(VOVworld) - To make a musical instrument is no less art than chiseling away at rock to make a sculpture. And an artisan from Dao Xa village in the outskirts of Hanoi has spent a lot of time on the tough job. For more than 200 years, Dao Xa village has produced numerous musical instrument makers, but their number has dwindled dramatically, with only one man left to carry the torch today. Born into a long line of musical instrument makers, Dao Xuan Soan is a natural at bringing music to life. Soan has devoted over 40 years to the art of crafting musical instruments. Despite a series of ups and downs, his little shop in Dao Xa village has never failed to produce high-quality pieces of art. According to Soan, who is now in his 70s, artisans in Dao Xa villages originally flocked from North to South. However, he reckoned that today’s youth is losing interest, since the job requires an eye for beauty and patience. Soan’s son, Do Anh Tuan, who took on the artistic work after working as a driver, said the toughest part of the job is training as it takes time and more time to learn how to make all the instruments. People who love traditional musical instruments travel from far away to Dao Xa village just to buy a high-quality instrument made by Soan. Vietnam is home to hundreds of traditional instruments, with no more than 30 being widely known, such as the monochord, the Vietnamese zither or the cylindrical drum.