The Land Genie and Kitchen Gods Day, or the 23rd of the 12th lunar month, is less than a week away. Traditionally, this is a time when Vietnamese families buy new terracotta stoves as a way of inviting luck and prosperity for the new year. However, stove makers this year are experiencing hard times, especially those from stove-making villages.
This is a terra cotta craft making village in Hòa Vinh Town, Dong Hoa District, in Phu Yen Province. On the 12th lunar month of previous years, the village is usually seen full of newly-made stoves for the market. This year the scene here is quite different, only 3 families of stove makers remain here, and they all come from Trần Công Tiến. He struggles to produce 300 to 400 stoves every 3 days, with just 25 workers.
"It cost me around 3000 US dollars to invest in this stove workshop. And I have to pay each worker
about 130 to 180 US dollars in advance", said Tran Cong Tien, Hoa Vinh Town, Dong Hoa District, Phu Yen Province.
This kind of money is a lot for stove makers in this village. It has discouraged many other families from keeping up with their traditional livelihood. A stove is sold at 40 cents to 49 cents each, this gives each worker just around 4.43 US dollars per day.
"Many people have sought other livelihoods that offer better pay", said Nguyen Thi Thuy, Hoa Vinh Town, Dong Hoa District, Phu Yen Province.
"My child is too little, I can't work in a company so I stick with stove making", said Nguyen Thi Nhien, .Hoa Vinh Town, Dong Hoa District, Phu Yen Province.
With Vietnam's traditional Land Genie and Kitchen Gods Day fast approaching, many people from Binh Dinh or Dak Lak provinces have started coming to the craft making villages in Phu Yen. Province to buy stoves, however there are not much to choose from.
"If they can't find a stove to buy here, they won't find it anywhere else", said Tran Cong Tien, Hoa Vinh Town, Dong Hoa District, Phu Yen Province.
People will continue to come here to buy stoves, as the name of the craft village is still known to
many. However, there are only 3 stove making families this year, and there is no guarantee there will
be more next year.
