The Special Craft of Ben Tre

Ben Tre Province is dubbed the "land of coconuts", famous for having the largest and oldest coconut trees in the country. In addition to various products and food and drink items made from coconuts, people also utilize other parts of the coconut tree after harvesting all the fruit or when the trees become old and withered to create household items or beautiful handicraft products.

There are many individuals and production facilities creating handicraft products from coconuts scattered throughout Ben Tre Province, but the oldest and most well known are concentrated in a craft village, which must include the facilities in Con Phung in Tan Vinh Hamlet, Chau Thanh District, Ben Tre Province. Con Phung is known as one of the most popular tourist islands in Ben Tre, nestled along the Tien River with perennial silt depositions and sheltered by lush coconut trees. People can only access the mainland two ways: by boat along the river or by a narrow winding road connected to Rach Mieu Bridge.

According to some long-time residents of Con Phung, the use of coconut tree parts to create everyday utensils has been around for a long time. When coconut trees become old or fall due to weather conditions, people utilize the broken trunks to make chopsticks, spoons, rice paddles and soup ladles. When tourists visit Con Phung and find these items, they can inquire about buying them. As demand gradually increased, it became a handicraft profession, thriving to this day.

 

We visited the Truong Phu facility of Truong Cong Duc while he was dyeing products made from coconuts. The dye used for these handicraft products is coconut oil or candle wax boiled with cooking oil to create a wood-like color for the products, enhancing their aesthetic appeal and creating a shiny exterior. Duc said his facility was established over five years ago, initially making products for family use only, but later after seeing many tourists and traders coming to place large orders, he expanded into a production facility.

"We usually produce in two ways, first by filling large orders from restaurants and tourist areas, and second by producing our own products for wholesalers who come to purchase in bulk. The most important stage is creating a design for the product. Each facility will have its own designs, none alike, based on experience, craftsmanship, and also to establish a brand, the personality of each facility. Having attractive and impressive designs is the allure for customers to come,” Duc said.

Duc also added that the most laborious stage in his profession is transporting coconut wood from the river to the facility, and cutting the wood to sort the raw materials before shaping the specific products. However, nowadays, the use of sawing machines, grinding machines, planers, and cutters has made this stage easier, as well as increasing the production volume. Currently, the Truong Phu facility produces an average of 2,000 products per week. These include large and small spoons, large and small chopsticks, rice paddles, soup ladles, bowls which are the "quartet" used in cooking. Meanwhile, the Anh Duong facility specializes in producing coconut tea boxes, and the Ben Tre Coconut Handicrafts Facility specializes in various decorative handicraft items, souvenirs made from coconuts, offering a wide range of options.

Today, on many main roads leading to Ben Tre, tourists can easily find many shops selling handicraft products made from coconuts, or restaurants, hotels, homestays decorating spaces with coconut products and utensils, all from coconut products have become characteristic highlights, providing a source of product consumption, introducing environmentally friendly items made from coconuts to tourists, and serving as an impressive highlight of tourism in the land of coconuts, Ben Tre./.

Story: Son Nghia

Photos: Nguyen Luan/VNP

Translated by Hong Hanh