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He aspires to keep the traditional trade alive at a time when more attractive modern toys dominate the market

A Vietnamese man has spent multiple years earning a living out of handmade toy figurines, hoping to preserve the traditional creation of such objects for posterity.

Dang Van Tien has with determination followed the job of making to he – toy statuettes typically made of glutinous rice powder in the past – selling the products by traveling to different places from Xuan La, a rural village specializing in the tradition just south of Hanoi.

The 33-year-old and other craftsmen from the village would display their works and demonstrate how to make them in front of live audiences around the tourist attraction of Hoan Kiem Lake, and along the newly opened Trinh Cong Son Pedestrian Street in Tay Ho District, in the capital.

Tien, who was introduced to the art of forming toy figurines by his maternal grandfather, who taught him the skill at the age of 18, has experienced ups and downs with the job.

In 2008, Hanoi administrators began wiping street vendors off the urban face, endangering his sales as he relied on the streets for a living. Fortunately, he managed to obtain permission from local authorities to alternatively ply his trade at public parks.

Toy figurines usually use glutinous rice powder as the long-standing material, which means children could eat and play with them.

But Tien said the problem is that the statuettes left from the sales became rotten only within two or three days, while a deft craftsman can produce 100 to 150 toy figurines daily.

By experimenting with various alternative materials, he has found a secret powder able to retain its quality for a year. Other figurine makers in his village placed multiple orders for the new mixture from him.

Tien has nurtured the ambition of preserving and developing the traditional toy figurine making techniques of his village.

The desire has motivated him to join festivals and fairs held by the government.

“I told the authorities my wish to keep the village’s toy figurine making alive, and they gave me a priority, inviting me to provinces like Bac Giang, Hai Duong, and Phu Tho, and [the city of] Hue [for public events],” Tien said. “As I’m still young, I have to find new business links to have a stable income and advertise the toy figurine making.”

The man won a number of awards for his skillfulness from domestic competitions for craftsmen nationwide.

Also for the same purpose, he recently hired college students to create toy statuettes on Trinh Cong Son Pedestrian Street, which was inaugurated in Hanoi last weekend, in the hope of making the objects more popular.

He learned from children, his target customers, to increase his figurine repertoire.

“What I remember most is when a little girl asked me to fashion Ironman without giving me any picture of the character,” Tien recalled. “I then made a thing that fitted her description. After I’m finished, she brought the Ironman to her mother happily. So I just learn how to make attractive Ironman figurines after taking an order from a kid.”

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his visiting Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev have discussed measures to boost all-around ties between the two countries, particularly in trade and energy.

>> An audio version of the story is available here

The discussions were held on Monday in Hanoi, where the Russian premier arrived a day earlier for his three-day visit.

The two prime ministers informed each other of their country’s political and socio-economic situations and consented to intensify delegation exchanges among high-ranking officials, diversify cooperation channels, and closely support each other in the international arena.

The host and guest also reviewed the implementation of key projects in economy, trade, investment, oil and gas, nuclear power, and military technology.

As the two nations’ bilateral trade decreased slightly last year, the two officials underscored the need for both sides to seek appropriate measures, including the acceleration of the signing of a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union in the first half of 2015 to bring their trade value to US$10 billion by 2020. Officially taking shape on January 1, 2015, the Eurasian Economic Union is an international organization for regional economic integration, with member states being the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Russian Federation. The two premiers spoke highly of the active implementation of projects in oil and gas, nuclear power, mining, and agriculture.

They agreed to step up cooperation in oil and gas projects on Vietnamese and Russian continental shelves, and speed up the execution of the Ninh Thuan 1 nuclear power plant project in the south-central Vietnamese province of Ninh Thuan. It is necessary to expand cooperation in science, technology, education, training, culture, and tourism to deepen the comprehensive relationship between the two countries, they added.

PM Dung and Medvedev also exchanged opinions on bilateral relations and regional and international issues of mutual concern. The two agreed that any East Vietnam Sea disputes should be addressed through peaceful means with respect for international law, including the 1982 United Nations on the Law of the Sea. Those sides involved should fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Vietnam Sea and work toward the formation of a Code of Conduct for that sea, the two premiers said. According to the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, the two leaders highly valued the defense and security ties between their two countries, especially in military techniques and soldier training, and agreed to further cooperation in this field.

At a press briefing after their talks, PM Medvedev said trade between Vietnam and Russia has grown by 20 percent annually over the past five years. Products with high value added account for more than half of the trade, the Russian prime minister said. “In 2014, trade decreased a bit but we and our Vietnamese counterparts consider it a provisional issue. Today, we have discussed measures the two sides need to take to boost the bilateral trade to $10 billion before 2020,” he added. The Russian leader also said that the two countries have 17 cooperation projects in 2015 and both sides are drafting the roadmap for each project. These projects include one under which Russia will provide aircraft for Vietnam and another for parts of Russian automobiles to be assembled in the Southeast Asian country, he said. The two nations will also facilitate the operation of their oil and gas companies on each other’s territory, he added. PM Medvedev invited his Vietnamese counterpart to pay an official visit to Russia. The latter accepted the invitation and the trip will be arranged through diplomatic channels. According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during the first day of PM Medvedev’s visit to Vietnam, the Russian and Vietnamese sides signed eight cooperation agreements. Among the deals were a framework agreement on Gazprom Neft buying 49 percent of the Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Company’s shares and a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in oil and gas exploration and exploitation between Gazprom Neft and the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group. They also signed a memorandum on cooperation between Russia’s Inter Rao Export Electricity Company and Vietnam’s North Power Repair Service JSC on modernizing power plants in the Southeast Asian country and an agreement on cooperation between Russian Railways and Vietnam Railways Corporation.

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The much-admired collection on display in every nook of Hieu’s house.

The vast array of antiques captures the attention of passersby despite the house being located in a little alley on Bui Huu Nghia street (Binh Thuy district).

The majority of cassette players and radios here date back to a few decades ago, even more than half a century, but are still surprisingly new-looking and functional.

To demonstrate, Hieu even switched on VOV1 (Voice of Vietnam) channel from a radio produced in the 1950-1960s, and the sound was strikingly smooth and clear.

The quirky perennial machines originating in Japan, the US … from big brands like National, Panasonic, and Sony were all manufactured between 1955 and 1975.

Many phonographs, vinyl records and other items. From all over the country also massively contribute to Hieu’s captivating collection which he has sweated blood for.

Mr. Hieu remarked that though modern electronic audio equipment is of very high quality, the retro style machines, particularly the signature sound produced from vintage cassette players, for ever has his heart.

Radio and cassette players obtained by the sweat of Hieu’s brow.

“I have been passionate about collecting cassettes since I was a school boy. Back then before the digital age took over, people listened to music via cassettes or radio stations, which I feel immensely nostalgic for. Even a simple dysfunction calling a halt to my contemplation could completely cast a shadow over my day,” Hieu recalled.

The devotion he has to classical cassette players burgeons every passing day, so handsomely that it became a part of him, making him expend his energy and effort into seeking further and further.

“I was initially only choosing ones with clear sound and durability, but later on set the bar higher to items of rarity and colour/model variations, ” he added.

Hieu prioritizes rare and even unused items.

Many machines in his home-based exhibition are original and neatly boxed. Some of them can be badly damaged, which may sometimes cost him the earth to get them overhauled.

Circuit error is the most common problem among the cassette players and radios when found.

Even when functional, maintenance, frequent cleaning, board waterproofing, and non exposure to direct sunlight are all indispensable for these items.

Inco Mica cassette radio manufactured between 1955 and 1963 is considered a one-off in Hieu’s collection.

“This is the most special cassette player that I could find across the whole nation. It cost up to VND25 million and is fully intact and operational. Its model is among the most exclusive and elite up to this point in the world of vintage cassettes,” Mr. Hieu said.

Hieu also owns more than 100 Kim Loi Hoa kerosene lamps. The lilac one is regarded as the rarest in the collection. Akai vinyl record players, old televisions, southern pottery …are all intriguing.

Hieu’s Kim Loi Hoa oil lamps.

Mr. Huynh Dang (35 years old, Ninh Kieu district, Can Tho city): “I am also a cassette player and radio maniac. It’s undeniable how profoundly the collection left me bedazzled upon my first visit. It definitely is the finest in Can Tho.”

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