This 68-year-old still makes thousands of wooden stamps by hand in Hanoi
Friday, August 25, 2023, 15:46 GMT+7
Pham Ngoc Toan, 68, has been hand-making wooden stamps in the heart of Hanoi for over thirty years.
In his seven-square-meter shop at 6 Hang Quat Street in Hoan Kiem District, Toan makes and sells thousands of stamps to people from all over the world.
It was years ago when Toan decided to quit his job as a teacher to become a craftsman and continue his family's traditional stamp-making craft.
“I began to make stamps when I was about ten years old,” Toan recalled.
“Back then, stamps were not as varied in shape as they are now.”
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| Wooden stamps are available at Pham Ngoc Toan's shop in Hanoi. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre News |
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| A variety of stamp designs Pham Ngoc Toan has made for customers. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre News |
The craft requires the artisan to meticulously choose the wood to carve stamps so that it produces 'soulful' print images.
Toan also does customized designs, including cartoon characters and family portraits.
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| Pham Ngoc Toan, 68, carve a wooden stamp at his stall on Hang Quat Street in Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre News |
It normally takes him around 15-20 minutes to engrave a simple stamp, though more complicated engravings require more time.
Each stamp sells for VND50,000 to several hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese dong, depending on the level of difficulty. (US$1 = VND24,000)
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| Pham Ngoc Toan’s shop is featured in a guide for Japanese tourists to Vietnam. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre News |
After more than 30 years of making wooden stamps, Toan is now worried that the craft might soon be lost.
He always welcomes those who love to learn the craft, and he even teaches others for free.
He also provides free accommodation to underprivileged learners and pays them for the products they make.
What he longs for is to find an apprentice to whom he can pass his torch.
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| A set of tools Pham Ngoc Toan uses to make wooden stamps at his shop in Hanoi. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre News |
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| Pham Ngoc Toan holds two of the wooden stamps he made in Hanoi. Photo: Nam Tram / Tuoi Tre News |
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| A print image is produced by a wooden stamp made by Pham Ngoc Toan in Hanoi. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre News |
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| Wooden seals on display at Pham Ngoc Toan’s shop in Hanoi. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre News |
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