Tri Canh production facility (Photo: Ngoc Anh/VOV5)

Bamboo is familiar to Vietnamese people and closely linked to Vietnamese villages. Bamboo products are more durable and the price is lower than products made of ordinary wood. Lots of bamboo trees are grown in Ham Giang commune, making the raw material abundant.

Like other households in Ham Giang commune, the Tri Canh production facility at first made house-ware items such as basic cabinets, tables, chairs, and bookshelves. Tri Canh's products were mainly sold locally.

After a long time researching the market, getting advice, and attending trade fairs, Canh and his workers started making high-end furniture from bamboo roots.

This was a turning point for Tri Canh. Its solid, glossy beauty and unique design has made his bamboo furniture a best-selling product, said Canh.

He told VOV, “Our furniture has been certified as meeting the 4-star One Commune, One Product standard. This is my family’s traditional profession, passed down from father to son. Tri Canh makes furniture to order, for customers here and abroad. A number of households in the craft village do work for this facility. We earn more than 32,000 USD a month.”

According to Canh,  Ham Giang commune’s People's Committee loaned the facility money for machinery and equipment and the Center for Industry and Trade Promotion of the Tra Vinh Department of Industry and Trade has provided vocational training and support for participating in trade fairs and finding outlets for the products.

Tri Canh, the workshop’s owner (Photo: Ngoc Anh/VOV5)

Tri Canh makes bamboo tables, chairs and bicycles for resorts, homestays, and several big projects on Phu Quoc island and in Ho Chi Minh City, and Phan Thiet city.

Tri Canh has more than 20 products made of bamboo, most of which are high-end items for eco-tourism areas, resorts, and restaurants. Its products have been exported to many countries and its bamboo furniture sets have built a reputation and brand for the craft village.

Before being certified as a 4-star OCOP product, Tri Canh’s bamboo furniture set won first prize in Tra Vinh province for typical rural industrial products and third prize in the Mekong Delta region.

In addition to bamboo furniture, Tri Canh’s bamboo bicycle is also popular with tourists, and has been exported. 70% of the bike, including the frame and handlebars, are made of bamboo.   

Tri Canh has created many jobs for local workers. It employs 42 people who earn hundreds of dollars a month. One worker named Chau Quoc Van said, “I’ve worked at the workshop for more than 10 years. There are 3 main workers. Each of them earns more than 360 USD a month. My daily work is drilling. I let other workers chisel and assemble the parts of chairs. Each person is in charge of one stage. We make a variety of products, such as jute chairs and bamboo root furniture, depending on the customer's order.”

A pioneer in product design, Tri Canh workshop is expanding its business, doing design and decoration for restaurants and cafes in several provinces and cities in the south. Tri Canh bamboo products have won over domestic and foreign markets and contributed to the preservation and promotion of Ham Giang handicraft village.