The sole remaining iron forger on Hanoi’s Lo Ren Street
| |
Forger Nguyen Phuong Hung, Lo Ren Street, Hanoi’s old quarter |
Lo Ren was initially known as Hang Bua (plough stores) Street, mainly selling ploughs for the rice fields that surrounded the city. Its name was changed when more and more iron forgers and their families moved into the street to supply the demand for other farming tools.
Most of houses on Lo Ren were divided in two – the back was used by the family living there and the front served as the workshop and store. Customers either bought ready-made tools for their needs or brought designs and had the tools custom made.
These days, little remains of the once bustling furnaces and iron mongers’ stores. In fact, only one manually operated forging furnace is still in use, totaling just four square meters in area. It is owned by Nguyen Phuong Hung.
Departure and return
Hung, almost 60, is the third generation in his family to engage in ironworking. He told Vietnam Economic News that after trying different jobs, he had gone back to doing what he loved best. At the age of six or seven, Hung was taught by his father and grandfather how to shape iron, using heat. When Hung was 17 years old, he told his father that he would one day take over the family’s business, but several years later, he gave up forging for other jobs, including working as a car driver and an automobile repair mechanic, among others. At the age of 35, Hung returned to Ren Lo Street, and has not left since. By going back, he felt he was fulfilling his destiny.
When he turned 42, and after several years of hard, back-breaking work, his father made him the furnace foreman.
Forging lover
Hung says his grandfather was one of the first people to bring the forging occupation from Canh Village in Hanoi’s Tu Liem District to the old quarter. Forgers initially made such products serving agricultural production as hammers, plows, hoes, and picks. During the resistance war against the French, forgers also made rudimentary weapons, he said.
The forging industry on Lo Ren fell into decline when Vietnam opened its market in 1995 to imports. Hung knows he is a dying breed. All his fellow forgers on the street have moved on to better-paying jobs or trade. Hung’s relatives keep advising him to rent out his street-front house as apartments and make more than he does with his furnace, but Hung has refused. Preserving his family’s traditional occupation, he says, is more important than making money.
Hung loves what he does. He is particularly proud of knowing how to calibrate the proper furnace temperature according to season and weather conditions in order to make quality products. His skill has paid off – with his products attracting many buyers.
Hung has no assistant. He says finding good help is hard because young people don’t like the hard, sweaty, manual labor. He says jokingly that since everyone else has abandoned the iron forging trade, he has become a one-man monopoly. Hung’s furnace at 26 Lo Ren Street is a legacy from his father, and it was built with money that his grandfather earned from forging. He is determined to keep the flame going as long as his health permits.
See also

Hunting for real estate investment opportunities after Tet
09:32 | 03/02/2023 Property

Vietnamese university up 97 places in Webometrics ranking
10:00 | 02/02/2023 Society

PM inspects national key transport projects
09:36 | 31/01/2023 Society

A great chance to invest in commercial property
10:46 | 30/01/2023 Property

Prime Minister launches New Year tree planting festival
15:36 | 27/01/2023 Society

Vietnamese celebrate Tet overseas
09:00 | 26/01/2023 Society
See more news

Party General Secretary extends greetings for Year of the Cat
12:19 | 22/01/2023 Metropolis

Strong recovery of capital's economy
06:00 | 17/01/2023 Metropolis

Animated morning at Nghi Thuy fishing port, Cua Lo Town
10:48 | 16/01/2023 Photo

Hanoi enters New Year with fresh optimism
11:46 | 01/01/2023 Metropolis

The final pitch of GBA Business Challenge 2022 found the winners
11:18 | 29/12/2022 Society

Kaspersky outlines top five cyberthreats for entrepreneurs
14:26 | 27/12/2022 Society

Empowering Safety program launched to save vulnerable young lives on the road
13:15 | 26/12/2022 Society

Vietnam looks ahead to 2023 climate summit
06:00 | 25/12/2022 Environment

Most consumers in Vietnam prefer biometrics to other forms of ID verification
09:50 | 22/12/2022 Society

The Australian Alumni Awards 2023 kicks off
09:24 | 20/12/2022 Society

18,000 tourists spend US$18.3 million on foreign tours during Lunar New Year
08:00 | 05/02/2023 Tourism

Vietnam develops green agriculture to increase exports to EU
07:00 | 05/02/2023 Major exports

Screening tools to enhance FDI quality
06:00 | 05/02/2023 Policy

Socioeconomic development targets in 2023
06:00 | 05/02/2023 Infographic

Technology trends to watch in 2023
06:00 | 05/02/2023 Science - Technology
Multimedia

Calligraphy for the new year
03/02/2023 20:00 Video

The joy of Tết for Mông people
30/01/2023 08:02 Video

My Phong Nha
02/03/2022 18:00 Video

Fireworks show to welcome the New Year 2023 in HCMC
06/01/2023 16:47 Video

Vietnam – Potential destination for Italian businesses
15/10/2018 11:09 Video

Screening tools to enhance FDI quality
06:00 | 05/02/2023 Policy

Prime Minister demands faster disbursement of public investment capital
17:29 | 03/02/2023 Policy

Deputy FM highlights role of economic diplomacy in service of national development
11:05 | 01/02/2023 Policy

Việt Nam supports expansion of UN Security Council
06:00 | 30/01/2023 Policy

Food and beverage industry to do well this year despite modest economy
13:00 | 03/02/2023 Industry

Moving ahead with 2023’s Global Priorities: Electrification and Decarbonization
15:05 | 02/02/2023 Industry

Hanoi eyes 950 firms in support industries this year
06:00 | 02/02/2023 Support industries

Vietnam to reduce environmental impact of textile-garment industry by 2030
06:00 | 01/02/2023 Industry

Hai Phong pledges optimal conditions for investors
09:00 | 04/02/2023 FDI

Greening foreign investment
06:00 | 03/02/2023 FDI

Southeast region prepares for new FDI wave
09:18 | 02/02/2023 FDI

January FDI nears US$1.7 billion
14:46 | 31/01/2023 FDI

Tax revenue up 4.4 percent year-on-year in January
08:40 | 03/02/2023 Finance-Banking

State-owned banks under capital increase pressure
10:52 | 01/02/2023 Finance-Banking

Positive prospects for Vietnam’s stock market this year
14:48 | 31/01/2023 Stock Market

Positive 2023 securities market forecasts
06:00 | 20/01/2023 Stock Market

Vietnam looks ahead to 2023 climate summit
06:00 | 25/12/2022 Environment

Preserving nature, facilitating business
06:00 | 10/12/2022 Environment

AkzoNobel Vietnam protects Cu Lao Xanh lighthouse against harsh weather
11:40 | 24/11/2022 Environment

JTI Vietnam commits to net zero greenhouse gas emissions
16:25 | 15/11/2022 Environment

Technology trends to watch in 2023
06:00 | 05/02/2023 Science - Technology

Managed security provides IT talent gap solution for businesses in SEA
16:34 | 30/01/2023 Information technology

Headquarters of Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology inaugurated
09:23 | 30/01/2023 Science - Technology

WHO to share mRNA vaccine technology with VietNam
09:14 | 30/01/2023 Science - Technology

Hunting for real estate investment opportunities after Tet
09:32 | 03/02/2023 Property

Vietnamese university up 97 places in Webometrics ranking
10:00 | 02/02/2023 Society

PM inspects national key transport projects
09:36 | 31/01/2023 Society

A great chance to invest in commercial property
10:46 | 30/01/2023 Property

Nestlé Vietnam and the journey to sustainable development
13:00 | 10/01/2023 Companies

VIMC embarks on strong recovery
06:00 | 10/01/2023 Companies

MM Mega Market launches a new modern Giá tốt business model
16:18 | 30/12/2022 Vietnamese Brands

PVCFC develops experts’ system
08:00 | 25/12/2022 Vietnamese Brands

The woman who revived Kim Hoang folk paintings
06:00 | 04/02/2023 Entertainment

Khmer's ginger cake of love and faithfulness
09:00 | 03/02/2023 Photo

Dutch diplomat donates Vietnamese paintings to national museum
06:00 | 01/02/2023 Lifestyle

Tet impressive in foreign ambassadors' eyes
14:49 | 30/01/2023 Lifestyle

18,000 tourists spend US$18.3 million on foreign tours during Lunar New Year
08:00 | 05/02/2023 Tourism

Vietnam listed among top places to visit in the New Year
06:00 | 04/02/2023 Tourism

Five-day holiday for workers during Reunification Day period
06:00 | 03/02/2023 Tourism

Vietnam plans to attract Chinese tourists
07:00 | 01/02/2023 Tourism