Workers are working at a craft establishment (Photo: SGGP)
Craft villages including fine art wood, pottery, stone sculpture, forging have been making efforts to survive their severe recessionary problems. For instance, Nguyen Hoang, owner of a furniture manufacturing business in Xuan Tam Commune in Xuan Loc District, said that he has had to shutter one production facility and two shops for three months; therefore, tens of workers at the two manufacturing facilities have returned to their hometowns.
Currently, 20 workers have been residing in hostels, and Mr. Hoang has to make an advance of VND4-5 million per person every month to keep workers. Many goods produced before could not be delivered and dozens of contracts for wooden furniture construction were delayed because imported wood materials were stuck at the port.
The furniture production facility of Ngo Huynh Dieu in Xuan Hung commune also faced similar difficulties. Currently, tens of workers residing in Dieu’s production facility have kept producing for prior orders.
Dong Nai fine art pottery village is one of the most famous traditional craft villages of the province. More than half of the village’s products are exported to other countries while the rest are consumed domestically. From March 2020 until now, the sales of fine art ceramic products have slowed down, so ceramic establishments have been forced to reduce their capacity, or temporarily stop working.
Due to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, craft villages in Dong Nai Province have actively shifted to exploiting the domestic market and focused on finding new opportunities as well as switching to online trading to maintain production and survival.
Owner of Tien Vy Furniture Facility in Bien Hoa City Nguyen Van Sy said that his establishment returned to the domestic market, looking for customers who love decorative wood for the home and garden.
To attract domestic consumers, he and his designers tried to make new, beautiful products at competitive rates. Thanks to the dynamism of researching the needs of the domestic market, plus finding more customers in the country, the craft village has sold more products.
Do Minh Son, Director of Hoang My Ceramics Company in Tan Hanh Ceramics Industrial Cluster in Bien Hoa City, said that since the outbreak of the epidemic, he switched to looking for customers on the internet.
Mr. Son has been both introducing available ceramic products and advising customers to choose products that are suitable for the trend, interior, color of the house or garden. Subsequently, the company has received many orders from the end of 2020 to now not worrying about inventory anymore.
Similarly, Hoang Ngoc Toan - an artisan, owner of a ceramic establishment in Vinh Tan commune, Vinh Cuu district switched to online business. Thankfully, his ceramic facility has still maintained at 50 percent capacity escaping disruption.
He said Dong Nai Province in general and Vinh Cuu District in particular have put the epidemic under control; therefore, many business establishments have reorganized production. He expected workers will get vaccine jabs soon that they can be back to work for urgent orders.
