(HBO) - With skilful hands, creativity, and especially a passion for carving, Bui Van Tu, a young man in Chieng 3 village, Vinh Dong commune, Kim Boi district of Hoa Binh has created unique wood products with high artistic values.
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Carving
works of Bui Van Tu, which are exquisite and beautifully crafted, win the heart
of customers.
Graduating from high school in 2002, Tu chose
not to go to university and enrolled in Ha Nam Intermediate Vocational School
(now Ha Nam Vocational College), where he learned carving.
After many years of studying and working at the
same time, he earned some money and decided to return to his hometown to start
his career. In 2010, he rent land to open a wood carving shop under the name Tu
Tam. He borrowed capital to invest in machinery, and searched for materials
supply sources by himself. Initially, due to a lack of new and diverse designs,
the workshop did not draw many customers. However, he did not give up. He spent
time to find new ideas to produce unique products and diversify designs. Thanks
to the efforts, more and more customers came to Tu’s workshop to place their
orders.
On average, his workshop has between 20 and 30
orders per month. The products are also diverse, depending on the requirements
of customers. Prices of the products also varies from several millions VND to
hundreds of millions of VND. A statue of Maitreya or the Goddess of Mercy may
cost from 40-50 million VND, while a salon carved from an old tree stump can be
priced at 150 million VND. Each year, his workshop completes than 200 orders
for customers in and outside the province, earning a monthly income of 30-35
million VND.
Tu said that so far, he has trained many youngsters
in the commune and neighbouring areas in wood carving, while creating stable
jobs for 5-7 skilled workers with a wage from 4.5-8 million VND per month.
"In the coming time, I hope to
expand the workshop to further develop the trade,” said Tu.
In order to further develop the workshop and establish
a position in the market, thus creating jobs for more labourers, in recent
years, Bui Van Tu has learnt new designs through the media to put into
production, meeting the demand of customers. Therefore, "Tu Tam” carving
products can satisfy even choosy customers./.
Dao Village’s honey – a product certified with a 3-star OCOP (One Commune One Product) rating by Thong Nhat Agricultural Cooperative in Dao Village (Hoa Binh City) – is highly regarded by consumers for its quality, richness, and variety in packaging. The distinctively sweet taste of Dao Village’s honey leaves a lasting impression on anyone who has tried it.
In alignment with Project No. 07-DA/TU, issued by the Hoa Binh provincial Party Committee on November 1, 2021, Lac Thuy district has actively promoted investment and supported the sustainable development of its industrial and handicraft sectors during the 2021–2025 period. Alongside this, the district has remained committed to preserving and revitalising traditional craft villages.
Located in the northern part of Lac Thuy district, with a temperate climate and fertile soil, Phu Thanh commune has great potential and advantages in growing tea. The long-standing experience, combined with strict adherence to organic farming practices in the tea gardens, ensures that the dried tea products from Phu Thanh and Lac Thuy as a whole are sold out immediately upon production, providing a stable and prosperous life for the local people.
Amid efforts to streamline the administrative apparatus, Hoa Binh province has intensified measures to address challenges in land clearance, resettlement support, and infrastructure investment, aiming to speed up the progress of key projects.
Hoa Binh province has posted an unprecedented economic growth rate of 12.76% in the first quarter of 2025, marking its highest quarterly performance to date and positioning it as the second fastest-growing locality in the country, trailing only Bac Giang province.
Under current regulations, products in the One Commune – One Product (OCOP) programme that are rated three stars or higher must undergo re-evaluation every three months. However, in reality, some of these products fail to consistently meet the required standards, raising concerns about the sustainability of their OCOP certification. This underscores the urgent need for producers to enhance product quality and gradually develop their OCOP products into strong, marketable brands.