Keeping the traditional craft of Go Dat blacksmith

Amidst the modern pace of life, in Go Dat hamlet (Binh An commune), the sound of hammers still resounds steadily next to the red glow of the fire. Mr. Ngo Hoang Son (55 years old) with his hands blackened by smoke and fire still diligently maintains his ancestors' blacksmithing profession.

Mr. Ngo Hoang Son is the fourth generation in his family to practice blacksmithing. Mr. Son said that the blacksmithing profession has been around since his great-grandfather's time. Through many generations, from his grandfather to his two uncles and then to him, the fire in the forge has been burning non-stop. "A sharp knife is made of the right pair of steel, the old steel... only then will the knife be sharp and sell for a good price" - Mr. Son said with a smile, his eyes shining with pride. That seemingly simple saying is an art, which only people in the profession can understand because a traditional forged knife is not just an object, but the crystallization of technique, time, fire, sweat and... love for the profession.

Mr. Son said that when he was young, his family was poor, and he had to drop out of school after 9th grade because he didn’t have money to buy a bicycle to go to Rach Soi to continue his studies. From the age of 10, he followed his uncle to light the furnace, hammer small hammers, then bigger hammers, learning each step from playing, carving, shaping to sharpening. It wasn’t until he was 18 that he was able to forge his first complete knife. “This job is very hard, but my uncle said that if you don’t have a job, you have to stick with blacksmithing so that you can support your wife and children in the future,” Mr. Son recalled.

Mr. Ngo Hoang Son and his son forge knives for customers.

Mr. Son's forge was recognized as a traditional craft in 2019, but for him, that title is not as good as the fact that people regularly order, use it, and then come back to forge more. Every day, Mr. Son and his son forge 4-6 products, all kinds of farming tools from pineapple cutting knives, areca knife, leaf knife, hammer, hoe, scissors... Each product takes nearly half a day to complete, the price of the knives ranges from 200,000 VND to more than 1 million VND. "I can't make it fast enough to sell. During Tet, people in Phu Quoc order a lot of fish cutting knives. The knives I make are different from those sold in the market, you can tell right away when you use them" - Mr. Son said.

Like many other crafts, knife forging requires meticulousness, strength and experience. From selecting steel for bullet casings imported from Saigon to cutting iron, measuring blanks, splitting, heating them over a red-hot cajuput charcoal fire, then tapping, repairing, shaping, inserting a handle from candlenut wood, square grinding, filing… each step is a link in the chain. Finally, sharpening is the stage that determines the quality of the blade.

Mr. Son has an only son, Ngo Hoang Ha, who also follows his father's profession. He used to work for hire but quickly returned to the forge because he missed home and the profession. Mr. Ha said: "I will probably continue this profession and not change jobs. I am as familiar with this profession as breathing." With the help of his son and a few assistants, Mr. Son's forge earns an average of 1-2 million VND per day, minus expenses, the profit is 500,000-800,000 VND. Mr. Son said: "This profession is not rich, but it is possible to live and the important thing is to preserve the profession of our grandparents."

Not only keeping the profession, Mr. Son has also been the Party Secretary of Go Dat Hamlet since 2000. Being a role model in work, he has contributed to keeping the fire burning for a profession that is gradually fading away. Many people in the area and neighboring provinces have become regular customers of the Go Dat forge. Mr. Lam Thien Duc, a resident of Dinh An commune, said: "I have used the knives and hammers forged by Mr. Son for many years, they are very durable, only reforging them every 5-10 years. The knives at the market to chop chickens sometimes have a bent blade, but Mr. Son's knives are made of steel and iron, sharp but slow to become dull."

Without noisy advertising, without the need for social networks, Go Dat blacksmith still exists persistently with quality and reputation. People come to Mr. Son because of trust, people come back because of nostalgia. And the sharp blades here are not only for splitting areca nuts, cutting pineapples, but also keep the old profession's flame still smoldering...

DANG LINH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/giu-lua-nghe-truyen-thong-lo-ren-go-dat-a424230.html