Tôn Long Quý (right) stands beside wooden frames used for silkworm farming in Nghĩa Giang Commune, in the coastal central province of Quảng Ngãi. — VNA/VNS Photos Đinh Hương

QUẢNG NGÃI — Many young people in the central coastal province of Quảng Ngãi are breathing new life into traditional trades once thought to be fading, blending artisanal heritage with modern management and digital technology to build sustainable livelihoods.

Their efforts are not only preserving cultural legacies but also transforming mulberry gardens and traditional sugarcane syrup furnaces into viable sources of income, reaffirming the vitality of local culture within a market economy.

In Nghĩa Giang Commune, Buồng Hamlet was once synonymous with sericulture.

Today, it is gradually reclaiming that identity, driven by a generation born in the 1980s determined to restore the craft.

Tôn Long Quý, 35, has played a central role in reviving mulberry cultivation at a time when sericulture appeared close to disappearing.

His family first attempted mulberry growing and silkworm rearing in 2002 but failed due to limited capital and a lack of technical knowledge.

“Seeing the abandoned alluvial land along the river, I wondered why other regions could develop sericulture so successfully while ours was left behind,” Quý said.

In 2022, he began what he described as a “mindset-expanding journey” to major sericulture areas in the Central Highlands to learn from established models.

On returning home, he reworked traditional methods.

Instead of using labour-intensive bamboo racks that are prone to disease, he adopted floor-based rearing with wooden trays replacing bamboo ones.

The changes have reduced labour by up to 50 per cent while producing more uniform cocoons that meet export standards.

The financial results have reinforced the shift.

Each silkworm cycle lasts about 15 days, with households raising one to two boxes of larvae earning a net profit of roughly VNĐ10 million (US$380) per cycle.

With up to 10 cycles a year, annual income can reach VNĐ100 million ($3,800), a meaningful figure for rural households.

Quý’s cooperative group now includes 12 households, five of them led by young people, forming a closely linked production network.

Beyond cocoon sales, he is also looking ahead to developing the craft village as an experiential tourism destination.

“I want visitors, especially children, to be able to touch mulberry leaves, feed the silkworms and witness the cocoon-spinning process firsthand. It’s not just about economics, it’s also the best way to educate people about the value of heritage,” he said.

Trịnh Thị Kim Oanh with her products made from sugarcane molasses in Bình Sơn Commune.

A journey to OCOP recognition

Not far from the Trà River in Bình Sơn Commune, 33-year-old Trịnh Thị Kim Oanh is writing a new chapter for her hometown’s sugarcane industry.

A graduate in Business Administration in Hồ Chí Minh City, she chose not to remain in the bustling metropolis but instead returned home to take over her family’s traditional sugar workshop, the last still operating in Tiên Đồ Hamlet.

The craft of making spoon sugar and molasses in the commune enjoyed its golden era in the 1980s and 1990s, when a 300kg batch of sugar could be worth the equivalent of three taels of gold.

However, the rise of industrial sugar and increasingly stringent market demands gradually pushed handmade sugar production into decline.

When Oanh’s father considered switching to producing raw molasses for shrimp farmers to treat water, she intervened, unwilling to see the traditional craft disappear.

“I wanted to create a clean sugar product, free from chemicals, preserving the rich aroma of sugarcane while meeting strict hygiene standards,” she said.

Drawing on her business training, she improved the filtration process.

Instead of filtering once or twice as in traditional methods, she concentrates the cane juice for three to four hours and repeatedly filters it until the syrup achieves a clear amber-like colour.

Her innovation also extends to product diversification.

She has successfully developed a type of coarse cane sugar that can fully replace refined sugar in everyday cooking while being healthier for consumers.

As a result, her molasses and raw sugar products have been awarded a three-star One Commune One Product (OCOP) certification, becoming popular speciality gifts sold nationwide via online platforms.

“Many people say I was foolish to leave the city for such a demanding job. But for me, starting a business from a traditional craft is a journey back to my roots,” she said.

"Every drop of molasses embodies the hardships of farmers and the rustic beauty of rural life. When my products reach wider markets, it is a source of pride for the entire region," Oanh added.

The revival of sericulture and molasses production is not an isolated phenomenon.

It reflects a generation willing to think boldly, act decisively and make effective use of available support.

According to Hồ Thị Thu Thanh, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union, today’s young people have a significant advantage in their ability to access information technology and social media.

The union has been implementing various programmes to support youth entrepreneurship, including market connectivity, training in online sales skills and facilitating access to support mechanisms and policies from provincial authorities and the Department of Science and Technology.

The combination of older generations’ experience with the innovative mindset of young people is reshaping the face of traditional craft villages in the province.

They preserve the trades by making them viable within a market economy, building personal brands and telling compelling product stories that resonate with consumers.

“The early successes of Quý and Oanh stand as compelling proof that traditional crafts still have a place when modernised effectively,” she said.

The lush green mulberry fields and fragrant pots of molasses today serve as a powerful affirmation that the province’s cultural heritage will continue to be carried forward by passionate individuals eager to make their mark. — VNS