culture
number of households, labors and its and modern culture, and carpentry is the
income percentage to comparison with main hand-made. It plays an important
agriculture. It impacts on traditional roles and impact on Chàng Sơn’s socio-
craft villages and plays an important role economic and cultural. It not only create
in socio-economic in rural area, make works, upgrade the living standard but
Vietnam’s rural areas joint in also it is a good traditional craft village
international economic and fasten in that be generated by carpenter artisans.
industrialization. Chàng Sơn now and in the past is well
In this article, we study a case in known Chàng Sơn’s carpenter created
carpentry in Chàng Sơn village, Thạch many work of art and sculpture as a Tản
Thất district, Hanoi where considered as Viên temple (Ba Vì), arhat statues in
higher speed development and Tây Phương pagoda and some work of
urbanization with other areas and art in around Vietnam.
challenge in socio-economic and cutural. According to the vicissitudes of history,
1. Overview in Chàng Sơn Chàng Sơn’s carpentry is certain
carpentry
Chàng Sơn is one of village with long ()
Institute of Vietnamese Studies and
Development Sciences.
40 Social Sciences Information Review, Vol.5, No.4, December, 2011

changed. Firstly, it was the secondary of qualified cultural, and qualification

job in free time, now it becomes upgrading, they equipped with social
traditional handicrafts which bring main knowledge from their school, their life
incomes, solve the unemployment and and skillful from old generations. So
upgrading the living standard in young team qualification is upgrading
traditional craft village. In recent years, and rejuvenates the team. Next to this
Chàng Sơn carpentry develops stably the legacy, promote and promote
and strides outstanding. creativity, improve to suite with the
design, and modern style, and meet the
2. Opportunities and challenges for
high quality.
development in Chàng Sơn carpentry in
recent years - Although, they applied scientific and
technical in some part of chain
- Chances
production but it brings greater
Chàng Sơn’s background is traditional efficiency of labor, reduce time, and
craft village with many handicraft co- labor force. This model deeply applied
exist and develop in parallel, create the in this village. According to incomplete
mutual exchange with vocational statistic, in Chàng Sơn 2% household
training, between carpentry with other produce traditional wooden house, 7%
job in village. Business psychology was produce worship, 50% produce furniture
established as a commercials talent and fine art and 41% produce normal
skillfully trends of Chàng Sơn carpentry, wooden production. Cause of this
easily to meet with market unstable. specialization makes linkage and
Particularly the International economic cooperation between household in
integration deeper in Vietnam opened up village. In addition, thanks for the
to Chàng Sơn manée opportunities for modern communication, Chàng Sơn
development. For example: people can open their market by internet,
- Transportation system with path e-commerce, and newspapers online, so
province, inner-communal boundary their production is well known in
makes general system of materials and domestic and some regional market as
productions in village with other areas Taiwan, China …
and makes advantages for Chàng Sơn’s - Government and state issued system
commerce. policy and orientated to develop
- Labor structure in a large proportion traditional craft village, restore the
(more than 80% in total labor); focus all, culture value and build new model rural.
ages, sexuality. In that, model of It also help Chàng Sơn carpentry
household production is main and utilize develop. Borrowing capital policy invest
the labor of all family member include in production be opened in rural areas is
women and children. Children in village a good condition help many households
help in production when they were a improve their production force, invested
child, it is an advantage point to remain in technical and widen production.
and develop their job. It is also the way Specially, when commune collected
that artisan can hand their experience production household in industrial zone,
and secret. More over, with young team it is not only widen production area but
Opportunities and challenges… 41

also it help reduce polluted environment To well understand this problem we

in village. know that want to register of copyright
- Some challenges: protection they need follow some
regular in renew technique in production
Global economic integration and fast
chain and it plays importance role in
urbanization make Chàng Sơn carpentry
production. This problem in Chàng Sơn
quickly changed and impacted on village
are making but only in some household
development.
and in some parts of production. To
Vietnam has jointed in WTO, it created solve this problem is finding capital to
opening air market for Chàng Sơn, but it invest in produce, some households use
was the economic competitive between equity or borrow with high interest loan,
Chàng Sơn with other carpentry role of State in preferential loans were
traditional craft village in areas such as too small, and it did not meet the need in
Hữu Bằng, Phùng Xá, Canh Nậu or village development. Households
outside area as Đồng Kỵ (Bắc Ninh) production is difficult to borrow big loan
deeper and deeper. Especially, when the if they can not show their force, and
connection between households with production scale in future, so it
enterprises is weak, enterprises are inhibitory household’s production and
locality. Now in Chàng Sơn need an village speed. According to Chàng Sơn’s
association to collect artisan, skillful and commune statistic, in 2009, the number
find output way for their production. of household can access to capital were
While, labor market widens in quantity 976, equal to money borrowed was
and quality but it is lack of labor with 36.883 billion VND (in which 244
high technique and qualification, so it is borrowed from credit funds with 10.5
difficult for them to apply technical. The billion VND, 292 borrowed from Bank
number of high skillful labor to research of Social policy with 1593 billion VND,
new style is less. They were not trained, 429 borrowed from Bank of Agriculture
always depend on their experience. with 24,79 billion VND). It amount did
Their benefits and protection not meet their production need.
Trade mark for Chàng Sơn productions
is a big problem. Now in Chàng Sơn, Chàng Sơn’s materials sources are not
some households produce traditional available in there, 100% materials have
furniture and fine art, besides to import outside by system enterprises
households produce modern furniture or Co Ltd in commune, and it pushed up
(made by industrial wood), these price, and depended on outside sources.
production always have lower quality, It is also disadvantages making pushed
and do not require qualification, so it up price and lack of competition in open
made fine art down and down. Morever, market. In recent year, Chàng Sơn’s
Chàng Sơn’s traditional furniture and carpentry productions have been widely
fine art are not registered of copyright sold all over nation but it is difficult to
protection, so their goods in opening export to oversea, its products only
market it is easy be mixed with other export to China and Taiwan and be
goods that is less well-known in market. impacted by market economy.
42 Social Sciences Information Review, Vol.5, No.4, December, 2011

Besides, Chàng Sơn is face with Even though, market mechanism creates
seriously polluted environment. Village lifestyle market and deterioration in
development is inversely with living concept in some part of Chàng
production area. The average area for Sơn people. Specially, in young ages,
production is 144m2, production this implication leads to pragmatic way
household used all living area to produce of life. Their lifestyle changed and their
as house, garden, and more they filled way of changed also, produce like “fast
ponds to widened production areas. It is food” begin in Chàng Sơn, so quality is
one of the reasons for noisy polluted, air down, it effected on Chàng Sơn’s
polluted. Dust concentration measured reputation. The appreciate money value
in Chàng Sơn was 4, 7-8, 3 mg/m3; it is is the reason why the artisan value
higher than limit standard. The amount decreased and business man value rise
of waste per day in Chàng Sơn is 6,6 on. And it make the community linkage
tons, they can collect 65% and 25% left is loosen, can say that the money linkage
is still on village, so environment is tight but culture linkage is loosen.
polluted is more severe. It impacts on Some social crisis is increasing.
people living standard. 3. Some solution for development in
But, Chàng Sơn’s commune can not Chàng Sơn
clearly know this problem and can not
According to this study, we found that to
find the right way to solve it. How can
remain and develop traditional craft
do to push development economics and
village as Chàng Sơn need apply
protect environment. They found the
solution close to each village socio-
way to solve the conflict resolution
economic, and cultural condition to take
between producing area and living area,
advantage points and reduce
but it is so slowly and lack of planning
disadvantages in traditional craft village.
management, using land for improper
purposes leaded to more seriously - Need diversification way and sources
environmental pollution. It needs the capital collection as banks system, bank
solution not only in Chàng Sơn of social policy in local to step by step
commune, but also upper level. Hanoi increase effective in using capital.
need issue policy to protect and develop - Perform synchronization market, need
traditional craft village, mean why still widen market; increase capacity in
protect environment. It really need right accessing market for production
orientation to develop. households, for enterprises and company
Cultural changing is one of challenges in limited in village, and they can find and
Chàng Sơn. The introduction and promote their market, after that can
continue development of cultural promote their production in domestic
elements have positive impacts and and oversea market by connecting
changes to the appearances, upgrading traditional craft village with tourism,
people’s living and culture standard. It push commerce policy and advertise
leads to some cultural value are reborn their productions.
as worship the village tutelary, water - Need concentrate on training and
puppet and act…). upgrade labor qualification in traditional
Opportunities and challenges… 43

craft village such as cooperating with need cooperation of all village

department or collage about art to train community and especially widen
about art and architech technique. By the knowledge for all people in
way, training and upgrading the capacity environmental protection. And make
on socio-economic development on planning to collect traditional village in
planning, culture, scientific and industrial zone to solve solution for
technology, knowledge in economic production area and need closely
mechanism for production households manage to avoid using land non-
and enterprises in training center or purposed.
business club… References:
- Establish the tradition village 1. Nguyễn Duy Bắc (Editor in Chief).
association and its regulation for Changes of cultural values in the
ensuring cooperation between context of building market economy
production household to well access in Vietnam currently. H.:
with outside market and develop village. Encyclopedic dictionary Publishing
- To develop traditional village need House and Cultural Institute, 2008.
connect Chàng Sơn’s traditional and 2. Thạch Thất’s People’s Committee.
modern elements. And focus on Thạch Thất’s monography .2005
criterials for economic growth and
environmental protection. 3. Nguyễn Trinh Hương. Environment
and community’s traditional village
For all these articles as above, we want health in Vietnam. Ministry of
to express on establishing and Construction. http://moc.gov.vn
completing the policy system about
traditional craft village. Need improve 4. Nguyễn Kiến (editor). Chàng Sơn
legal for its development these elements village, past and now. Chàng Sơn’s
are not only stand on document but also village club, 2006.
it need practically in life. In order to 5. Đinh Gia Khánh, Trần Tiến (co-
make is well, need concentration on editor in Chief). Traditional cultural
upgrading the capacity on socio- monography of Thăng Long – Đông
economic management and planning Đô – Hanoi. H: Hanoi Publishing
from State to commune level. House, 1991.
Besides, need know about using children 6. Nguyễn Hữu Mão. Dexterity of
labor and labor protection in Chàng Sơn Chàng Sơn village. H: Traditional
carpentry village, Chàng Sơn commune culture Publishing House, 1994.
should issue clearly criterias for this 7. People’s Committee of Chàng Sơn.
problem, special for using children Socio-economic report from 2001-
labor. Because now in Chàng Sơn use 2010.
many children labor and it is illegal and
need prevent. Environmental polluted in 8. People’s Committee of Chàng Sơn.
traditional village is very serious and General report on land using in
lead to many problems in living and period 2006-2010 in Chàng Sơn
environment standard. To make it well, village.