An artisan at work at the Bình Đức pottery producing village in Bình Thuận Province’s Bắc Bình District. — VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Đạt

BÌNH THUẬN — Craft villages in the south-central province of Bình Thuận are busy churning out products for Tết (Lunar New Year) on January 22.

In Bình Đức pottery village in Bắc Bình District’s Phan Hiệp Commune, households are increasing output of household and decoration products to meet the high demand expected during Tết.

Lâm Hùng Sổi of the village said his family was increasing output and had to hire two extra workers to meet the demand.

Tea sets, crockery, pots, clay stoves, and cooking tools are in high demand during the festival, according to the craftsman.

His family now produces 50-70 pottery items a day, 20-30 per cent more than during last Tết.

The village is home to Chăm ethnic people who make pottery by hand.

It makes a diverse range of items at low prices.

Nguyễn Thị Mai, an artisan in the village, said the village’s fine art pottery products such as statues, towers, flower vases, and incense stands were bought all over the country during Tết.

The village has 45 households that produce pottery year round and 60 others that only make them on special occasions such as Tết.

In Phú Long village in Hàm Thuận Bắc District’s Phú Long Town, many households are increasing production of various kinds of rice paper used to make spring rolls, both fried and fresh.

The demand rises during Tết as most families consume rice paper during the festival, according to locals.

Nguyễn Thị Thu Thuỷ of the village said her family normally produced 1,000 pieces of rice paper a day, but the number increased to 1,500 for Tết.

The rice paper made for Tết was of higher quality but the prices did not increase much compared to normal days, she said.

Most households and other establishments in the village have increased production since the 11th lunar month to meet Tết demand.

The work begins every day at 2am and finishes at 4pm.

Lê Thị Hồng Trang, owner of the Liên Trang rice paper producing establishment in Phú Long, said she had 16 workers regularly but had to hire another four now to produce 30,000 pieces of rice paper daily to meet the Tết demand.

“Besides selling at my shop in Phan Thiết City Market, I also sell them to restaurants and grocery stores in the province’s Phú Quý, Tánh Linh and Đức Linh districts, Nha Trang City and Lâm Đồng Province,” she said.

The village has 39 households and six commercial establishments producing rice paper.

In Phan Thiết City, many fish sauce producers have stepped up production and promotions for Tết.

Huỳnh Ngọc Uyên Vy, deputy director of the Cá Đen Company Limited in the city, said her company was increasing production and promoting sales abroad to reach Việt kiều (Vietnamese overseas) customers.

Phan Thiết produces around 20 million litres of fish sauce a year from anchovy.

Price stabilisation

Bình Thuận plans to stockpile essential and other consumer goods to ensure stable prices before and after Tết.

Under its market stabilisation programme for Tết between December 2022 and March 2023, goods are being sold at industrial parks, rural and remote areas and islands to benefit poorer sections of people.

Its Department of Industry and Trade is co-operating with the State Bank of Việt Nam, commercial banks and businesses to implement the programme. — VNS