Tan Son Village in central Ninh Thuan Province became famous for producing a beautiful assortment of high quality ebony chopsticks in the 1980’s.
Unfortunately ebony – a valuable type of wood – is facing the risk of extinction, making it difficult for local crafts-workers to meet both domestic and foreign demand for high-end chopsticks.
With a traditional love for making chopsticks, an art handed down over generations, local people in Tan Son have spared no effort to seek alternative materials for their creations. Their goal is to not only preserve the dwindling ebony forests but also continue the development of their traditional handicraft.
Due to the shortage of ebony, local crafts-workers have experimented and discovered that coconut-palm is an effective material for the production of chopsticks and once again their products are attracting customers both inside and outside the country.
"Making chopsticks from coconut-palm is more difficult, as it requires more complicated techniques," said Le Van Vuong, who has been involved in the craft for more than 20 years.
To be useful for chopsticks, coconut palms must be over 60 years old. If the tree is too young the chopsticks don’t have a beautiful colour and are more fragile, leading to easy breakage. Chopsticks made from older coconut palms are also more valuable, allowing crafts-workers to earn more money for their final product.
"Making chopsticks from young coconut palms is quicker and cheaper, but the quality is lower. It’s easy to earn profits quickly but you run a greater risk of losing repeat customers. Nowadays, earning customer trust and loyalty is essential for a business to maintain a firm foothold in the market. As a result we are forced to pay a great deal of attention to product quality, "Vuong stressed.
Ninh Thuan, however, is not a region rich with coconut palms. Locals must travel to other provinces, such as Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen or Phan Thiet, to find the materials they need. The cost of transporting a coconut palm from the other provinces to Ninh Thuan is around VND 800,000 (USD 47). Each tree has enough wood to form approximately 4,000 chopsticks, only three-quarters of which will meet standards.
Making chopsticks is not easy, as anyone familiar with the craft will tell you. The entire process requires a great deal of attention from crafts-workers, from cutting the coconut palm properly to adding the final shine to the finished product. For young workers, failure is unavoidable," said Phan Viet Mai, a seasoned Tan Son craftsman.
Ninh Son District, where Tan Son is located, has a population of around 70,000, more than 2,000 of whom live by making chopsticks. The economic benefit from the craft has helped local citizens improve their living conditions and provide for their children’s education.
"We produce 4,000 chopsticks each day, with each 1,000 sold bringing an income of VND 350,000 (USD 21). After production, transportation and other costs we earn an average income of over VND 100,000 (USD 6) per day. If we relied only on farming, our four children would not be able to attend school," said Mai.
Other families are also beneficiaries of the economic boost. Every household involved in the production of chopsticks earns between VND 3 - 4 million (USD 176 - 235) per month, according to Tran Kim Trung, head of village No 1.
"My village has 307 households, only 7 of which are poor. The majority of them take part in the production of chopsticks," he said.
A chopstick production unit in Huynh Van Khe, for example, has created jobs for more than 150 workers who earn an average salary of between VND 25,000 - 70,000 (USD 1.5 - 4) per day.
Ebony chopsticks from Tan Son used to be famous among the rich, who often used ebony chopsticks to impress distinguished guests. Longer chopsticks were considered more beautiful and therefore in high demand from wealthy customers.
Historically, each household used at least 40cu.m of ebony per day. After decades exploiting ebony for making chopsticks, however, the material has become virtually exhausted.
The production of chopsticks from coconut palm therefore not only helps protect ebony from ultimate extinction, but also provides more choices for customers and improves living conditions for the local people.
In an effort to preserve the traditional craft, local authorities are making efforts to encourage crafts-people to produce chopsticks from materials other than ebony. The aim is to prevent illegal wood exploitation and further develop a trademark product for the craft village, said Pham Van Nhan, chairman of Ninh Son District’s People’s Committee.